Solution for rickshaw pollution in Dhaka
Monday, 23 April 2001: UNDP, in partnership with Rupantarita Prakritik Gas
Co. Ltd., is offering hope for cleaner air to the inhabitants of Dhaka, the
capital of Bangladesh, by promoting the use of compressed natural gas to
replace gasoline as fuel for the city's 60,000 auto-rickshaws.
"We believe that this project
will
demonstrate the benefits of
compressed natural gas as an
energy source for
auto-rickshaws,
or 'baby taxis' as they are
known in
Dhaka," said Jorgen Lissner,
UNDP Resident Representative.
"This is cheaper and cleaner
technology, which benefits the
auto-rickshaw drivers
financially,
and will make it easier to
breathe in
Dhaka," he said. The $1.2
million
project will help the gas
company
gain technical skills in the use
of
compressed natural gas to power
vehicles.
New fuel will reduce pollution
by
auto-rickshaws.
The one-year project will
convert
300 auto-rickshaws to run on
compressed natural gas. The
demonstration of the benefits is
expected to ultimately lead all
60,000 auto-rickshaws to shift
to
the cheaper, cleaner fuel.
The auto-rickshaws alone emit 25
per cent of the tiny particles
of soot
and 60 per cent of the toxic,
smog-forming hydrocarbons of all
motor vehicles in the city. This
level
of pollution is a serious health
hazard, particularly for the
very
young and the elderly.
The initiative will also help
Bangladesh become more energy
self-sufficient. The country has
large reserves of natural gas,
and
compressed natural gas can be
made available to domestic
consumers at prices
significantly
lower than imported oil. At the
same time, the use of domestic
resources will contribute to
reducing the county's heavy
dependence on imported fuel.
The project will also help
demonstrate the effectiveness of
the
compressed natural gas
technology
to decision-makers in the
government , the private sector
and
other stakeholders. The Ministry
of
Energy and Mineral Resources is
administering the project and
Environment Canada is providing
technical and management
support.
For more information contact:
Ali
Ashraf, UNDP Bangladesh at
<ali.ashraf at undp.org>