Japan shows the way in pollution control

By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

TOKYO, MARCH 29. Through a number of laws and their strict enforcement, Japan has set an example for developing nations on overcoming problems arising due to air pollution, caused by rapid industrialisation and growth in the number of vehicles.

Incidentally, it was a local association of women in Kitakyushu city which first raised the issue of air pollution. They forced the enactment of the Tokyo Prefecture Soot and Smoke Control Ordinance in 1955 when cases of asthma grew and dark smoke made it difficult to even see the sun.

According to Ms Meguri Ikenada of the Committee for Environmental Journalists, these pollution-related problems made the Japanese people realise that while economic growth was important, environment conservation was also necessary. ``So even after the bursting of the bubble economy and the country going into recession, the country did not lose track of the environmental issues.''

Today, such efforts have borne fruit and industries have installed anti-pollution devices. And so, in this, the Land of the Rising Sun, there is little which hinders the view of the sun.

Yet, all's not well. The emission of nitrogen oxides and suspended particulate matter (SPM) by diesel vehicles still remains an area of concern. But here again, the situation is expected to improve with the imposition of stricter norms. The Governor of Tokyo, Mr. Shintaro Ishihara, had gone to the extent of saying that equipment be attached to diesel cars to prevent emission of fumes rich in nitrogen oxides and SPM. In the autumn of 1999, Mr. Ishihara called upon all people to refrain from travelling in, buying and selling diesel-powered cars.

Launching a ``say no to diesel-powered vehicles'' campaign, he urged the owners of such vehicles to substitute them with gasoline-powered ones. He also urged automakers to speed up development of high performance equipment to purify auto exhausts. In a controversial announcement, he also called for a reversal of the lower tax on diesel to prod a shift in use of such vehicles. This when imposition of taxes is a matter which comes under the jurisdiction of the national Government.

Mr. Ishihara's argument was that the largest cause of Tokyo's air pollution was exhausts from 65,000-odd diesel vehicles which while accounting for only 20 per cent of the total travel of all vehicles were found responsible for about 70 per cent of nitrogen oxide emission and almost 100 per cent of SPM emissions.

Stating that environmental concerns and the health of the citizens came before commercial interests, the Tokyo administration has also threatened to ban the entry of diesel vehicles into the city.

According to Mr. Hiroko Yamada, in-charge of Planning and Adjustment in the Air Pollution wing of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, the Tokyo Metropolitan Environment Pollution Control Ordinance is being reviewed which aims at checking emission of asthma-causing nitrogen oxides and carcinogenic SPMs. Mr. Yamada says already a lot has been done in the field of pollution control. The nitrogen oxide level is down 92 per cent from the time the counter-measures on gasoline vehicles came into force in 1978. And since norms were established on diesel vehicles three years ago, the pollution levels have fallen by 84 per cent. A major problem for Japan is that it imports 99.6 per cent of oil it consumes. And since this oil comes primarily from West Asia and is rich in sulphur - at 50 parts per million - the automobile manufacturers are unable to install filters, which need oil with less sulphur content.

Now, the Japanese Federation of Oil Distributors has asked oil companies in West Asia to reduce the sulphur content below 50 ppm. The Japanese Government is also considering making mandatory the installation of air filters in diesel vehicles. While 2007 had been determined as the year for implementing the plan, there are now plans to advance the date.

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