MOTOR VEHICLES AND AIR POLLUTION IN DAR ES SALAAM CITY

You can go days without food and hours without water, but you won't last a few minutes without air. As human beings, on average we breath over 3,000 gallons of air per person each day. In addition to consuming up so much air in 24 hours over the course of 365 days humans manage to inhale precisely 1,095,000 gallons of air throughout the year. That’s a large amount of air that humans not only need but demand as means to survive in everyday life.

If you ask me, better it wouldn’t be to our benefits as human beings, if we live in a non polluted environment. The only possible logical answer to that question would have to be a sound and potent yes! But the so popular question still remains the same why should we be concerned about air pollution? It is only commonsense to figure out that you must have air to live.

Cars may get us from point A to B with a minimum fuss but they also cause lots of pollution. Fossil fuels combustion particularly as it occurs in motor vehicles has been identified and addressed as the largest contributor to air pollution in the world.

Air pollution from motor vehicle is a growing problem in Dar es Salaam City, thus it needs immediate attention before it goes out of control. Vehicles number is increasing at the rate of 6.3% annually, this contributes to a shortage of parking places; most of the cars owned by people are used cars of which engines produce a lot of dirty oil and smoke, a common situation evidenced in the city roads.

Air pollution occurs when the air contains pollutants such as gases, dusts and fumes in harmful amount which could cause adverse effects on, health, ecological system, and environment. One of the main causes of air pollution is combustion in the motor vehicles engines releasing hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases to the atmosphere.

Breathing polluted air can make your eyes and nose to irritate and make breathing difficult. In fact pollutants like tiny airborne particles can trigger respiratory problems especially for people with asthma and can also aggravate health problems for the elderly and others with heart or respiratory diseases.

Some toxic chemicals such as benzene when released in air can cause cancer, birth defects, long term injury to lungs as well as brain and nerve damage. In some cases breathing these highly toxic chemicals can even lead to the fatal to humans, can harm fish and other aquatic life and damaging natural environment such as buildings, monuments and statues.

The challenges remain in protecting public health and the environment through regulatory process. Right to life as provided for by the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania has to address the fact that one has to breathe the clean air so as to survive since air is life. Hence, a right to a clean air to limits pollutant in the air.

On the other hand we can conserve environment and reduce emissions of pollutants; by purchasing efficient, low polluting models of a car, truck or a van. People should wisely use and maintain their cars properly, because well and properly maintained cars are likely to emit less pollution into atmosphere than a similar poorly maintained car.

Smoking vehicles should be banned to be driven in the city, and people should be encouraged to use public transport so as to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Furthermore, the government should take necessary measures to improve the public transport in the city.
Written by;
Josephine Mbago-YET 2011