The new CNG service replaces some diesel buses which emit dangerous sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter which are a dominant source of air pollution

With the government still undecided on the Dhaka Clean Fuel Project funded by ADB, a local company, The Mega City Bus Company Ltd, has launched a CNG bus service for city commuters.

The new service is welcome by many with a sigh of relief in place of the relatively high density of diesel buses which emit ambient amounts of dangerous sulphur dioxide (SO ) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) which are a dominant source of air and dust pollution in the city.

"After the withdrawal of two-stroke three-wheelers from the city, the main contributors to air pollution are particulate matters emitted by diesel engines," said Engineer AKM Enayetullah, convenor of the National Specialist Committee for Catalytic Converters and Diesel Particulate Filters, at a recent press conference in the city.

Even the government's decision to install Catalytic Converters (CC) and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) in old vehicles can not help contain air pollution, comments Dr Md Ehsan, a specialist on CC and DPF.

"We should avoid retrofitted CC and DPF in old vehicles because they require technical consideration for proper choice and fit with the engine concerned. Engine maintenance and fitness certificates would

save the government from draining foreign currency in importing CC and DPF," said Dr Md Ehsan, Department of Mechanical Engineer, BUET.

Dipon CNG Transport Services Ltd., the Mother Company of Mega City, have imported 15 buses for its Motijheel-Mohammadpur route via Science Laboratory and Zigatola. The demand for these buses is readily noticed as commuters travel even standing.

"We should utilise our gas and keep our environment free from pollution. We need more environment friendly CNG buses like this", said Mushfiq, a daily commuter from Motijheel to Mohammadpur.

"The demand for more CNG buses is higher in the city. But we are unable to import more buses due to the lack of CNG filling stations," said Rashid Mahmud, the Managing Director of Dipon CNG Transport Services Ltd.

According to an ADB report, CNG buses should have less operative costs than diesel buses. Diesel is sold at the pump Tk 20 a litre whereas CNG is sold at Tk 7.45, which is one third of the diesel price. If a bus runs 270 km per day with 324 operating days a year, a customer preference benefit would be Taka 548,937 for a bus in a year.

"We are financing the project with bank loan at 15 per cent interest and we hope to break even within 3 years ", said Mahmud.

The Dhaka Clean Fuel project has reached a deadlock because of the reluctance of Bangladesh Road & Transport Corporation (BRTC) to get fund from Janata Bank at 12 per cent interest for 200 CNG buses as part of the gradual phase-out of diesel buses in the city.

The Project includes construction of a 60-kilometer 20-inch natural gas transmission pipeline, two city gate stations at Ashulia and Savar, and construction of 97 km of 16-inch extended natural gas distribution pipelines in Dhaka. It also includes establishment of three major compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations just outside Dhaka, three major filling stations along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway for buses and trucks, and 20 minor filling stations in Dhaka for cars and auto rickshaws.

The project's scheduled time was 2002 to 2006. Already one year have passed from the targeted schedule.

CNG buses would save foreign currency drained out for petrol, octane and diesel. In 2001/2 FY crude petroleum and petroleum products were imported for US$ 723.6 million which is 8.47% of total import US$ 8540.7 million. And the import of diesel in FY 2000/1 was 1846 metric tons, which was 54.15 % of total 3409 metric tons import.