Is The Air Really Cleaner in the Rural Areas?

During the incumbency of President Arroyo, "holiday economics" was a byword.  The Arroyo administration believed that shifting the observance of holidays to the nearest Friday or Monday would reduce disruption to business and production schedules and at the same time promote domestic tourism. Everyone was encouraged to flock to the tourist attraction of choice to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and be able to breathe fresh air, eat fresh food.  Once in the province, one doesn't need a car to go from one place to the other as there is the ubiquitous tricycle.  The tricycle is everywhere specially on smaller roads where jeepneys and buses are not allowed to operate.  But if we are to believe DENR Sec. Paje's report that one of the main pollutants of the environment is the tricycle, is the air really cleaner in the provinces?

The tricycle is the main mode of transport in the rural areas and parts in the urban areas where streets are narrow for jeepneys and buses.  84% of the country's population depends on the tricycles to bring them to school, work, and wherever.  There are roughly 2 million tricycles of which 70% have two-stroke engines.   The Clean Air Act of 1999 calls for the phasing out of two-stroke engines as they are prone to pollute the air more as they emit more particulate matter than four-stroke engines.  Two-stroke engines have lower fuel efficiency.  It is estimated that 15-40% of the fuel-air mixture escape from the engine through the exhaust port.  These "scavenging losses" contain high level of unburned gasoline and lubricant and increase the emissions of hydrocarbons, particulate matters and visible smoke. The government though cannot just ban the use of the existing two-stroke tricycles as banning will put a lot of tricycle drivers without livelihood.

Not all is lost for two stroke tricycles.  Low-smoke, environment-friendly lubricants are already available.  Lubricants are mixed with the gasoline at the ratio of 200 ml lubricant for every 4 liters of gasoline.  These lubricants, made from vegetable-derived esters (VDE), lubricate well, mix well with the gasoline that prevents unburned gasoline and lubricant, and make the engines perform more efficiently.  With the above stated advantages of vegetable-based lubricants, tricycle drivers can expect their motorcycles to perform better, have fuel savings, have cleaner engines and at the same time help in protecting and nurturing the environment.  There is no need to phase out two-stroke motorcycles if these biodegradable and environment-friendly lubricants are used.   And we could also start breathing fresh air again.



http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20070725-78742/Holiday_economics_now_a_law


http://www.thepoc.net/breaking-news/breaking-stories/9751-denr-air-pollution-in-metro-worse.html


http://www.philsol.nl/news/03/CleanAir01-jan03.htm

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