THE government is sticking to its guns when it comes to the oil industry; it is demanding that they reduce the harmful manganese additive in petrol to acceptable limits, and that stand should be maintained. The new standards for reduced manganese content were to be enforced from Nov 1 onwards, though some quarters in the oil industry were busy lobbying for an extension of that date. A proposal to extend the date came before Ogra through one of its own members, but was rightly turned away by the chairperson, according to a report in this newspaper. Changing the terms of the so-called phase-out plan would require cabinet-level approval first, she is reported to have said, and the step cannot be taken as a regulatory matter alone. This might be a bureaucratic issue on the surface. But underneath powerful interests are at play to find a way to prolong the status quo and to continue with business as usual since easy profits are to be made with fuel additives. Instead, the investments necessary should have been made to ensure that vehicular fuels meet the country’s RON specification at the same time as being environmentally compliant. The cheapest way to make that possible is to keep environment regulations as loose as possible — a temptation that must be resisted.

The issue came to the fore last year when at least one large auto assembler complained that unusually high levels of manganese additive in local fuels was harming the engines of a new model car it had just introduced in Pakistan. Upon inquiry it was learnt that the oil industry had resorted to increasing manganese additive to fuels after the government ordered all fuels to be of a higher RON count, since this was the cheapest way to meet the new requirement. Upon discovery, the government mandated a cap on manganese content in vehicular fuels, a requirement that was absent until then. The regular practice of taking lower-quality fuel and simply raising the RON count by using the manganese additive is now going to be phased out. Whatever discomfort this causes for industry needs to be brushed aside, since the additive in question is very bad for air quality, and harmful for humans, especially children; its use in vehicular fuels needs to be strictly regulated. There must be no compromise on the phase-out plan.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2018