After repeated delays, the government is enforcing the Vehicle Emission Test (VET) from the next month.

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) had earlier declared that the vehicle exhaust test would be mandatory from the new Fiscal Year 2018-19.  

The emission test, which is coming into force a month later, will be applicable for four-wheelers from August 17.

According to DoTM Spokesperson Tulasi Ram Aryal, in the first phase the mandatory vehicle emission test will be enforced in all five metropolis of the country—Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bharatpur, Pokhara and Kathmandu. It will subsequently be implemented in the sub-metropolises of the country.  The DoTM has procured 40 sets of equipment to test emissions. Those equipment have been installed at the DoTM offices, including at all 14 erstwhile zonal offices; Thulo Bharyang and Sallaghari in Kathmandu Valley; Bharatpur; Dadeldhura; Biratnagar.

“With the installations of the equipment and enforcement of the decision, no vehicle without the green stickers will be allowed into these cities,” said DoTM Spokesperson Aryal.

Once the decision will be enforced, all the four-wheelers will have to get a green sticker—as a confirmation that the particular vehicle has its emission level within the permissible limit. The vehicles, registered elsewhere, will be prohibited from entering these cities and consequently go for an emission test, making the test mandatory everywhere, according the transport officials.

Earlier, the DoTM had planned to enforce the provision of green sticker nationwide from the beginning of Nepali New Year (April 14), but it was deferred as the government failed to procured the testing equipment on time.

Before the arrival of 40 new emission-testing machines, the DoTM had only two such devices at its Ekantakuna office and the Vehicle Fitness Test Centre (VFTC) in Teku.

“As we have been armed with these equipment, we can now carry on with other works like training the manpower and mobilising them for the purpose. These works are also nearing completion and we will be in a position to start from the next month,” said Aryal.  

The DoTM also believes that the rigorous test will be more reliable now and significantly contribute towards minimising harmful emissions.

“So far, we have been carrying out simple examination of emission levels—with chances of error,” Aryal said, quickly adding. “But with the new sets of powerful machines will give more reliable data on the emission levels of all the vehicles. This will allow us to penalise violators of the emission standards.” Emissions from the vehicles and dust emanating from roads and construction sites are the major contributors to the poor air quality in the country’s major cities, especially the Capital.

The global Environmental Performance Index, (EPI), released earlier this year by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, had ranked Nepal the lowest 180th rank among 180 countries in terms of or air quality.