Sunny side up: K-P Directorate of Science unveils solar-powered rickshaw
PESHAWAR: In a city which hovers at the top of the list of the most air pollution in the world, the idea of a ‘green rickshaw’ is not about the colour of the three-wheeler but about a vehicle that runs on clean energy.
The Directorate of Science and Technology (DoST) introduced a solar-powered rickshaw on Tuesday, at the CECOS University. Muhammad Hilal Khan, an engineer at the university, had supervised the project. The Rs280,000 project is meant to be implemented across the city by the transport department.
At the moment, according to those involved in the project, the sun-friendly vehicle is still being tweaked before it can ride the busy streets of the city, but has been completed nonetheless. Deputy Director Inamullah Khan of the Design Facilitation and Training Centre which is working on hybrid technologies under DoST said, “The key objective of the project is to identify technological needs, foster innovation and facilitate the development and the implementation of new technologies.”
The deputy director shared the rickshaw will run on solar energy during the day and on rechargeable batteries at night. The solar-powered rickshaw can operate as long as there is daylight without discharging and on a fully-charged battery, the vehicle can operate for six to eight hours, said Inamullah.
The rickshaw can seat three to four people and can go as fast as 40 to 45 kilometres per hour.
“This will save fuel/CNG and is more economical than the regular rickshaw,” said Inamullah. “This is an indigenously-developed low cost transportation vehicle with zero carbon emission; useful in both urban and rural areas in the province,” he added.
Grey skies
In 2014, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Peshawar was one of the most polluted cities in the world.
According to data provided by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in K-P, the average increase in sulphur dioxide emissions across sectors with major emissions (industry, transport and power) has been 23 fold over the past 20 years. Similarly, carbon emissions have increased at an average fourfold.
Estimates provided by one of the rickshaw unions reveal more than 50,000 registered and unregistered rickshaws ply the streets of the city. Most of these vehicles run on a two-stroke engine, which is considered to contribute significantly to air pollution. Four-stroke engines also contribute to air and noise pollution, however, rickshaw drivers are not as concerned about carbon emissions as they are about making ends meet. “We can’t reduce smoke levels without jamming the rickshaw,” said Saifullah, a two-stroke rickshaw driver.
Ye of little faith
The Express Tribune learnt while speaking to various rickshaw drivers that the transporters had little faith in these “new-fangled vehicles”. One rickshaw driver said, “What are we expected to do at night, the battery charge will not be enough for any of us who work the night shift, ferrying passengers around.”
The battery will at most last three hours before the driver and his passengers will be stranded, he added, not believing the directorate’s claims that the battery charge could last double that time. Many people who do other jobs in the day add to their living by working as rickshaw drivers at night.
According to another rickshaw driver, “This invention is pure nonsense; it will never work.” He added, “They started one in Karachi and that failed; these contraptions will never last in Peshawar.”
No mercy
In fact, similar solar-powered rickshaws have been developed earlier in both Lahore and Karachi. Both teams suggested their rickshaws could be produced at Rs230,00 and Rs150,000 respectively and will yield similar speed as the one in Peshawar.
The team in Karachi went as far as suggesting their vehicle would only have a Rs1 per kilometre cost. This in itself suggested a conflict of interest as the rates charged by rickshaws across the country are not uniformly measured by metres. Every driver charges his own rates and when fuel prices go up or CNG is short in the city, rickshaw drivers see a reason to artificially inflate prices.
On Tuesday, the rickshaw demonstration was meant to be held outdoors, however, rain forced the organisers to take the unveiling indoors. This last minute change in plans begged the question; can a rickshaw which is so sensitive to the elements survive in the city?
Published in The Express Tribune,
CM authorises PkHA to launch 13 new highway schemes
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak has expressed satisfaction that like many other sectors, work on the projects of highways has been expedited in the province with additional qualities of eliminating the possibilities of corruption, ensuring the transparent and judicious use of funds and introducing quality control in it.
He asserted that the newly constructed highways are not only durable and attractive but also sufficient for the needs of coming decades whereas the public response on it is also encouraging, he added.
He however expressed the confidence that all departments would demonstrate such outstanding performance and assured that employees of all departments and institutions would be duly rewarded on excellent performance while those indulged in malpractices and ill performance would be punished severely forthwith.
He was chairing the annual performance meeting of Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority (PkHA) Council at his office CM Secretariat Peshawar wherein steps for timely completion of ongoing highway schemes and new projects under the (Annual Development Program) ADP were formally approved and necessary decisions taken for its quality and in time completion. On this occasion Secretary Communication & Works (C&W) and MD PkHA apprised the participants of the performance and progress made so far in respect of their concerned entities.
The meeting authorized PkHA to launch 13 new crucial highway schemes in the province as well as decided to considerably enhance the annual budget of the authority to enable it execute maximum road schemes.
The meeting besides Provincial Minister Mian Jamsheddudin Kakakhel, Advisor to CM on C&W Akbar Ayub, Advisor to CM on Environment Ishtiaq Urmar, Additional Chief Secretary Khalid Pervez, Secretary Finance Syed Badshah Bukhari, Secretary C&W Ahmad Hanif Orakzai, MD PkHA Javed Ihsan, Director Construction Aziz Khan and Director Maintenance Ilays Khan was largely attended by the concerned authorities.
The meeting also took stock of the 14 agenda items of the council and a number of decisions were made in light of the proposals and recommendations of the participants.
Pervez Khattak in order to discourage the trends of overloading of vehicles on highways beyond specific limits, controling traffic accidents and checking road damages, approved the measures for weighing the loaded trucks and trollers at the start points, arranging latest equipment for the purpose and providing the support of police contingents to the staff of traffic axel load control of the Authority and hence issued necessary instructions to the concerned quarters for immediate actions in this regard.
The meeting also approved renaming of the newly constructed Usterzai bridge in Kohat with Lt. Wajeehullah Bangash Shaheed who sacrificed his life for protecting the locals during a combat with terrorists.
Pervez Khattak also approved up-gradation of certain district level roads to provincial highways in the province including Rajar Takhtbahi road, Karapa Shakardara Chorlakki road, Timergara, Madyan, Kalpani, Barawal road and Serai Saleh Saryan road.
He also agreed with the proposal of taking over the Malakand Mingora and Timergara Chitral roads from national high way authority to the provincial authority as these important highways remained nuisance for the passengers due to neglect on part of NHA and hence he directed for sending a summary to the concerned federal ministry in this regard. He also expressed satisfaction that PkHA ensured the early and standard completion of Shahbaz Garhi Rustam Road, Usterzai bridge, Sugar Mill Baipass, KhuazaKhela Mingora, Odigam and Bagh Dehri roads and bridges by working round the clock while the pending portion of the expansion of Peshawar ring road was also completed accordingly. Similarly he contended on quality completion of five important roads in Peshawar Cantt at the cost of Rs.272 million following his special directives that included Mall road, Sirsyed road, Airport road, Shershah Road and FaqirApi road. Moreover Rs.200 million project of the expansion of GT road from Chughalpura to Zakori bridge from 2 to 4 lanes on each side was also in the final stage that would become 50 ft wide magnificent highway from 24 ft width on each way then after. The Chief Minister while appreciating the performance of the authority, also approved a honanaria for the employees from its own resources.
