AIR POLLUTION IN KAMPALA
APPLICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR MANAGEMENT OF AIR POLLUTION IN KAMPALA DISTRICT.
BY
ABOK MARVIN
INTRODUCTION
Comprehensive scientific
analysis of the quality of air in Kampala has not yet been made; however,
studies have revealed that for the past five years, its pollution has been
soaring. There has been almost no concern over the situation for instance air
quality standards have not yet been established by the government or NEMA. The
critical condition calls for immediate sensitization of the public on the
matter before it gets out of hand so that participation in the control of air
pollution is expanded.
Wikipedia defines air pollution as the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter or
biological materials that degrade the air for humans and other living organisms,
into the atmosphere. According to the World Bank study, air pollution in
Kampala is caused mainly by transportation emissions especially from old
vehicles, followed by burning of fossil fuels such as wood and charcoal to supply
domestic energy needs, and then industrial emissions. These have affected the
growing number of victims with respiratory tract infections such as asthma,
chronic bronchitis and lung cancer among others. More so farmers have been
affected by the global warming effects like unpredictable duration of seasons.
A warning that air pollution is becoming a serious environmental threat;
however, it can be controlled using environmental control systems. These are
measures, strategies, policies, laws, and technology put in place to mitigate
pollution of the environment. Explained below are some of the environmental
control systems that can be applied to control pollution of air in Kampala district.
ANALYSIS ON POLLUTION
As the number of cars on the
roads in Kampala increases, air pollution is becoming inevitable; something
needs to be done to cut down on the scaring number of exhausts. These are
mostly personal vehicles, majority of which are second hand and thus can no longer
fully burn fuel. They rather emit unburnt fuel in form of soot and harmful
gases like carbon monoxide. Based on a personal interview with Nakiguli Helen Cynthia,
she urged that support needs to be given to public transport and other
non-motorized transport systems like use of bicycles and walking. In this case
as more and more people adjust from using personal vehicles to using public
transport, the number of personal vehicles and hence exhausts will reduce thus
lowering transportation emissions. In Kampala, this system can be actualized by
increasing parking fees, in so doing; owners of personal vehicles will find
public transport more convenient thereby limiting the use of their personal
vehicles. Furthermore, rewarding the users of public transport will most
definitely attract an ample number of people since as some people say, “Ugandans
love free things.” Also, highly taxing new vehicles will cut down on the number
of vehicles being bought ergo creating more customers to public transport. All
in all, the logic is that one exhaust of a bus carrying twenty passengers does less harm compared to the twenty exhausts of twenty private cars used by each of the twenty passengers.
As far as I am aware, if no
measure is put in place to fight pollution from poor exhaust systems in cars in
Kampala, then people in Kampala are on the road to days of doom. On top of
being too many in the city, a good number of the cars in Kampala have poor
exhaust systems that puff soot and other poisonous gases like carbon monoxide
and nitrogen dioxide. This kind of irresponsibility is not about to stop, not
unless the drivers or owners of these cars are fined for it. Farhad, A.
December 2007 proposed that motor vehicles should be subjected to mandatory
inspection and maintenance. A study of about 50 gasoline fuelled vehicles of
different ages and models both domestic and imported indicated that the engine
tune up will reduce air pollution by as much as 50% and fuel
efficiency by 30%. With a system like this one in place, drivers or
owners of vehicles that have faulty exhaust systems will definitely consider
putting them in order to avoid being charged. In Kampala, the government can
set up inspection centres where vehicles can be inspected and cleared. All this to drive at making it a must for all cars in Kampala, to have a permit that clears vehicles with permitted
air pollution levels, to add on this, cars without such permits should not be
allowed on roads in Kampala. As well, high fines and serious penalty should be
employed for drivers who refuse to take their vehicles for inspection. The
application of the system together with its benefits once aired out to the
vehicle users in Kampala will receive a lot of support.
