CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 
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Special WhatsApp number to report vehicles emitting black smoke
The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has issued a special WhatsApp number, 0703500525, for the public to report vehicles emitting black smoke.
While issuing a statement, DMT Commissioner General Nishantha Anurudda Weerasinghe said that reporting smoke-emitting vehicles to the DMT helps to prevent air pollution in Sri Lanka.
It has been reported that heavy vehicles, including buses and lorries, emit a greater amount of poisonous particles such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and dust particles, which cause cancer, breathing, and respiratory problems etc.
There are nearly seven million vehicles running on the road, and nearly one million vehicles run on the road daily, while 30 percent of these vehicles emit black smoke.
The Department will issue warnings to the owners and urge them to inspect their vehicle conditions and make sure they are properly maintained without emitting high volumes of black smoke.
He said people can capture photographs of such vehicles, stating the location and time, and share them with the department. People who witness vehicles emitting black smoke can contact the department via the WhatsApp hotline at 070 3500525.
After considering the complaints, legal action will be taken against such vehicle owners and they will be given a one-month grace period to rectify the vehicle faults.
If the vehicle owners do not take necessary measures to reduce the emission of black smoke, the revenue licenses of those vehicles will be blacklisted. If the vehicle is blacklisted, it will not be able to sold or its ownership transfered.
The programme has been implemented in seven provinces, and it will cover the North and North-Central Provinces in the future.
A total of 460 emission testing centres have been established around the country, and 70 mobile emission testing vehicles are operating. People can also lodge complaints through the WhatsApp number 0112669915 if the service is not delivered properly. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)
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