41 per cent vehicles fail emission standard

Kathmandu, April 20

More than 41 per cent vehicles failed the emission test conducted by Metropolitan Traffic Police Division yesterday.

The emission test was part of the Traffic Management and Pollution Control Improvement Action Plan-2019, recently introduced by Nepal Police.

According to MTPD, emission test was randomly conducted on 51 vehicles in Balkhu area.

Of them, 30 vehicles failed to keep their emission level under permissible limits. The owners or drivers of the vehicles failing the emission standards were fined Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 depending on the toxicity of emission.

This indicates that most of the air pollution in Kathmandu valley is caused by vehicles with high level of toxic emission. As per the vehicle emission standards implemented by the government in 2003, the permissible emission level for four-wheelers registered in Nepal in or before 1980 is maximum 4.5 per cent of carbon monoxide of the total emission and maximum 1,000 parts per million hydrocarbon concentration.

Similarly, the four-wheelers registered in the country after 1981 should not emit CO exceeding three per cent of the total emission and their ppm hydrocarbons in emission is required to be below 1,000. Likewise, two-wheelers are not allowed to emit CO exceeding 4.5 per cent of the total emission while their ppm hydrocarbon should be less than 7,800.

According to the Ministry of Forests and Environment, the particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in Kathmandu is much higher than the standard set by the World Health Organisation.

The WHO considers air unsafe when average exposure to PM2.5. exceeds 10 µg/m3.

MTPD said an average of 800,000 vehicles, both two-wheelers and four-wheelers, ply the valley roads on a daily basis.

Earlier, MTPD had conducted emission test in Nayabazaar area and 62.5 per cent vehicles had failed the test.