KATHMANDU: Department of Transport Management (DoTM) has imported 40 vehicle emission testing equipments in the country. The vehicles failing pollution test will be banned in Kathmandu Valley from July 17.
According to the DoTM, the machines were brought to implement the government decision to make green stickers mandatory for all four-wheel vehicles in all local bodies including metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities.
Tulasi Ram Aryal, spokesperson for the DoTM, said that 20 sets of ‘smoke meter’ for diesel vehicles and 20 sets of ‘gas analyzer’ for petrol vehicles were brought last Saturday. “The vehicle pollution test will be implemented effectively from July 17,” he said. “Fifteen offices under DoTM and six service offices will be given the pollution testing machines by June 29. Later they will be given training on pollution testing.”
Spokesperson Aryal said the vehicles without green stickers will not be allowed to ply on the roads of Kathmandu Valley from July 17. “If the vehicles fail pollution tests, they will not be allowed to enter Kathmandu Valley,” he said.
According to Aryal, stations will be set up at several places in Kathmandu Valley to test the pollution standards of vehicles. “Vehicles without green stickers, or failing pollution tests won’t not be allowed to enter the Valley,” he added.
The DoTM has expected the pollution in Kathmandu Valley will decline after the implementation of ‘green stickers’ system as the main cause of pollution in Valley is vehicle emissions.
Earlier, the DoTM had planned to implement the mandatory ‘green stickers’ for vehicles and pollution test from April 14. The plan was postponed for July 17 due to delay in the supply of the equipments. The DoTM called tender for equipment in March. “Delay in bidding process for purchasing equipments forced us to delay the implementation,” said Aryal.
Presently, the DoTM has three pollution testing equipments, one at Transport Management Office, Lalitpur, another at Transport management Service Office, Kathmandu and one testing office Kathmandu.
The vehicles failing pollution tests will be marked with red stickers. According to the existing rules, the private vehicles should conduct pollution tests each year while the public vehicles must conduct the tests every six months for green stickers.
The emission standard for vehicles is 1,000 PPM smoke, 3 percent carbon monoxide, and 2.44 QSU smoke quantity. The rule does not bind the two wheelers for emission test. The vehicles marked with red stickers can be driven only to workshops but not for the public purpose.
In April, the Ministry of Forest and Environment issued a whitepaper mentioning that vehicle emissions contribute 37 percent of air pollution.
According to the DoTM, there are 3.8 million vehicles including 2.3 million motorcycles registered in Nepal. The DoTM is preparing to urge the vehicle owners publicly to have the green stickers mandatorily.
