KARACHI: Efforts on to phase out rickshaws from city
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, July 6: The Sindh government intends to phase out auto-rickshaws and old buses from the metropolis as a step towards restoration of a pollution-free environment.
The government has already initiated talks with the local transporters on the issue and a formal decision is likely to be taken soon, according to official sources.
It is learnt that different provincial departments, under the directives of the Supreme Court, are finalizing recommendations for bringing about a substantial improvement in the city’s environment, particularly through containing air and noise pollution, mainly created by transport means. Auto-rickshaws, smoke-emitting and diesel-operated vehicles, etc., are being regarded as a major source of pollution.
While the introduction of metro buses, modern A/C coaches, CNG-operated big buses and cabs in urban areas and similar transport means on certain upcountry routes is seen as a breakthrough in the government’s efforts to achieve the objective, efforts are now under way to phase out the auto-rickshaw from urban areas or, at least, convert it into CNG-operated vehicle. The sources said that a ban on the movement of auto-rickshaw in densely populated areas could not be ruled out also.
A government official recalled that the provincial government, in a report submitted to the Supreme Court recently, had suggested that four stroke-rickshaws, in place of the existing two-stroke ones, could be introduced to check noise pollution. The report was prepared jointly by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and provincial transport department in coordination with the traffic police and different departments of the city government as required by the court. The apex court had recently took suo motu notice of the unhealthy conditions due to environmental pollution in the country and had asked the ministries and departments concerned to look into the matter and submit a report. It had also sought presentation of an action plan and monitoring system.
Discussing the contribution of rickshaws to the growing air and noise pollution in the city, a source in the SEPA said that representatives of rickshaw owners and drivers had also expressed their willingness to switch over to the four-stroke vehicles if they were provided financial assistance from the government, donor agencies or the NGOs working for a pollution-free environment.
The official argued that when a positive change in the environmental conditions could be brought about through an initiative by a court in India; and when two-stroke rickshaws could be phased out in Bangladesh, then why could not such things be made possible in Pakistan.
The official, an expert, was of the view that phasing out the existing auto-rickshaw was possible only when no more such vehicle was allowed to operate in the city. The rickshaw drivers, he added, could easily be persuaded for a change as four-stroke rickshaws were already operating successfully in certain other parts of the country.
Environmental experts are not supportive of alternatives like the introduction of CNG-operated rickshaw and newly-designed silencers for the existing rickshaw, saying that such things proved ‘not so much encouraging’. In this regard, they refer to the technicalities involved which the rickshaw drivers could not deal with because of their being less educated or having lacked the necessary mindset.
The Sindh government report, prepared for the Supreme Court, said that substantial growth in vehicle fleets in Karachi was evident in the form of increasing traffic congestion, which not only impeded commercial and industrial activity, but also led to the greater fuel consumption, heightened air pollution, reduced road efficiency and increased transit times.
Within the domain of air pollution, vehicular and industrial emissions are considered to be contributing the major share and have influenced maximum range of population, says the report, adding that noise pollution is yet another aspect which is being created mainly by auto-rickshaws and by pressure horns of buses and trucks. Another factor contributing to the environmental pollution in Karachi is the fact that the large buses, after completing their life on inter-city routes, are shifted to the city’s urban routes and become a source of pollution.
Estimating that about 1.1 million vehicles are plying in the urban areas of the province, the report says that air pollution from vehicular emissions can be contained at different levels, i.e. enacting a law and its effective implementation, installation of pollution control devices for switching over to cleaner fuel, and modification in design to phasing out obsolete technology.
It has further been pointed out that many of the auto-rickshaw owners/drivers do not get required quantity and good quality of lubricant mixed with the fuel which ultimately results in choking of silencer. To get rid of the headache of frequent cleaning and refixing of choked silencers, they usually do away with the silencer’s muffler only and this results in more smoke and more noise.
