A car releases harmful fumes while travelling recently on Highway 2000 toward Kingston. - Nathaniel Stewart/Freelance Photographer
LETTERS
Dear Ms. Thompson,
Thank you very much for your article on motor vehicle emissions. This is another one of those very long-standing problems that the relevant government agencies simply have not addressed.
Before the Government of Jamaica allowed the market to be flooded with vehicles, they should have ensured that we were able to test and monitor motor vehicle emissions. Additionally, there has been talk of privatising the motor vehicle fitness-testing services for decades, but this just hasn't been done.
What is the responsibility of the National Environment and Planning Agency? Of the Ministry of Health? Why are these agencies so impotent?
- Diana McCaulay
Dear Ms. Thompson,
I cannot believe that I missed your August 23 article, 'Killing me softly with thick, black smoke'. I very rarely purchase a Gleaner newspaper; I more tend to read it online. However, I will peruse the website and hopefully I can locate it.
Ms. Thompson, I left Canada and moved to Jamaica in 2000. Yes, there were many things initially that I had to adjust to, but one of my major pet peeves has to do with the behaviour of drivers and the upkeep of their vehicles.
Unlike reader Lois Murray, I do not have an air-conditioned car so I have to either hold my breath and suffer while driving behind a big truck with black smoke or wind up my windows and 'sweat buckets'. Recently, I had to commute from Kingston to Montego Bay ... and I tell you having to go over Mount Rosser was not easy at times, especially driving a stick shift. I had to contend with the countless trucks on that stretch (both uphill and downhill) and all vehicles (private or taxis) with their continuous black smoke racing up my nostrils. If one cannot maintain one's vehicle, then the car should not be driven or allowed on the road.
Back in the '90s, the Canadian police force had a motor vehicle/truck sweep. They were pulled over and checked by the proper personnel; if the vehicle was not roadworthy, it was impounded. With respect to Jamaica, this is a practice that should be implemented. Many people in Canada lost their lives as truck owners were very negligent in their upkeep of these vehicles and while driving on the major highways, the trucks' wheels would 'fly off', injuring and killing persons.
I have observed that at around lunchtime, there is a noticeable carpet of pollution that sits, hanging over the city. So, persons in the city may not realise this, but they are breathing in polluted air which possibly comes from the many vehicles with black smoke, factories/plants, etc.
I love Jamaica and the well-being of its people, but how many of us really do?
- Nadia Khan
Send questions and comments to our health specialists at Your Health, c/o The Gleaner, 7 North Street, Kingston; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com. Unless otherwise indicated, letters and the specialists' responses are usually published.
