Clean Transport for Health & Climate Action in Ug

After almost 2 years of striving to acquire vehicle emissions data collection equipment, earlier this month we were previleged to receive support from a UK-based Margaret Hayman Cahritable Trust that footed costs for shipping and storage of a 5-gas exhaust analyser with a chassis dynamoemeter.

The equipement was donated to us in mid 2020 by a Texas-based wellwisher with whom we unfortulately lost contact, feared to have passed on a few weeks after he cordinated us with the property management company which had the equipment in storage.

With help from a US-based Volunteer and the Houston Ugandan Community, a separate fundraiser was set up to raise funds to cater for crating and movement of the equimpent from the property manager's warehouse to the port of Houston ready for dispatch to Kampala via Mombasa, Kenya port. Several individuals contributed genereously and we managed to move it to another warehouse near the port of Houston; however we did not hit our target so it stayed in storage for a long time that whatever was being raised would instead account for storage.

We were at the verge of giving up on the equipment because we had many conflicting priorities as a startup nonprofit.

Our winning of the 2022 ITF award for deacrbonising Transport in Emerging economies earlier this year has greatily helped us to stay upfloat over the past few months as well as giving us access to more specified tools. The award came with a great deal of supportive visibility as well and now that we have finally been enabled to have our long desired equipment, in the next few months we will be advancing our project with solid data collection that will help refine the community-based workshops as well as engagement with policy.

On Friday 30th September, we are holding a refresher training with over 100 mechanics from the groups we had already engaged with a theme on the functionality of Catalytic converters as key components in containing or reducing vehicular emissions and how to maintain and enhance their integrity.

Background and objectives of the activity.

While there are many forms of environmental degradation related to transport; exhaust and non-exhaust emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles, and related equipment highly contribute to poor air quality in Uganda, and Africa at large. This is partly attributed to the reality that the largest portion of vehicles in the country are imported used, they are being used mostly on bad roads and very poorly maintained courtesy of the limited capacity of most of our local technicians to carry out sustainable maintenance.

Because most of our local mechanics never attained any formal training in their lines of business, they lack skills, tools and knowledge to enhance and maintain the integrity of inbuilt vehicle emission control systems; yet owing to their cheap services they tend to the largest portion automobiles in the country and as a result activities like removal or modification of catalytic converters happens a lot in local garages among several dangerous things they do.This makes the seemingly low emission vehicles cease to bear that badge in a short span from the time of importation.

Proper and sustainable vehicle maintenance is a key component towards cutting transport induced air pollution. Combining Autosafety – Uganda’s technical experience in the automotive space with AirQo’s air quality monitoring and community engagement capabilities we are influencing behavioral change, build capacity of local mechanics for sustainable maintenance and promote access to clean air in Kampala under AirQo’s Makindye AirQloud Project.

Among ASU’s strategies to decarbonizing local transport, training local mechanics for sustainable maintenance of fossil fuel-powered vehicles and influencing policy for clean mobility is the overall aim of this partnership.

Project key objectives include:

• To enhance and maintain the integrity of emissions control systems in automobiles and related equipment that are capable of capturing the most harmful pollutants in the short-term while we seek to move away from fossil fuels in the medium term.
• Helping local technicians access and understand available air quality data and how their works could help reduce transport-induced air pollution in Kampala once they adopt best practices.
• To introduce our local technical workforce to the concept of electric mobility and pave way for future electric vehicle conversion projects that could accelerate Uganda’s transition to clean mobility.
• To engage with policy makers in collaboration with AirQo with am influencing policy change that could potentially fix gaps with in the transport sector in regard to air quality within Uganda.

Methodology.

Project strategy for the first quarter of 2022 included but not limited to the following elements.

• Mobilizing local auto-mobile and related equipment technicians in 4 parishes within  Makindye. Priority was given to mechanics working in makeshift settings, and a total of 100 mechanics have been mobilised among over 900 in Kibuye, Kibuli, Lukuli and Salama parishes. 
• We conducted one focus group discussion with mechanics in each parish through the month of March 2022 begining with Kibuli on the 5th, Kibuye on the 12th, Lukuli on the 19th and Salama on the 26th. Participants were mostly young men and and a few females ranging from age 16 to 35, but we also worked with their local leaders who also run related businesses. The purpose of these focus group discussions was to appreciate what the mobilized mechanics already know about air quality and vehicular emissions; the kind of challenges they face that prohibit them from carrying out sustainable maintenance practices so that we could design and develop training toolkits for the forthcoming workshops tailored for their optimal benefit. Evidence from these discussions clearly shows that over 90% of our local vehicle and motorcycle mechanics within Makindye Division lack knowledge and skills to carry out sustainable maintenance and are unaware of the availability of air quality information in the country. It is important to note that throughout all discussions, was they lacked knowledge of the various vehicular emission control measures in the vehicles they tend to daily. This has largely led to massive compromise by mechanics, consequently worsening transport-related air pollution. A full report on these group discussions and participants' responses to interview questions will be available for sharing upon request soon.

• The next step is to conduct 2 training workshops with all mechanics more from the same parishes this April 2022. These trainees will be labeled as champions who will carry on the responsibility of sharing knowledge from the training with their peers. Key topics in the interactive hands-on training workshops will include:

1. Introduction to vehicular emissions, types and various compositions
2. Understanding the various vehicle components or parts responsible for emission control.
3. Identifying key vehicle components that affect vehicle emissions but not built for direct emission control.
4. How to carry out proper diagnostics, repair and maintenance procedures that preserve and enhance the integrity of emission control systems.
5. Understanding how exhaust emissions are measured and what non-exhaust emissions mean.
6. Understanding vehicular emission levels in relation to various engine, driving and weather conditions and the tactics used to cut emissions.
7. Introduction to bolt-on systems and solutions for emission control on much older vehicles and equipment.
8. Access to available air quality data and interpretation using Makerere University’s AirQo platform
9. Introduction to the concept of electric-mobility through conversion.

• Until the end of Makindye AirQloud, members of Autosafety – Uganda will be making follow-ups with the participants in the training for monitoring and evaluation purposes; while compiling more information that will help in preparing a policy brief around local vehicular maintenance in relation to Air quality in Uganda.