star.gif (2664 bytes)A Down To Earth Supplement
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                               January 12, 2000
Gobar means animal dung in Hindi. All of rural India uses it in a variety of ways. Ways that exemplify sustainable existence. That's why we use it, too.

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DIESEL
Killer
trend

Diesel killer trend

Car manufacturers claim that in addition to being "cost-efficient", diesel is also a more "eco-friendly" fuel than petrol.

But nothing can be farther from the truth. The reality is that diesel exhaust contains an extremely lethal pollutant — respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM). The first question that comes to our minds is: what makes this four-letter word so scary?

Well, these particles cause the worst damage to the respiratory system as they can penetrate deep into the lungs and stay there.

As if the threat of RSPM is not enough, diesel engines and exhaust are also primarily responsible for harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), ozone, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene and a variety of aldehydes.

FUNDUUNG
fundung

In fact, the deadly cocktail of pollutants in diesel exhaust can lead to diseases varying from eye, nose and throat irritation, to a badly damaged nervous system, aggravated heart disorders and impaired respiratory tracts. PAH and SOx have also been found to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing), most often leading to lung cancer.

In spite of all this, diesel cars are being promoted extensively and expensively as vehicles with low-running costs (health costs excluded, of course). After all, the price of diesel in India is half that of petrol. Thus enabling diesel-powered four wheel drives to rule the roost.

So now that we are aware of the problem, we must look for solutions. Saying that diesel should be completely banned sounds quite impractical because heavy vehicles like trucks, buses and vans are completely dependent on diesel. However, the problem can be tackled effectively by using "cleaner" diesel.

The diesel currently available in India contains about 0.05 per cent of sulphur and 3-5 per cent of benzene, whereas Swedish class-I diesel contains less than 0.001 per cent of sulphur and less than 1 per cent of benzene. If this diesel was to be provided to consumers in Delhi, half the problem would be solved. The remaining solution lies in bringing the price of diesel on par with that of petrol.

It is up to us to take the decision. Either we opt for diesel as a cheaper fuel and let our lungs pay the price, or we give public health the top-most priority by completely doing away with diesel-powered cars.

It is up to us to make the right choice because the future, and our own survival, is in our hands.

An open letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Prime Minister,

We went along to the fifth Auto-Expo to observe the car manufacturers, the consumers, and the people from the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) and the Society for Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Here are our views on air pollution and cars.

  • l Delhi's government has been forced by the Supreme Court and given orders to convert all bus engines to run on compressed natural gas (CNG). Today there are only 10 of them on Delhi's roads whereas there should be 10,000 by April 2001. And the rest of the country is choking to death too. Let's save our lungs and turn the whole of India to CNG.
  • l The car manufacturers we interviewed just passed the blame and their responsibility onto the consumer. They said that if the consumers are to keep their cars neat and clean and serviced then their cars would create no pollution at all. They were always saying that their car was the best.
  • l PCRA and SIAM said that they have set some standards which the car manufacturers have to reach and any company who doesn't meet the standards had their cars banned. When asked how many cars they had banned, they had no answer. They also said that it was the duty of the oil companies whether the fuel is adulterated or not. They even said that it was the consumers who are really to be blamed.
  • l We also interviewed the consumers. Their only reply was that if they buy bad cars, then what can their maintenance measures do? Then they are also not made aware.
  • l The government's policy did disappoint us. Have any of your ministers or candidates got votes on the principle that they are keeping the environment pollution free? Government does'nt do anything, but only wait and see’.
  • I hope that after reading this letter, your government gives important thought to our concerns and takes effective measures. We hope to see ourselves in the future not wearing oxygen masks.


An open letter to the PMThanking you,

Student Reporters,
Gobar Times