Vehicles flouting pollution laws cause for concern

"The percentage of car violations that caused environmental pollution through gas emissions beyond the limits allowed by the law set by the country, has ranged between 13 to 25 per cent during 1999-2003", said Mahmoud Mohammed Abdul Ghadir, Legal Researcher at the Police Studies and Research Centre at the Abu Dhabi General Police Directorate.

He said the problem of environmental pollution resulting from car exhausts, has surfaced as one of the most acute problems of vehicles plying on the road.

"Emissions of harmful gases pose health and environmental hazards and need to be reduced to a degree that guarantees unpolluted air and a hygienic environment".

Presenting a study on the 'Role of Traffic Police Departments in reducing harmful effects of transportation on the environment' at the national symposium held on Wednesday in the capital Abdul Ghadir said traffic authorities have managed to monitor nine violations out of 103 that are directly linked to environmental pollution.

He said vehicles emitting gases or fumes beyond the permitted limit, uncovered cargo on trucks, non-compatibility for travelling on the road (including causes connected to environmental pollution), trucks with improper levelled exhausts and noisy vehicle, are among vehicles violations.

Operating vehicle engine while the car is parked, lacking safety conditions, articles and waste dropping from the vehicle, which may cause road hazards or harm the environment, have also been cited among the violations.

He said violations for improper hoisting of exhausts recorded 16 to 3.5 per cent of the violations pertaining to the environment during the same period.

Concerning violations of uncovered cargo on trucks, Abdul Ghadir said such violations registered 21 per cent in 2001 and 11.5 per cent in 2003 through out the country.

"This problem has become more dangerous due to the transported cargo quality. Some chemical elements like phosphate and sodium chloride and other elements, are by their nature dangerous, hence, maximum care should be taken when dealing with them", the legal researcher has warned.

About violations of leakage or dropping of articles from moving vehicles, he said these violations registered 12.4 to 16.3 per cent during1999-2003 with Abu Dhabi the leading emirate registering 16.3 in 2000 and 12.4 in 2002.

Vehicles lacking safety measures contributed to 9 to 12 per cent of the environment violations, said Abdul Ghadir, noting that these violations are continuously increasing "prompting adopting of more legal measures to reduce them", he proposed.

He called for enacting laws to control the number of vehicles in the country and specify the appropriate 'age' for imported used vehicles to limit possibilities of environmental pollution caused by outdated vehicles.