[sustran] Auto Rickshaw Pollution in Dhaka

[Craig Townsend]

>From Development News - The World Bank's Daily Webzine
(http://www.worldbank.org/developmentnews/)

Clinics Target Auto Rickshaw Pollution in Dhaka
Training teaches mechanics ways to reduce emissions

May 1, 2000—As part of a broader effort to reduce pollution in the
Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, where black smoke and air-born particles are
a fact of life, about 400 auto rickshaw mechanics recently took part in a
training program to drastically reduce vehicle missions.

The half-day clinic, the first in a series, focused on maintaining and
repairing engines, and advising drivers on the proper quality and quantity
of lubricant oils.
 
The event was conducted by the Society for Urban Environmental Protection,
an environmental nongovernmental organization, and Uttara Motors, with
funding from the World Bank and the Energy Sector Management Assistance
Program, a global technical assistance effort funded by the World Bank,
UNDP, and 15 public and private donors.

Smoke from auto rickshaws, also called “baby taxis,” is harmful to health,
causing burning in eyes, coughing, breathing problems, lung and heart
disease, cancer, and other serious health problems. Those who spend time on
the streets are the most affected by it. (See box.)

“The training of mechanics seeks to help reduce emissions from baby taxis
sustainably and the burden of air pollution on the poor, who are most
exposed to it,” says Jitendra Shah, senior environmental engineer in the
World Bank’s South Asia Environment Unit. “Those who suffer the most are
baby taxi drivers, who spend 10-15 hours a day on the streets in open
vehicles, and are literally using their lungs to clean the air.” 

“The importance of having well-trained and informed baby taxi mechanics
cannot be over-emphasized,” Shah says. Regular servicing and repair of
vehicles are critical to curbing air pollution from vehicles, and the
mechanics are the “gurus” to whom baby taxi drivers turn for advice on how
to operate and maintain their vehicles. “The mechanics are therefore in an
excellent position to convince baby taxi drivers to follow good maintenance
and lube oil practice, and point out that they can be part of the solution
instead of contributing to the problem.”

There are an estimated 50,000 auto rickshaws in Dhaka, most of them using
two-stroke engines. While these vehicles contribute to approximately 35
percent of particles and nearly half of hydrocarbons emitted by all
vehicles, it is not feasible to ban two-stroke engine baby taxis overnight. 

“Two-stroke engine vehicles need not cause so much pollution, as
international experience shows. This is why industrialized countries have
not banned two-stroke engine vehicles,” says Masami Kojima, a petrochemical
expert with the World Bank. “Japan, for example, has a large population of
two-stroke engine vehicles, but they do not smoke as seen in Dhaka, because
they maintain their vehicles and use proper lubricant oils.” 

Why are two-stroke engine vehicles in other countries so much cleaner than
those in Bangladesh? There are two principal reasons: they are maintained
regularly, and the drivers use the correct quantity and quality of
lubricant. It is the failure to follow these two practices in Bangladesh
that is responsible for unacceptably high levels of smoke emissions from
baby taxis. 

The economic cost of health damage caused by emissions from baby taxis has
been calculated to roughly Tk 60 crores (about $12 million) a year. Good
inspection and maintenance practice can help address the problem by
reducing emissions by up to 35 percent. Another mitigation measure which
need not cost any more to drivers is the use of the correct amount of
lubricant designed for two-stroke engines. Currently baby taxis typically
use as much as 10 percent four-stroke engine oil with their petrol. By
using only 3 percent of quality two-stroke engine oil, they could even save
money and at the same time reduce emissions significantly. Mechanics and
baby taxi drivers are also advised not to buy petrol from the open market.
Such petrol could be adulterated by kerosene, causes more smoke, and
damages engines. 

The next phase of the program, set for this summer, will offer training
clinics to baby taxi drivers on proper maintenance and use of lubricant
oil, and other ways to reduce emissions and improve safety. It will also
take emission measurements and provide free tune-ups to polluting baby taxis. 

The Bank is also supporting the Bangladesh Department of Environment and
assisting the government on policies and pilot activities to improve air
quality.

Helpful links: For more on the Bank’s work on the environment, visit
http://www.worldbank.org/environment/. 
 
  
 Box
The Impact of Air Pollution in Bangladesh

Air pollution impedes sustainable development of Bangladesh. Where data are
available, air pollution levels in Dhaka are considerably higher than
Bangladeshi standards or World Health Organization guidelines for
residential areas. 

Extensive research elsewhere has shown a statistically significant
association between particulate pollution, especially the smaller-sized
fractions that constitute most of vehicular particulate emissions, and
premature mortality and morbidity. Specifically, greater exposure to
particulates has been linked to premature deaths from respiratory and
cardio-vascular illnesses, and higher rates of sickness, especially
bronchitis and other chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, as well as
respiratory tract infections. 

It is estimated that if particulate pollution levels in the four largest
cities in Bangladesh were reduced to the standards in force in developed
countries, as many as 15,000 deaths, 6.5 million cases of sickness
requiring medical treatment, and 850 million minor illnesses could be
avoided annually. The economic cost of this avoided sickness and death is
estimated to be $200-800 million per year, or 0.7 percent-3 percent of
Gross Domestic Product. 

Other physical impacts of air pollution include damages to crops and
ecosystems, degraded visibility, soiling of buildings, and damage to water
quality through deposition of lead and other pollutants. These effects on
the ecosystem impair people’s livelihood as well as health.
 
 
 

________________________________________________
Craig Townsend
Institute for Sustainability & Technology Policy
Murdoch University
South Street, Murdoch
Perth, Western Australia 6150

tel: (61 8) 9360 6293
fax: (61 8) 9360 6421
email: townsend at central.murdoch.edu.au