Vehicles are top polluters in Metro

Motor vehicles continue to be the No. 1 cause of air pollution in Metro Manila, an official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) revealed yesterday.

Geri Sanez, of the DENR's Environmental Bureau, said that contrary to general perception, pollution in the metropolis is not caused by factories emitting black smoke through their chimneys but by cars, buses, trucks and even motorcycles that run through major thoroughfares.

"About 80 to 90 percent of air pollution in Metro Manila is brought about by motor vehicles," said Sanez, who based his revelation on the findings of the DENR's eight air pollution monitoring stations. "Only 10 to 20 percent come from industrial sources."

Based on 1998 records, there are about 1.2 million motor vehicles in Metro Manila, and some 2.1 million in other areas of the country. Of this number, almost half are commercial vehicles which use diesel as fuel and the other half are private ones that run on leaded or premium gasoline.

Sanez pointed out that the DENR's monitoring station on Araneta Avenue in Quezon City, and those along EDSA and in Valenzuela have registered the highest levels of air pollution.

However, he said this does not mean that the areas mentioned have the most polluted air in Metro Manila. "It's sad that our monitoring stations in other places could not provide us with data. They are either partially functioning or totally unusable," he explained.

Sanez noted that air pollution is commonly high in areas where traffic congestion is heavy.

Traffic in Metro Manila was earlier found to be causing the country billions of pesos in annual losses. A study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) revealed that the country was directly and indirectly losing P140 billion every year due to traffic.

Apart from economic losses, traffic -- and the pollution it brings -- has apparently led to a deterioration in the mental capability of children in Metro Manila.

Environment Secretary Antonio Cerilles recently said that the intelligence of Filipino children has suffered because of the polluted air they breathe.

Sanez, though, lauded the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for its campaign against vehicles emitting too much smoke.

Since 1995, the MMDA has reportedly caught some 30,000 drivers whose vehicles were found to be smoke-belching or producing dangerous levels of pollutants. These efforts had led to the agency's collection of more than P34 million in fine.

The MMDA has teams which go around Metro Manila apprehending drivers of smoke-belching vehicles. Armed with emission testers, they stop cars, buses and trucks for on-the-spot examination.

Mayors of Makati, Quezon City and Muntinlupa have also created teams to monitor smoke belching in their areas.

But Sanez believes that all these efforts, although noble, are not enough to curb air pollution. He said enforcement remains a weakness which should be strengthened.

The DENR official added that the implementation of the Clean Air Act in the following months may finally make a difference in the air residents of Metro Manila breathe. The measure provides for a phaseout of leaded gasoline and reduction in the sulfur content of diesel fuel.

"We just hope the law can be strictly implemented," he said.