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EMA tightens screws

27 Apr, 2014 - 00:04 0 Views

The Sunday News

Tinomuda Chakanyuka  Sunday News Reporter
THE Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is moving towards introducing vehicle carbon emission licence discs, as the agency works towards scaling up efforts to monitor pollution caused by vehicles and meet world atmospheric control regulations.
Speaking to Sunday News during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), EMA’s spokesperson Mr Steady Kangata said the disc system, which is expected to start next year, would make it easy for the agency to inspect vehicles and monitor carbon emission.

Mr Kangata said the vehicle carbon emission disc system would work in the same manner as the road usage disc system.

Under the new system, Mr Kangata said, vehicles meeting the required standards would be issued with discs to be displayed on the vehicle windscreen that would be renewable annually, while those that exceed the carbon emissions threshold would be removed from the road.

“We are working on introducing EMA vehicle emission discs as we try and increase our efforts to control vehicle emissions. The discs will be renewed yearly after the vehicle would have undergone tests to make sure it meets the carbon emission threshold. The discs will work in the same manner as the road usage discs and any car that is found without the disc will be fined accordingly or removed from the road.

“At the moment we are still consulting with our stakeholders to see how best we can introduce the system and how best we can make it efficient. We would want a buy-in from all the stakeholders, including members of the public and that is what we are also working on,” he said.

“We have already engaged the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Zimbabwe National Road Administration and the police on our intended move. What we want at the end of the day is that everything becomes holistic and we have support from the entire system.”

EMA has been manning roadblocks with the help of members of the ZRP to inspect vehicle carbon emissions.

Last year, EMA inspected 1 350 vehicles for carbon emission and 320 vehicles were issued with tickets for exceeding the set carbon emission threshold.

Mr Kangata said the introduction of the carbon emission disc system will also help reduce congestion at road blocks where EMA agents test vehicles for carbon emissions.

“This will also help us reduce the long queues at the road blocks where our officials conduct inspections, testing vehicles for carbon emissions. We are lobbying so that the programme starts next year,” said Mr Kangata.

He said the reduction of vehicle emission required a multisectoral approach, urging vehicle owners to take the initiative by bringing their vehicles to EMA for inspection before taking them on the roads.

“This is an initiative that should be done by vehicle owners themselves. They should come to EMA before they can take their vehicles on the road. That would make life easy for both EMA and them. If they wait for us to conduct our regular checks then we will fine them if their vehicles do not meet the set standards,” he said.

Mr Kangata also urged companies to voluntarily bring their vehicles to EMA for inspection.
He said some companies in Harare were voluntarily inviting EMA officials to inspect their vehicles each time they are taken for servicing to ensure that they do not exceed the carbon emission threshold.

Mr Kangata also touched on imported second hand vehicles, saying that EMA was advocating for a policy that would compel such vehicles to be serviced and inspected before they start traveling on the country’s roads so that their carbon emissions are reduced.

“EMA will be engaging the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority so that all the vehicles that are going to be imported be serviced first before they are driven on our roads. We would want the vehicles to be inspected first to see if they don’t emit too much carbon that is above the set threshold,” he said.

“Our proposal is to have this at policy level so that we can meet the world atmospheric control regulations. As an organisation we have always had problems with these second hand vehicle imports. They pose a lot of threats to the environment and our wish is to have the importation of such vehicles reduced.”

Some developed countries have imposed stiffer carbon emission standards, forcing vehicle owners to replace old vehicles with newer, cleaner models or retrofit old vehicles with approved nitrogen oxide control devices.

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