Colombo air cleaner

Chamikara Weerasinghe

There is a marked improvement in the air quality of Colombo since the introduction of Vehicle Emission Tests by the Central Environment Authority. Microscopic dust particles in the atmosphere over the city have declined from 71 milligrams per cubic meter in 2008 to 61 milligrams per cubic meter in 2009, according to Ambient Air Quality reports of the Central Environment Authority Air quality Unit.

The Unit’s Director R M Kulasena said the current value of air pollutants is the lowest recorded during the last ten years.

The concentration levels of hazardous air pollutants such as ozone , sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide, are further decreasing in the city atmosphere as indicated by the moving nature of the particles, explained Kulasena.

Particulate Matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter, also known as PM10 concentrations, which have the potential to reach furthest parts of the lungs and give rise to respiratory and heart diseases , have declined from 2008 , said Ambient Air Quality Monitors at Central Environment Authority. The air pollution in Colombo is monitored by Air Quality Monitoring Station located in the Fort Railway Station car park, which experience high traffic volumes and vehicular smoke .

The declining trend in the ratio of Air pollution in Colombo has been experienced during the time spanning from 2008 to 2009 and up to now since the setting of Vehicle Emission Standards by the Central Environment Authority in 2008, The Environment and Transport Ministries introduced Vehicle Emission Tests throughout the country with a program titled “Haritha Riya” (Green Drive) in July 2008.

Private sector companies, Laugfs Eco Sri Lanka Private Ltd and Clean Co Private limited participated in this program to conduct Vehicle Emission Tests.

Vehicles that do not meet exhaust emission do not get emission certificates that are mandatory to obtain their revenue licences under the program.

Sources at the Office of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and Environment and Natural Resources Ministry’s Air Resources Management Centre said that over 2.4 million emission tests have been conducted throughout the country since the introduction of exhaust emission tests.

The Centre’s Environment Management Officer Ruwan Weerasuriya said , nearly 15 per cent cases have failed to meet the emission standards. Of the number of failed cases , 80 per cent get through the tests after repairing their vehicles.