URBAN POLLUTION IN ECUADOR

UNCLAS QUITO 000366 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV ECON SOCI EC SUBJECT: URBAN POLLUTION IN ECUADOR ¶1. (U) Summary: Like many Andean nations, Ecuador is experiencing problems with pollution. The level of hazardous organic compounds in Quito's air are twice that recommended by the World Health Organization and exceed EPA norms, and studies indicate that Quito residents suffer from an elevated level of upper respiratory infections. The GOE has set air quality regulations, but provides little regulatory control. Virtually all monitoring takes place at the municipal level. End Summary. Quito's Exhaust-Filled Avenues a Tough Walk for Pedestrians -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Quito's municipal Corporation for the Improvement of Air Quality (CORPAIRE) says that data gathered throughout the city have shown that short and long-term levels of particulate matter and dangerous organic compounds in Quito's air are more than twice that recommended by the World Health Organization. Experts say this is due primarily to the black clouds of diesel exhaust emitted by the city's 6,000 buses and 13,000 heavy trucks. ¶3. (U) The highest levels of particulate emissions have been recorded in southern Quito, the more industrial part of the city. The average yearly concentration of fine particulate (or PM2.5, those containing more concentrated toxic organic compounds and heavy metals) in some areas in 2007 was 27 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to the World Health Organization's yearly recommended standard of 10mg/m3, or the U.S. EPA standard of 15mg/m3. The highest recorded 24-hour levels in 2007 were 65mg/m3. CORPAIRE is studying the possibility of fitting city buses with special combustion burners to reduce particulate matter, but implementation has been delayed due to cost. Quito's altitude complicates this situation, as vehicles burn more fuel than they would at sea level to drive similar distances. The result is an overall higher level of emissions. Finally, Quito's bowl-like topography ) mountain on one side, hills on the other, with a congested center ) traps the pollution. ¶4. (U) CORPAIRE, in concert with Central University, is in the process of completing new studies on the effects of carbon monoxide absorption by Quito school children, and on the rates of upper respiratory infections among adults as a result of particulate matter in the air. Studies from 2002 showed elevated levels of respiratory illnesses. CORPAIRE recognizes that most of its efforts to date have been aimed at reducing visible pollution, and that urgent steps need to be taken to eliminate chemical compounds in the air. Air Quality Standards and Enforcement -------------- ¶5. (U) Ecuador's National Regulatory Institution, or INEN (a technical agency run by the Ministry of Industry) established Ecuador's existing air quality standards. These norms determine acceptable emissions levels for gasoline and diesel, identify pollutants, and outline methods for limiting their effects (INEN is responsible for mandating the elimination of leaded gasoline in 2000). INEN does not, however, play an enforcement role. ¶6. (U) Based on INEN norms, only the city of Quito, in 2006, has mandated the use of premium diesel by all buses and trucks, though premium has also just become available in Cuenca. Premium diesel contains 500 parts per million of sulfur, as compared to the 7000 ppm sulfur in regular diesel fuel that is most commonly used in the rest of the country, and it appears that out-of-town trucks merrily belch the more polluting diesel when they visit Quito (diesel in the U.S. generally contains between 50-300 ppm sulfur). The Ministry of Environment says there is currently not enough premium diesel produced in the country for its use to be mandated everywhere, and the cost of importing it is prohibitive. The Ministry of Energy is responsible for monitoring the quality of diesel produced at Ecuador's four national refineries; the largest and most modern of these refineries was built in Esmeraldas in 1977. ¶7. (U) There is no national regulatory agency to enforce emissions guidelines established by the Ministry of Industry. All air quality monitoring and advocacy in Ecuador ) as distinct from enforcement -- takes place at the municipal level. Quito's CORPAIRE belongs to the UN Environment Program's Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV), and was founded in 2004. It is headed by a board of directors with representatives from the Ministry of Transport, but does not report to any national scientific or technical agency. Director Jorge Oviedo says the organization has assumed responsibility for most questions related to air quality throughout the country, but faces a constant funding shortage. CORPAIRE worked closely just this year with the municipality of Cuenca to set up an air monitoring agency, CuencaAire, and regularly loans it equipment. No equivalent organization exists in Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil, but post understands that the city had contracted with a California company to do a feasibility study on the possibility of creating one. Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) CORPAIRE officials were quick to point out that Quito's PM 2.5 levels are "lower than those of New York." Post notes, however, that New York's population is approximately seven times that of Quito. Political and environmental activists frequently speculate that Ecuador's cities contribute relatively little to global emissions, and therefore, to the effects of global warming. Possibly because of this, there seems to be little political will to combat urban pollution. This general lack of sensitivity, combined with the absence of an air quality regulatory agency with the power to sanction, probably means that Ecuador's cities will continue to face high pollution levels and related public health problems for some time. End comment. Jewell