The motorist was about to make the switch. He watched in quiet anticipation as barefoot mechanics put the last touches on the day’s work. They were fine-tuning the engine in his old Toyota - a throwback to the fuel-efficiency craze of the 1980s - that they had converted from a petrol to a gas-burning one.
This conversion had some - but not all - the trimmings of those done, according to gas industry standards, by international autogas companies now operating in Sri Lanka.
The main difference came in the shape of a replaceable 13-kilo domestic gas cylinder, the type normally used in homes for cooking. The mechanics had mounted and strapped it, lengthwise, into the boot of the sedan. This was done for the driver’s convenience, they said. If ever the gas in the cylinder ran close to zero, the driver could swap it for a topped-up one at the nearest retail outlet.
Then
there was a difference in price. On average, the big boys in the auto-gas trade
charge a benchmark of Rs. 45,000 for conversions using tanks that meet European
and Australian safety specifications. But here at Alokaa Technik (Pvt.) Ltd.,
they’ll charge a mere Rs. 25,000 per change using domestic gas cylinders.
This practice has been publicly discouraged by gas companies for safety reasons (see related article in Sunday Times, of previous week, p.4). Shell Gas Lanka recently warned consumers that its domestic gas cylinders - as the name implies - are designed only to be used in homes.
"The standard blue Shell Gas Lanka cylinder and the older red or yellow Colombo Gas Company cylinders still in circulation should only be used domestically," the company had highlighted its concerns in an earlier official statement. "Under no circumstances should they be used with converted motor vehicles. In the event of a serious car collision, it is quite possible that the cylinder could explode."
Cylinders are lethal if tampered with for use on the road, particularly if their safety gauges have been removed and they been laid flat in boots, company officials said.
According to government officials, under the Motor Traffic Act it is considered illegal for motorists to use gas, but that act is now being amended.
"We are only permitting the use of natural gas in a properly constructed way for motor vehicles, which means domestic gas cylinders will not be allowed," D.S. Edirisinghe, Commissioner of Motor Traffic, told the Sunday Times on Sept 5.
Asked to say why cylinders would be banned from the roads, he replied, "Because they are like bombs."
But it may prove difficult to alert motorists to the hazards of using cylinders in cars, especially in a country where motorists feel the pinch at the pump. The price of petrol in Sri Lanka costs around Rs. 50 per litre, sources said.
The incentive for saving up to Rs. 20,000 on his car servicing bills - added to the prospect of halving his fuel costs by changing to gas - was what evidently brought today’s motorist to Alokaa Motors, a virtual hole-in-the-wall on the outskirts of Colombo.
Three words summed up his reasons for making the switch. "Easy price, no?," he told the Sunday Times, was why he came to Alokaa.
Alokaa is discreet about its services. It isn’t listed in the phone book, nor is it advertised. "Word of mouth" is how its owner likes to keep it.
Alokaa has, nevertheless, turned a brisk trade. At least 40 cars have been converted in the five months that he has been running, the owner said.
According to gas industry sources, his is a "backyard" or "cowboy" operation that could endanger lives of Sri Lankans on the nation’s roads. They had learned about Alokaa recently through a customer who was shopping for a better price, they said. But the owner insists that his conversion system - using parts imported from India - is safe.
"We don’t do anything to the cylinder - we don’t tamper with it in any way," he said. "I use a standard kit manufactured elsewhere - it’s not home-brewed, you see."
His system revolves around a gas pressure reducer-vaporiser, which goes into the engine, the same one found at standard autogas stations, he said. In other words, engine suction controls the supply and pressure of gas flowing into the carburator.
"The gas comes in at a steady pressure - a constant pressure," he said. "In effect, the engine determines the amount of fuel it is taking in, the same as in the carburation system."
The Alokaa man dismissed the safety warnings of Shell and the more established companies. There was no danger as long as cylinders were fixed onto a saddle when placed in boots horizontally, and no threat of leaks if industrial-strength pipes and hoses were installed.
"By giving it a title like domestic cylinder, we are trying to domesticate it like a dog or a cat," he said. "The domestic cylinder is a moveable cylinder."
He admitted, however, that he was unaware of the exact thickness of these cylinders.
"You will have to ask Shell," he said.
In his opinion, domestic cylinders are built to be tough. Otherwise, a company like Shell - which owns and distributes all domestic cylinders in Sri Lanka - would never transport them loosely in open- air lorries to gas dispensaries across the island, he elaborated. And, he noted, the common cylinder is tougher than the average tank used by autogas chains in their conversions.
