HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City needs 553 billion VND (23.9million USD) to invest in a motorbike emission control programme in the cityby 2030.

Of that, the city plans to check exhaust emissions for impoverished householdsfree of charge between 2023 and 2025.

At a recent conference on reviewing a pilot programme on motorbike emission control, a representative of the city’s Transport Department saidthe programme focused on the assessment on exhaust gas discharged frommotorbikes in the city.

It also implemented a survey on evaluating the socio-economic impact ofmotorcycle emission controls on residents, State management agencies andrelevant organisations; and the building of policies and roadmaps for pilotingmotorcycle emission control.

Results from testing 10,682 motorbikes showed that more than 1,850 vehicles,accounting for 17.3 percent of the total, did not meet the national emissioncriteria's level 1; while more than 2,410 vehicles, accounting for 22.6 percent,failed to meet level 2.

There were 2,740 vehicles with a service life of 10 years or more.

Dinh Trong Khang, deputy director of Institute of Transport Science andTechnology’s Institute of Environment, said currently there are 7.4 millionregistered motorbikes in the city. The percentage of motorcycles with a servicelife of over 10 years accounts for 67.89 percent, which is higher than that of Hanoi.

If the city applies the emission control policy, it can reduce 13.1 percent oftotal carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and 13.8 percent of total HC (hydrocarbonconcentration) emissions annually.

In the 2023-2025 period, the programme will focus on inspecting emissions atthe cost of 50,000 VND per vehicle per year in Districts 1, 3, and 5 as atrial.

The task will be deployed in Districts 1, 3, 5, 10 and Tan Binh district in2026 and in 13 districts in 2028 with all vehicles with a service life of morethan five years.

The total cost of the task by 2030 is estimated at about 553 billion VND.

Khanh said the emissions inspection will be implemented at vehicle maintenanceagencies in the city centre and then other areas across the whole city.

The proposed inspection cost is 50,000 VND per vehicle per year. Poorhouseholds will have their vehicles inspected for free.

Previously in 2010, the Government launched a project to control exhaustemissions of motorbikes in big cities.

Bui Hoa An, deputy director of the Department of Transport, said that trafficcongestion, noise and air pollution, and vehicles with poor emissions werecausing health problems among local residents.

Emissions were normally assessed when automobiles are manufactured, imported orregistered, but the procedure did not exist for motorbikes. Through the pilotprogramme, motorbike emissions will be evaluated and the socio-economic impactof monitoring emissions will be assessed./.