Sharp cut in air pollution set next year

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Tuesday said it would aim for a 30 percent reduction in the air pollution of Metro Manila and other urban areas by next year. DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said this move would cut by P7.6 billion a year costs arising from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases caused by air pollution.

Last year, the amount of total suspended particulates (TSP) in Metro Manila reached 134 micrograms (ug) per normal cubic meters (Ncm), or 48 percent over the standard 90 ug per Ncm.

TSPs are small solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. The major sources of TSP are diesel vehicles and coal-burning power plants. Dust from unpaved roads and construction activities are also sources of TSP especially during the dry months.

Public utility vehicles—tricycles, jeepneys, and buses—are considered mobile sources of air pollution contributing more than 80 percent of the total pollution load in the metropolis. The remaining 20 percent comes from industries and processing plants, referred to as stationary sources.

Paje said more than 50 percent of vehicles are registered without actual testing by accredited Private Emission Testing Centers (PETC).

“There should not be a no-show emission certification,” Paje said, adding that strict registration monitoring can reduce TSP emission by 30 percent or more.

The official also pushed for the installation of CCTV cameras in PETCs.

Paje also said the country has at least five million registered tricycles, 2.8 million of which are in Metro Manila.

These motorcycles contribute about 20 million cubic meters of pollution load each year, making them the second highest pollutant next to jeepneys, he said.

The DENR chief said the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide the Philippines a $280 million loan and 30 units of zero emission motorcycles. –JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ REPORTER, Manila Times