NESREA Set To Launch Vehicular Emission Testing

The Director General, Na
tional Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr Lawrence Anukam, says the agency would launch Vehicular Emission Testing (VET) programme for effective monitoring and compliance of vehicular emission.
Anukam told  newsmen at a press conference on Monday in Abuja that the vehicular emission could cause air pollution.
“A lot of bad vehicles are on the road, we are making all these efforts for effective monitoring and compliance of our vehicular emission through ensuring vehicular testing of vehicles.
“We are launching the programme in August. We have met with the officials of Federal Road Safety Commission and we are also going to meet with other relevant agencies,’’ he said.
Anukam said that the programme would be starting from Abuja as a pilot scheme, adding that the purpose of the programme was to ensure that vehicles operating in the country must have the emission permit.
“With this programme, it will help to ensure that the engine of vehicles are operating fully, because the agency has noticed that it has caused a lot of accident on the road.
“Through the support of Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and Road Safety Corps the programme will be effective, they will stop any vehicle they notice brings out smoke and check the engine.
“When they discover that such vehicle is producing emission it will help us to identify that something is wrong in the manufacturing of such vehicles and we are also going to work with Nigeria Automatic Council and some private sector operators,’’ he said.
He noted that the agency had developed 28 regulations on various specific areas of environment.
He said that the agency had collaborated with the Ministry of Justice to ensure good working relationship to enable it actualise the regulation.
He said that the agency ensured that the implementation of the regulations would ensure effective compliance and monitoring both in the federal and state levels of government.
The NESREA boss said that the agency was committed to assist various industries on the regulated community in ensuring that they adapt the spirit of voluntary compliance.
He said that the agency had issued permit in various areas such as toxic substances permit, permit on air qualities and on diversities conversation.
Anukam said that the agency had done a lot on the issuing of permit to organisation and encouraged all the industries to make sure they applied for appropriate permit.
He said that the agency had also collaborated with some agencies such as Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Nigerians Customs Service, Small and Medium Enterprises Agency.
According to him, the collaboration will enable to identify various wastes chains, like electronics waste, the tyre, used battery, among others for effective and proper recycling of the waste chains.