Nation seeks foreign advice on cutting motorbike fumes

23/01/2008 -- 12:46 PM

Ha Noi (VNA) – Viet Nam is looking abroad for lessons on how to cut air pollution caused by motorbike exhaust fumes, a specialist from the Viet Nam Register (VNR) under the Ministry of Transport, Le Anh Tu said on January 21. Tu was speaking at the workshop “Controlling exhaust fumes from motorbikes in big cities’ co-organised by the VNR and the Viet Nam-Switzerland Clean Air programme in the capital. According to a VNR report, 70 percent of air pollution is caused by petrol-fuelled vehicles releasing high levels of carbon dioxide and other toxins into the environment. Motorbikes are suspected to be the main offenders, especially old models and bikes that aren’t regularly maintained, VNR consultant Le Minh Dat said. Regular maintenance should be coupled with education, Anh Tu said. ”People need to understand the importance of protecting the environment by cutting down on motorbike exhaust fumes,” he said. It would help the Vietnamese people to look to Taiwan ’s example, representative from the Novel Vehicle Technology Company Chen Yung Hsun said. ”We have been telling people in Taiwan to regularly check their engines for a long time. We’ve also been encouraging the use of environmentally-friendly vehicles,” Hsun said. The motorbike is by far the most popular form of transport in Viet Nam and the country not only has the highest number per capita in Asia but also the highest rate of vehicle exhaust pollution. Between 2002 and 2007, the number of motorbikes rose dramatically, in Ha Noi from 1.1 million to 1.7 million and 2.5 million and 2.5 million to 3.8 million in Ho Chi Minh City.-Enditem
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