The whole of Punjab and a major part of Sindh are under smog these days paralysing life and business therein. It has been a routine affair for this time of the year lately. NASA satellites have revealed that pollution from crop stubble burning has crossed into Pakistan exacerbating the situation. Although this is not the subject here, the episode indicates the need for cooperation and consultations in the region and thus of the right political climate to enable the aforementioned. The discovery of the influx of pollution from India need not make us oblivious of our own environmental responsibilities, as influx is only a part of the problem. In the following, we will examine what we can do through establishing and enforcing environmental fuel standards in the country, for bulk of the pollution and thus the smog is generated through burning one kind of fuel or the other.

Before coming to the fuel standards, let us first take up the issue of crop stubble burning which is done on both sides of the border. Farmers burn crop stubble to clear the residual crop matter in order to be able to seed the new crop. This not only creates smog but also contributes to the climate change. Thus there is dual incentive to take care of this. The cheapest way to clear the excess crop matter is to burn it. However, machinery can be employed to cut and collect the biomass for other uses; alternatively, crop matter can be recycled by cutting and pulverising the biomass and let it be mixed in the soil.

Farmers are perennially short of money. They have to be provided credits and training to utilise appropriate equipment. This biomass can also be collected and burnt adequately in boiler furnaces of the smaller power plants to be installed nearby. Many studies have been done in this respect and require implementation.

Let us come back to the fuel standards. In Pakistan, high sulphur fuels have been used both in power plants and in automotive. The pollution problems are exacerbating due to influx of new vehicles on the road at a fast pace. In the case of motor fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, not much care has been given to the sulphur control in these fuels.

The whole world is shifting to low sulphur fuels. In Pakistan, only lately, we have been able to partly switch to low sulphur fuel satisfying the requirements of Euro2 standard, which is a rather old standard limiting sulphur level to 500 ppm. Most of the world has shifted to or in the process of shifting to even lower sulphur as required per Euro5 or 6 limiting sulphur to only 10 ppm. Industrialised countries have a problem of converting their refineries into low sulphur mode. However, we import most of our fuel from abroad and should not face problem in such switching. Low sulphur fuel is available in international market. It is a bit expensive but compared to the health and environmental costs, such extras are much less. India has already adopted Euro4 (sulphur level 50 ppm) and is poised to switch to Euro5 or 6 by the year 2020.Thus our gasoline and diesel will be having 10 times more sulphur and thus 10 times more sulphur emitting vehicles on our roads, even after the complete switch over to Euro2 standards. This writer would argue for adopting 50 ppm standard (Euro4), and not be victims of the existing old refineries which cannot produce low sulphur fuels. Either they should be asked to import low sulphur crude oil or their output should be relegated to smaller towns and rural areas. All major urban areas should be required to be switched to 50 ppm sulphur standard through distributing imported low sulphur fuels.

Secondly, in many parts of the world, ethanol mixed gasoline is being marketed. E10 gasoline contains 10% ethanol and E5 contains 5%. In the US, almost all cars have switched to E10, mixing mostly bio-ethanol made out of sugarcane. This has an added advantage of having a RON rating of 94 or 95. As reported in the press recently, manganese and other metals have been added to raise RON levels. Manganese harms both the engines and the environment. We are exporters of bio-ethanol produced as a by-product of our sugar industry. Many years ago, PSO did introduce E10, but more as a benign nonstandard fuel which people did not buy and PSO discontinued - may be for other reasons as well. However, E10 is no more a novel fuel but is a standard fuel. Our relevant organisations such as OCAC, Ogra, EPAs under the tutelage of the Fuel division of Ministry of Energy should sit together and examine both the issue of E10 and as well as of low sulphur fuel.

Coal power plants have been unfairly blamed for the current smog problem. Although many coal power plants are being installed in the country, currently only one plant has been commissioned and that too in Sahiwal. That plant too has been working at a plant factor of 50% as per latest Nepra reports. Thus, it is a misconception. However, the potential of coal power plants to cause harm is great, if low sulphur coal (1% S) is not used and appropriate environmental equipment such as SOx, NOx and Particulate matter controls are not installed. Fortunately, NEPRA has mandated 1% coal and the employment of controls. There is a provision of online monitoring as well. Responsible agencies should see to it that all such controls are actually implemented, as there is always a tendency to reduce costs in the business sectors. We should avoid extremism; one group opposing coal altogether and the other soft-pedalling the environmental controls issue.

Thus, it is possible to keep adding vehicles and power plants, but so long as the environmental care is adopted, we can save ourselves from not only smog but can afford to have healthy air in our neighbourhoods. Civil society organisations and the government would have a major role in getting the environmental provisions implemented.

(The writer is a former member energy, Planning Commission)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017