Fight pollution by issuing certificates
May 10, 2009
I am responding to Richard Musani’s article that appeared in The New Vision of May 5, proposing that old vehicles be phased out to fight pollution.
Andrew D. Sakwa
I am responding to Richard Musani’s article that appeared in The New Vision of May 5, proposing that old vehicles be phased out to fight pollution.
I agree, there is a problem of pollution by vehicles which must be handled, but I disagree with his proposal on how this should be done.
Pollution is caused by both new and old vehicles that run on petroleum products. So the point is not the age, but the pollution. We must, therefore, determine a pollution limit for our vehicles and find a way of enforcing it in Uganda.
When I was in India before 2001, every vehicle (new or old, including motorcycles) had to have a pollution certificate.
To get the certificate, one had to take his vehicle to be tested by a competent authority to determine its pollution level. One would only get that certificate if their vehicle’s pollution level was below the set limit.
Enforcing a pollution certificate policy for both old and new vehicles will go a long way in fighting the problem instead of marketing new vehicles or creating income for the enforcers.
To achieve this, the Government should set up pollution testing centres in places like Ntinda where vehicles are inspected and facilitate them with trained personnel and testing gadgets.
Let it become mandatory for insurance companies to issue insurance certificates for only vehicles that have acquired a valid pollution certificate. This would help eliminate the vice of bribing Police officers by drivers who do not have the certificates.
The period for the pollution certificate insurance could be determined by environment experts and timed to correspond with the vehicle insurance.
The pollution certification could be carried out by an independent authority audited by the National Environment Authority or some other environmental protection authority, which should routinely carry out spot tests on vehicles to verify the validity of their certificates.
No vehicle should be exempted from this exercise.
I believe if the above proposal is implemented, we shall have a less polluted environment and people will enjoy driving vehicles of their choice, whether new or old, as long as they are in good mechanical condition.
The writer is a systems
administrator
I am responding to Richard Musani’s article that appeared in The New Vision of May 5, proposing that old vehicles be phased out to fight pollution.
I agree, there is a problem of pollution by vehicles which must be handled, but I disagree with his proposal on how this should be done.
Pollution is caused by both new and old vehicles that run on petroleum products. So the point is not the age, but the pollution. We must, therefore, determine a pollution limit for our vehicles and find a way of enforcing it in Uganda.
When I was in India before 2001, every vehicle (new or old, including motorcycles) had to have a pollution certificate.
To get the certificate, one had to take his vehicle to be tested by a competent authority to determine its pollution level. One would only get that certificate if their vehicle’s pollution level was below the set limit.
Enforcing a pollution certificate policy for both old and new vehicles will go a long way in fighting the problem instead of marketing new vehicles or creating income for the enforcers.
To achieve this, the Government should set up pollution testing centres in places like Ntinda where vehicles are inspected and facilitate them with trained personnel and testing gadgets.
Let it become mandatory for insurance companies to issue insurance certificates for only vehicles that have acquired a valid pollution certificate. This would help eliminate the vice of bribing Police officers by drivers who do not have the certificates.
The period for the pollution certificate insurance could be determined by environment experts and timed to correspond with the vehicle insurance.
The pollution certification could be carried out by an independent authority audited by the National Environment Authority or some other environmental protection authority, which should routinely carry out spot tests on vehicles to verify the validity of their certificates.
No vehicle should be exempted from this exercise.
I believe if the above proposal is implemented, we shall have a less polluted environment and people will enjoy driving vehicles of their choice, whether new or old, as long as they are in good mechanical condition.
The writer is a systems
administrator