"The stronger domestic cylinder... is tested to a higher pressure than some of the standard gas tanks," he said.
The owner of Alokaa Motors is not alone in stating this point. It is even shared by some local scientists.
"Domestic cylinders and tanks used for [auto] conversions are the same strength," said Victor Mendis, chairman of the National Engineering Research Department (NERD).
To the scientists, it is impossible to clarify in black-and-white terms whether it is safe to be driving a car with cylinders normally designed to stay in the kitchen.
"It is difficult to give a hard and fast answer to the question," said ATM Kulasinghe, Mendis’s predecessor at NERD. "It [Safety] depends on the way the gas installation is made."
"There are no risks provided they [domestic cylinders] are used with correct piping [metal, not rubber or plastic]," Mendis added. "You cannot say that a domestic cylinder is dangerous."
The eggheads, however, are not all united on whether cylinders can be used for auto propulsion.
According to a scientist with one of the state’s research and development arms, who requested anonymity, gas cylinders may be as strong - if not stronger - than gas tanks. But this does not mean they are safer when used in an environment for which they’ve not been designed, such as in the backs of vehicles.
"We have not conducted such tests," he said.
Testing cylinders for pressure was important, but so was testing them for impact under certain conditions, where they would be exerted to different forces.
"In auto cars, there would be vibrations," he added.
On
September 16, Papua New Guinea celebrates her 22nd Anniversary of independence.
Prior to this she was a colony administered by Australia. Here Carlyle de Silva
who served as Papua New Guinea’s Director Prosecution and Director CID
writes of the country that has been home to many Lankans.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) was little known in this part of the world until perhaps the tragic death of one of her illustrious sons Joel Pera of rugby fame, who was murdered on May Day by (still) unknown persons at the precincts of a popular night club in Colombo.
Adding insult to injury, were the screaming headlines in the media (following the murder) quoting Sri Lankans employed in P.N. G. to the effect that Joel’s murder had a devastating impact on Sri Lankans living and working in PNG. where they were compelled to flee the country due to reprisals and a severe backlash in the form of bodily harm and damage to property. This had serious repercussions which even discouraged potential job seekers from seeking or pursuing a career in PNG.
Ironically and for reasons still unknown to the public of Sri Lanka, people of PNG and our own kith and kin employed in PNG, such threats were not established or justified with facts.
PNG has a rich heritage of culture, traditions and spiritual values. It is a large island lying east of Indonesia and north of Australia in the South Western Pacific ocean. Port Moresby is its capital, and the main cities are Lae, Rabaul, Madang, Mt. Hagen and Gorka. PNG has a population of around 4,394,537 (1996 July) and the life expectancy is approximately 58 for women and 56 for men.
The people of PNG are friendly, easy going and of a relaxed disposition. Its climate is typically monsoonal being hot and humid throughout the year. Whilst the rest of the country is favoured with a fair share of rainfall, the capital Port Morseby receives as little as 45 inches of rain annually. Nearly three quarters of PNG is covered by dense tropical rain forest. PNG’s wild life is abundant.
>Papua
New Guinea is governed under a Constitution that came into effect in 1975. A
member of the Commonwealth of Nations, its Head of State is the British
Sovereign, who is represented by a Governor- General. Legislative power is
vested in the unicameral National Parliament, made up of 109 members popularly
elected to terms of up to five years. The main executive body is the National
Executive Council, which is responsible to parliament. The council is presided
over by the prime minister.
The Constitution of Papua New Guinea is regarded as one of the best in the world and this assertion was confirmed by none other than our own C. G. Weeramanthry one time Puisne Judge of Sri Lanka, Professor in Law Monash University, Australia and visiting law lecturer of the University of Papua New Guinea.
The democratic system in PNG is strong and uncompromising to the extent that the three Prime Ministers and the respective Governments were voted out of office by a single vote of no confidence in the post independence period.
In the recently concluded parliamentary elections a new government was returned to office. As many as fifteen ministers and many sitting members lost their seats in parliament including two former prime ministers.
Agriculture is the most important economic activity in Papua New Guinea. Coconuts, sweet potatoes, bananas and yams are important crops. Commercial crops are dominated by coffee, cocoa and copra.
Tea is also grown in highlands of Papua New Guinea but it’s not regarded as a major commercial crop. Livestock includes cattle, pigs, goats and poultry.
