A solution to the pollution

Air quality has improved to a certain extent after the vehicle emission test certificate was made compulsory. Yet vehicles are seen on the road emitting belching smoke from exhaust mostly by buses, trucks, and vehicles owned by the state, including Police, and Tri-forces. Kelanitissa power station adjacent to the new Kelani bridge is a big polluter of the environment emitting black smoke. The Ceylon Electricity Board is full of qualified engineers. They can come up with a solution to filter the exhaust

Pollution is a global topic spoken at numerous forums. Sri Lanka too talks of pollution. We are yet to walk the talk.

Air pollution is a result of carbon monoxide/dioxide, sulfur, nitrogen just to name a few that are released to the atmosphere by industry, vehicles, fire etc., which affects the ozone layer causing global warming paving the way to numerous problems for all living beings, plants, water. There is acid rain in this country. Low intelligence legislators and educated officials do not observe this but the street vendors know about acid rain. They cover their fruits and vegetables when it rains to prevent their products from being victims of acid rain.

Smog can be observed in the sky in most parts of the country during the day. In the evening at dusk clouds of exhaust smoke emitted by vehicles can be seen by the naked eye on main roads reflected by headlamp beam. Our legislators rushing by with their red/blue flashing lights fail to see this phenomenon as their level of education is not sufficient to detect air pollution. The blue sky is not seen on most days during day time.

Have our legislators observed, mornings after rain in the night?

A clear blue sky can be seen since air pollution has been washed down by rain. In main cities of India, busses, trucks, three-wheelers and motorcycles are made to switch off engines when stopped at colour lights. Timers were installed at colour lights for this purpose. New hybrid vehicles switch off the engine when stopped and switch on when the accelerator is pressed. Sri Lanka Police can be made to instruct drivers of non-air conditioned buses, trucks, three-wheelers and motorcycles to switch off the engine when stopped at traffic lights. This will save fuel as well as exhaust fumes of idle engine polluting air.

Air quality has improved to a certain extent after the vehicle emission test certificate was made compulsory. Yet vehicles are seen on the road emitting belching smoke from exhaust mostly by buses, trucks, and vehicles owned by the state, including Police, and Tri-forces. Kelanitissa power station adjacent to the new Kelani bridge is a big polluter of the environment emitting black smoke. The Ceylon Electricity Board is full of qualified engineers. They can come up with a solution to filter the exhaust.

Some time ago a smokeless train was a train with a diesel engine. Now there are no smokeless trains in Sri Lanka.

Most diesel engines of trains are badly maintained. Very seldom does one see a smokeless diesel engine. Transport Minister and Railways General Manager, please observe this.

Plastic disposal issue

Plastic has taken second place as a polluter. Plastic is human-friendly. Disposal of plastic by humans is the issue. Plastic is now polluting land, rivers, lakes and sea. Humans do not dispose of plastic in an environment-friendly manner, thereby causing major disaster to humans and sea creatures. Plastics are used in places that it is not essential to use plastic. Before plastic was introduced, humans and all living beings had the same or better quality of life

Bangladesh, which has overtaken Sri Lanka economically, has banned polythene. Nepal too has done so. Although a polyphone ban is in effect in this country, who cares? Before polythene was introduced the public enjoyed the bath packet wrapped in banana/lotus leaf. International food chains do not use plastic food wraps or styrofoam containers. Their takeaway or delivery is in paper containers. Even their lunch/dinner with rice comes in a paper container. Use of plastic wrapped lunch/dinner packet should be completely banned.

Our legislators introduced a thicker GSM instead of the previous thin plastic wrap and shopping bag. This has created a bigger pollution issue than the previous wrap as thicker plastic takes a long time to decompose than thinner plastic. Decisions by legislators are always destructive, not progressive.

Who came up with this idiotic idea that a thicker plastic will reduce pollution?

Again education vs intelligence is the culprit. Use of plastic was restricted by supermarket chains as they were interested in controlling pollution by plastic bags. A less intelligent judgement was given by a person who was considered intelligent against the decision of supermarket chains. Supermarket chains have now introduced recyclable bags showing the country that their management is more intelligent than the person who lifted the ban. Before plastic shopping bags came it to fashion. Groceries were wrapped in paper cones tied with jute string, or paper bags from recycled cement bags or paper bags made with 80 - 200 GSM paper. Shoppers carried their own recyclable bag from home.