It is high time green or
clean energy is put into consideration in the day to day lives of people in Kampala. If not walking within Kampala suburbs, looking at what is used
to prepare the roadside sausages, chapattis among others, then visiting home kitchens will reveal the danger people are in with the
poisonous smoke from that charcoal stove. Usage of fossil fuel, like charcoal
and firewood has become a major source of domestic energy and this can to some
extent, be blamed on the unreliable power supply in the country. Ngabire, E, 2011,
April 27 articulates that use of low emission stoves and cleaner burning
natural gas in homes is an efficient way to cut down use of fossil fuels in
Kampala. Promoting energy efficient
stoves in Kampala would cut down wood consumption by a vast percentage; people
will eventually go in for these stoves as a way of saving money spent on
charcoal or firewood. The government needs to provide aid in construction of
these stoves in some homes and schools around Kampala as a demonstration to the
rest of the public such that they can begin to use it. An example of this type
of stove is the Rocket stove which uses over 60% less energy and is
practically smokeless. Use of natural gas is yet another way to cut curb the
problem, this gas is also smokeless thus when used indoors is safe as far as
pollution is concerned.
Greenhouse gas emissions
from industries may never be stopped completely, but they can be controlled,
especially if these industries are made to account for the level of pollution
their emissions cause. With the unreliable power supply in the country,
industries have time and again been forced to use generators. Generators are
seen as cost effective and energy efficient sources of power; however, they
contribute a lot to the pollution of the air when they burn petrol or diesel also
producing greenhouse gases as by products. Miller, G. 1994, pg 127 suggests
that a system of taxing industries for each unit of air pollution they emit
will most assuredly drive the industries to use less polluting energy such as
that without lead. This system can become a deterrent to use of generators by industries thus promoting use of cleaner energy such as solar energy, wind
energy, and inverters among others. Such taxation should be imposed especially
on industries in residential areas for instance Quality Chemical Industry in
Luzira among others in residential areas such as Namuwongo and Nakawa. The
industries can be informed on the limits to the amount of air pollution they
cause so that once exceeded the industry is held accountable. Clean
energy will mean clean air, so with these systems put in place and supported, the
air in Kampala will get healthier.
Stare at the chimney of a factory in Kampala and
you will ponder on the unsure fate of humanity. A mechanism that filters
these poisonous gases before they come up out of the chimneys can cut down on
the level of hazardousness. http://www.enviro news.com/article/which_air_pollution_control_method_is_most_effective.html 2009, February 17 explains that use of scrubbers
can be used to control air pollution from industries by neutralizing corrosive
gases, treating industrial process gas cleaning exhausts and incinerating
medical waste. Scrubbing involves injection of an alkaline into the gas stream
of an industry, creating a reaction that affects evolution of solid salts which
can then be physically removed. Holding workshops to sensitize the owners of
the factories on the use of this technology can be a way of promoting the
system. Later on inspections coupled with penalties such as closure can then be
carried out to ensure that the technology is being put into practice. Once scrubbers are employed in the industries in Kampala, it can be
guaranteed that the waste air they emit will be friendly with the atmosphere.
In a nutshell, by supporting
the public transport along side non-motorised transport systems, making
mandatory the inspection and maintenance of vehicles, cutting down on the use
of fossil fuels for domestic energy, taxation of industries and use of
scrubbers in industries, we will again start to get certain of the fate of humanity.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Miller, G, T. ENVIRONMENT: Problems and solutions.
California, Berkeley: Publisher, 1994.
Farhad, A. (2007). Inspection and maintenance of
vehicles, the deterioration of urban environments in developing countries.
MITIGATING THE AIR POLLUTION CRISIS IN TEHRAN, IRAN, vol 24, pgs. 399-405.
Retrieved November 5, 2011 from http://oaresciences.org/en/ .
(2009, February 17). AIR POLLUTION CONTROL METHODS:
Which air pollution control method is most effective? ENVIRO-NEWS.COM.
Retrieved (2011, November 5) from http://www.enviro-news.com/article/which_air_pollution_control_method_is_most_effective.html
.
Ngabire, E. (2011, April 27). Choking to death-Air
pollution in Kampala. DISPATCH: Uganda’s News Monthly. Retrieved (2011,
November 5) from http://dispatch.ug/choking-to-death-air-pollution-in-kampala/1759/
.
Nakiguli Helen Cynthia, Environment Management
Officer, Uganda Communications Commission, personal interview, 2011, October
26.
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