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| Sunday, 13 October 2002 |
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Clamp-down on 'toxic' diesel from 2003 by Shanika Sriyananda Liyanage The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources will clamp down on all diesel vehicles belching out a toxic black smoke which pollutes the air causing an environmental and health hazard. This will be in force from next year under the new regulations on Fuel Quality Standards gazetted in 2000 in a bid to maintain an environment and atmosphere free of toxic smoke. Director of the Environment Economic and Global Affairs Division of the Ministry, Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda, told the Sunday Observer that the Ministry had taken this decision since the sulphur content in diesel is close to the maximum level that was recommended. "Sulphur, a major harmful substance has a 0.7 per cent content in diesel, which is bound to cause health as well as environmental problems", he said. However, the Ministry is planing to reduce the sulphur content in diesel to 0.3 per cent by the year 2005. " Initially, the new regulations will be enforced by the end of this year with a view to reducing it to 0.5 per cent, which is also slightly higher than the recommended level", Dr. Batagoda added. He said that since the majority of vehicles in the country were run on diesel, the regulations would be enforced gradually in order to reduce the number of vehicles belching out toxic smoke with sulphur. This measure would help to further reduce the contents of sulphur in diesel to be on par with the European 2 standard which is 0.05 per cent by the year 2010. An Air Resource Management Centre will also be set up under the new regulations in a bid to totally eradicate this harmful substance. According to Dr. Batagoda, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has agreed to import low sulphur diesel from next year, although its cost would be higher, he said. |
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