Air Pollution

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Air Pollution

MMT: Courting poison

We had no clue this was happening in India. We were suspicious ever since we read the illuminating study on the deadly octane enhancer, MMT (Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl) from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Scary. Manganese particles from MMT burning as a petrol additive, is a potent neurotoxin that damages the brain when inhaled. Manganese deposit fouls up vehicle components and emission control systems. As an octane booster, MMT is expected to save fuel. But in reality, as evidence shows, it barely makes any difference.

War on MMT won

We welcome the swift intervention of the Union Petroleum Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, to ascertain the status of the use of the MMT (methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl), a manganese-based octane enhancer in petrol. This has elicited voluntary admission from the national oil companies that they will not blend MMT in petrol "any more". For the first time, Indian oil companies have volunteered to discontinue the use of a harmful substance in the face of strong public concern.

Learning from Lahore

Sometimes beginning late can be an opportunity – more advantageous then even the beginners’ advantage. If a city has done nothing so far to clean up, and begins now, it is easier to steer clear of the gaffes and the clangers of the early birds. Avoid the sheer burden of false moves of the past. Begin right. Lahore, one of the most happening metros in Pakistan, is poised to do just that.

Small Cars - Big Dilemmas

The farmers of Singur in West Bengal are desperate to save their land from transforming into an assembly line for cars of Tata Motors priced at one lakh rupees (US$2222). While the state’s left front government is eager to oblige with cheap land deal, the Union government is ready with more tax cuts to shorten the fuse and set off explosion in car sales. In promising unconditional support our regulators forgot to ask about the product itself, -- an unusually cheap micro car – whose impact will reverberate much beyond Singur.

Policy Police: Is air pollution a problem any more?

Way back in 2007 we had said Delhi would wake up that winter to more smog and pollution; more wheeze and asthma. Air pollution was on its way back up. Every winter would turn back the pollution clock. At stake was our health. Newly released official air quality data now reconfirms our worst fears. It is not only Delhi, but other cities as well – Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kanpur, are climbing the smoggy spikes after a little respite.

Is free parking our inalienable right?

'We want free parking…..' is the petulant tantrum of the rich in Delhi. Read this news…The trader association of one of the most happening, and upmarket area in Delhi – Khan Market has moved the High Court to oppose the orders of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority to charge for parking.

Dhaka - Delhi: Greasy tale of fuel pricing

It was a proud moment and a powerful statement when Dhaka rolled out a bedecked iconic cycle rickshaw on the opening day of the World Cup cricket. This is perhaps the only capital city in our region that can boast of zero emission areas with majority walking or on cycle rickshaws. Yet cars, only 10 per cent of all wheeled trips, bring this city to a grinding halt daily – traffic jams are as bad as we see in the worst of times in Delhi. Jam-struck on Dhaka’s roads, I understood, what warped fuel pricing can do to our cities of South Asia, and, wondered why our finance minister has not figured that out yet?

Monographs

      Footfalls: Obstacle Course to Livable Cities   Choc-A-Block: Parking Measures to Address Mobility Crisis         Avert the great guzzle: Fuel Economy Regulations: Setting the Principles Right   A report on the independent inspection of fuel quality at fuel dispensing stations, oil depots and tank lorries         Safety of CNG Buses in Delhi: Findings and Recommendations   The smokescreen of lies: Myths and facts about CNG         Engines of the Devil              

MOBILITY CRISIS - Agenda for Action 2010

  CSE's latest book in its Right to Clean Air Campaign series. We have more roads and flyovers than ever before to address our transportation worries. But our cities continue to be gridlocked, with traffic at a virtual standstill as private vehicles hugely outnumber our public transport options. It is time to set new terms of action, make our cities more walkable, review our pollution and congestion control strategies…