EMA plans for vehicle emission testing

THE Environmental Manage-ment Authority (EMA) is hoping to achieve a 90 percent reduction in the burning fires at the Beetham landfill by year’s end, and to introduce vehicle emission standards as part of the process to determine if vehicles are  roadworthy. 

These are included in the Authority’s four-year strategic plans focusing on clean air, clean water, noise management and waste/spill control and were revealed yesterday by the EMA’s chief executive officer, Dr Dave McIntosh at the Authority’s Elizabeth Street, St Clair office. McIntosh told reporters that reducing the fires at the Beetham landfill was its “flagship” project for this year, and it was working with the Solid Waste Management Company Ltd (SWMCOL) in that regard. He said two meetings have been held  so far, and it has been decided that certain measures will be put in place to curb the fires, most of which are caused by the burning of copper wires. McIntosh said wire strippers will be made available at the dump and attempts would be made to cover the garbage daily or weekly, as well as installing a fire hydrant to help in putting out the fires.

Regarding the vehicle emissions standards, McIntosh said the Authority was hoping that they would be incorporated into the regulations of the Motor Vehicles Act, which would result in the quality of emissions being among the things to be tested by the vehicle testing stations to determine if a vehicle is road worthy. McIntosh boasted that last year its environmental police were successful in cracking down on vehicles emitting black smoke, having issued 2,486 tickets, collecting $157,200 in fines. McIntosh said a code of practice was also among its plans to aid in preventing the contamination of “ambient air.”  He said although the Authority had accomplished its goal to have leaded gasoline phased out, it would also promote cleaner or alternative fuels in the form of CNG, and encourage more service stations to provide the gas.

McIntosh expressed hope that laws pertaining to air and water pollution would soon be passed in Parliament. He also announced that the noise pollution rules are to be revised, and codes of environmental practice relating to the entertainment industry are to be put in place. He said this will educate fete promoters, entertainers and music vendors on wheels to control noise. Additionally, the Authority will work closely with the Town and Country Planning Division to separate noise generators (sawmills, garages etc) from residential areas through proper planning to reduce the level of noise. Standards for noisy water pumps and AC units are also to be looked at in collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standard (TTBS). With regard to clean water, McIntosh said an audit is to be done on sewerage treatment plants to determine their performance, since sewerage was the largest contributor to water pollution. There are also plans for the certification and registration of wet labs.