Papua New Guinea’s gross national product is about $3,307 million a year, equivalent to $936 per head. The monetary unit of Papua New Guinea is the kina, which is divided into 100 toea. The PNG kina was quite strong in early 1994 (1.16 kina equal US$ 1.1) but after the devaluation of the kina in the late 1994 the value of the kina suffered a severe set back.
The leading exports are gold, coffee, cocoa, and timber. Copper, the most important export during the 1980s has dropped drastically in importance since the closure of the Bougainvilla mines in 1989.
The principal imports are machinery and transport equipment, foodstuffs and petroleum products. Papua New Guinea’s major trading partners are Australia, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.
Volumes have been written about Papua New Guinea. It is a beautiful country with equally wonderful people and has provided a home with lucrative jobs for Sri Lankans and other expatriates around the world.
It discriminates against none but rather offers a hand of friendship to her visitors. Papua New Guinea is fast developing and in the not too distant future, will be a country envied by many.
Man’s attempt to describe a place where he lives is old. Perhaps as old as 3000 years BC. Arjuna Consulting Co Ltd pioneers in publishing maps and road guides in Sri Lanka has released its fourth publication, the Arjuna’s Atlas of Sri Lanka. A very impressive publication.
There are two types of maps. One the topographic maps that show everything in a place. And the other the thematic maps. Maps that show only certain aspects of a place-say, of roads, rivers etc. "Today, with the advancement of technology the art of drawing maps has become more sophisticated and more complex. Those days there were less specialised fields, so there was less detail."
Perhaps this is the first full scale and ‘complete’ (If I am not exaggerating) atlas of Sri Lanka that might be viewed on par with the National Atlas of Sri Lanka that bulky 2’X3’ hard cover atlas often tucked away in the lowest plane of a shelf in the library.
The Chief Editor of the Atlas retired Surveyor General T. Somasekeram traces its inception as far back as 1984.
In 1964 Prof. K Kularatnam emphasised, in an essay he wrote for the Geographic Association Journal, the need for a National atlas. In 1971 a project was started by the Survey Dept. on the national atlas. By 1984 only five maps had been produced by the committee. Finally the National Atlas came out in December1988. Upto date this was the only available source on Sri Lankan geopgraphy. That means the info is old. Old enough to retire.
So, the publication of the Arjuna’s Atlas of Sri Lanka seems to be a timely one.
The Atlas looks impressive in its Royal blue, yellow and gold laminated cover and soft in A4 size. Neat and simple.
There are 228 pages in all. 76 of them carry 130 multi coloured maps. The illustrations in colour are supplemented by essays written by people who have been considered authorities in each topic.
There are about 58 topics divided into 10 groups. The Atlas is edited by four editors all who have participated in the production of the National Atlas.
"We have avoided the controversial areas such as history, archeology and the like," he said.
The editors have dropped 10 such topics that is in the National Atlas of ‘88. But the new one has 20 new topics to its credit such as riverbasin, wetlands and wildlife which makes the atlas a comprehensive as well as a highly specialised document.
The atlas opens with a bold statement-that Sri Lanka is a country and not an island, perhaps a group of islands. Page 192 throws light on another interesting aspect of the country. In terms of Human Development Index or the HDI Sri Lanka scores 69.8% which means that it is not a "punchi rata," as we fondly call it. It ranks "medium," he said.
Published in 1988 the climate section of the National Atlas does not have statistics of thirty years of scientific research. Meteorologists measure climatic cycles in 30 year cycles. In Sri Lanka the first thirty year cycle was just over, in 1990. That means that this atlas contains the latest available indicator of the climate. The chapter on climate gives good news and bad news. Good news first. During the past years the rainfall has increased two fold. Good. Then the bad news. There have been widespread droughts. That’s bad. Land value is a unique chapter. "A risky subject," Mr. Somasekeram said.
But there is also a misinformation, I wonder how it crept into the copy. According to the copy the Jaffna University library got its books from Jaffna College library. The author must have missed the fact that all the books that came from the Jaffna College library were returned on their demand some years after the opening of the University. At present it has its original collection and what the Parameshwara College library had when it was taken over for the campus.
The book needs more margin around the pages was the opinion of a professional layout designer. Also the table looks too crowded and tight. The letter seems to suffocate in the cages. Likewise, the headings in capitals could have been avoided. Use of ‘all caps’ should be handled very carefully. It tends to irritate the eyes of the reader, designers say. Still the atlas is an impressive work. Priced at Rs. 1250 it is affordable and should be a must in every home. If not at least in every educational institutions. - MM
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