KUCHING: A total of 267,992 new vehicles were registered with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) Sarawak from 2014 to June 2017.
From January to June this year, JPJ registered a total of 41, 859 vehicles. These comprised cars numbering 13,465 while motorcycles numbered 16, 357 whereas buses, taxis, goods vehicles and others made a total of 12,037.
“With the continuously soaring figure, we expect pollution to escalate as well with the emission of more pollutants into the air,” Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Deputy Chief Minister and Minster of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development said at the official launching of BMW i-WallBox Charging Stations, at CityONE Megamall here yesterday.
The text of his speech was ready by Datuk Haji Julaihi Narawi, Asssistant Minister for Coastal Road.
Tengah said emissions from motor vehicles were the single most significant sources of air pollution in many Malaysian urban areas.
Improved knowledge about the quantity of pollutants that the vehicle fleet is emitting into the air has become a high priority research question for authorities who are responsible for managing vehicle emission impacts on air quality especially in urban areas.
Tengah who is also Second Minister for Urban Development and Natural Resources said in internal combustion engines processes, the actual process is usually far from perfect combustion due to many factors.
The oxidation of the carbon monoxide CO contained in the fuel does not proceed to the final product (CO2) due to a lack of combustion air. Meanwhile, fuel rich conditions, will cause a steep rise in CO formation and emission due to insufficient oxygen being available in the air/fuel mixture. Consequently, a relatively low amount of CO in the exhaust gases indicates that a relatively high amount of complete combustion has taken place in the engine.
This is also indicated by a relatively higher amount of CO2 in the exhaust gases. Carbonmonoxide (CO) is a product of incomplete combustion. CO is hazardous to health. Tengah said Malaysia is promoting the use of cleaner fuel (natural gas) in power vehicles. As for the past years motor vehicles remain the major contributor of air pollution especially in urban areas which is why the government is taking various measures to overcome air pollution by motor vehicles.
Continued reliance on fossil fuels, he said, will see us facing prolonged heat waves, rising seas levels, changing rainfall pattern that will disrupt the ecosystem, and damage livelihoods.
Tengah commended the partnership effort made by Kenbest and Regas Premium Auto in this direction should be well received by the public. He hoped more people could opt for plug-in-or hybrid cars in time to come.
He said their collaboration in coming up with a positive move by providing convenience charging stations for free is their way of playing a part in reducing carbon emissions and lowering petrol consumption for a sustainable future.
