Cooperation needed to combat Asia's killer air pollution<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Manila<\/p>\n
More cooperation between governments and the private sector is
\nneeded to combat Asia's killer air pollution, which leads to
\nabout half a million premature deaths annually, Asian Development
\nBank (ADB) experts said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
While governments have taken \"important steps\" to address the
\nproblem, \"not enough has been done to ensure that people will be
\nable to breathe clean air again in the foreseeable future,\" said
\nSupat Wongwatana, Thailand's deputy director general for
\npollution control.<\/p>\n
\"We need the knowledge that the private sector has to take
\neffective measures to reduce air pollution and we need the
\ncommitment of the private sector to ensure that such measures are
\nequally taken,\" said Supat, who heads an ADB-supported regional
\nanti-air pollution initiative.<\/p>\n
The Manila-based bank came up with a set of policy guidelines
\nto help Asian officials reduce vehicle emissions, said to be the
\nnumber one culprit in dirtying the air.<\/p>\n
The guidelines are contained in a series of studies compiled
\nby the ADB after two years of workshops involving more than 700
\nexperts from the ADB, governments in the region, the public
\nsector and other environmental agencies.<\/p>\n
Among others, governments are urged to adopt an integrated
\napproach in maintaining engines and applying stricter emission
\nstandards. Governments should also ensure the availability of
\ncleaner fuels and mandate regular inspections.<\/p>\n
\"Basically what we are saying here is that air quality in most
\nurban areas in this region is extremely poor,\" Charles Melhuish,
\nADB's lead transport specialist who spearheaded the project, told
\na news conference.<\/p>\n
\"The reason why we are concerned with air quality is because
\nof its adverse impact on health. Approximately 500,000 people die
\nprematurely due to poor outdoor air quality in the Asian region,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
In the commercial hub of Shanghai in China, for instance,
\npeople inflicted with chronic bronchitis due to air pollution was
\nestimated at 30,800 in 1999, half of whom were aged between 45
\nand 60 years.<\/p>\n
Health costs associated with air pollution have topped US$400
\nmillion in the megacities of Manila and Bangkok in the past two
\nyears, Melhuish said.<\/p>\n
\"This is a very substantial amount. In Manila, it is at least
\nequal to the total amount of bank lending or program lending for
\nthe Philippines that is being lost due to air quality here in the
\ncapital city,\" Melhuish said.<\/p>\n
Governments also need to integrate transport policies together
\nwith land use to ensure better traffic management and a smoother
\nflow of road traffic -- something that many Asian countries do
\nnot strictly follow, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Many of Asia's cities do not have the space for large amounts
\nof additional vehicles. Improvements in public transport can help
\nto get people out of their cars and thereby reduce emissions,\"
\nMelhuish said.<\/p>\n
Experts urged the private sector to link up with an ADB-
\nsupported program called the Clean Air Iniative for Asian Cities,
\ninvolving 20 cities in the region, 15 government agencies and
\nmore than 40 non-government organizations and universities.<\/p>\n
The project carries out activities in collecting and
\ndocumenting information on air quality management as well as
\npromotes training and projects aimed at reducing air pollution.<\/p>",
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