Smoke-belchers warned

Enforcers of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will no longer rely on their own judgment when they go after smokebelchers along EDSA, starting tomorrow.

DOTC Undersecretary Arturo Valdez said the agency will intensify its anti-smoke belching program using 94 new opacimeter units, which will help enforcers gauge the level of smoke emission.

"We used to have only three opacimeters. This is really not enough considering the volume of vehicles that we have now," he noted.

The DOTC’s anti-smoke belching program is part of the Clean Air Act. The other component of the law is a crackdown on industrial plants that are contributing to air pollution.

An earlier study of the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed motor vehicles are the primary source of air pollution in Metro Manila. At present, there are at least three million registered motor vehicles in the country.

Valdez pointed out that the new gadgets will enable the DOTC enforcers to conduct more roadside inspection of motor vehicles.

Under the program, enforcers flag down vehicles that emit visible black smoke and then test them using the opacimeter. They also conduct random testing of vehicles.

Violators are fined P1,000 for the first offense, P3,000 for the second offense and P5,000 for the third offense. If three offenses are committed within a year, the DOTC revokes the registration of the vehicle. – Sheila Crisostomo