Pet water bottles have become a fashion. Pet water bottle is placed in front of each delegate at meetings of government. President, as Environment Minister, should ban the purchase of water in pet bottles by government departments. In most countries, coffee, tea, is available for self-service by those who require before /during/after meetings. Water is available through water dispensers.

All meeting rooms of this country including the Office of President should have water dispensers. Many organisations of this country provide water dispensers with the hot/cold facility and water in bulk supplied. Service is very good, much cheaper than pet bottles which will reduce cost and solve the problem of disposal of small pet bottles. What is required in offices is recyclable/washable glassware or disposable paper cups.

Recyclable utensils

The manufacture/sale of water in pet bottles less than 5 litres should be banned. Many years ago we carried water in recyclable utensils. We went to school or on excursions with our water/drink hanging on our shoulder which was brought back home. Another big issue is plastic, yoghurt, ice cream, yoghurt drink, fruit drink, butter, toothpaste and other items that are available for retail in plastic containers. Disposal of these plastic containers is a big issue.

Disposable/degradable alternatives are available. Globe butter from England had a paper wrap. All these items in plastic containers should be banned by December 31, 2019, to have a cleaner future for this country. In the past, before plastic became a fashion. Ice cream came in paper cups.

The government should ban the retail of fruit drinks and other products in plastic. Replace them with paper or glass.

Ceylon was a developed country in the early 50s. Officials from Singapore visited Ceylon to learn from Ceylon as both were British colonies. Now Singapore does not have a garbage problem. They collect all the garbage and incinerate them at over 1,100 c. The plant is totally smokeless and sometimes releases steam. Our pundits are still talking about the landfill and compost. Singapore is rich and developed now; Sri Lanka started becoming a beggar state from 1960 onward due to political bungling.

Another menace is sound. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, a new dig in charge of traffic police has gone into action to get rid of loud horns of buses with much publicity. Maybe 70% successful. There are still busses with loud horns on roads. But police are turning a deaf ear or they have gone deaf after the gas in the just-opened bottle of soda action created by police. Similar to headlamp on, on motorcycles on the move. The legislators have now come up with a maximum sound level of horn in vehicles to be 105 decibels.

There is hardly any difference in noise level between 100 and 105 decibels. They have not been practical in listening to sound level. Why could not the lawmakers make it 100 instead of 105? Most of the laws in this country are tricky. There is an old English statement to say the law is an ass. It is proved by legislators of this country that make laws to confuse the law enforcement agencies and the public to make culprits get away on grounds of proof as 105 decibels. The same idiotic decision as to the GSM of plastic wrap.

Another idiotic decision is electricity at 13 amps. The country was used to 5 amp and 15 amp. This may be the only country that has specification as 13 amps. Again education vs intelligence. Fortunately, it was not CJ who decided on GSM of plastic or 13 amps. Who will ensure the 105 decibel sound level of the horn? Police or environment authority? Do we have portable equipment available for enforcing authority to check the sound of the horn? Some time back, sound measuring equipment was imported costing approximately rupees 80 m if I remember right. They were not put in to use. As usual wrong equipment had been imported at great cost to the public. The same with vehicle smog detection equipment for police to do spot checks. Where are they now? Who is responsible for importing this unusable machinery?

Sound polution

Maybe President of Sri Lanka will have to appoint another commission to investigate if he is interested. Anyway, Traffic DIG has done a marvellous job trying to eradicate this bus horn menace, maybe 70% successful to date. Thank you and congratulations DIG Traffic. Please ensure this sound control is not allowed to be gone with the wind or an opened bottle of soda where the gas goes off after some time, like a headlight on for motorcycles on move.

If we are to set up an industry environment authority will have a stipulation to state sound at the perimeter of the factory has to be below 80 decibels.

This law does not apply to religious institutions. Nine per cent of the population disturbs the peace of 91% of the population by the religious call for prayer at 0400/0500 am and many times more. Fortunately, the current anti-Muslim front has been able to pass the message to the government to ban this disturbance. Hope and pray that this ban will continue.