ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF

TRANSPORTATION IN EL
SALVADOR
43rd UNEP/UNESCO/BMU International Short Course on Environmental Management for
Developing and Emerging Countries: Sustainable Transportation (22nd November 2007 –
13th December 2007
DRESDEN Germany

Saul Castelar
Transportation Consultant

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 El Salvador in America…
America…

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 General information
• Located in Central America,
• One of the smallest countries in Latin America
(21,000 square kms.)
• 6,500,000 people.
• San Salvador, its capital, is the most important city
in the country; about 2,000,000 inhabitants.
• San Salvador concentrates about 50% of all vehicles
in the country.
• Transportation decisions made on a national level.

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Transportation facts

• About 650,000 vehicles in the country.

• Public transport fleet comprised of about 12,000
vehicles
• Transportation produces about 2 million tons of CO2
every year (about 46% of the CO2 tons emitted by
the energy sector)
• Vehicles in the country run on gasoline and diesel.
No alternative fuels are distributed at the moment.
• (The Kyoto protocol was ratified by El Salvador on
september 17, 1998 )

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Vehicle growth

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Traffic safety
El Salvador has one of the biggest accidents rates
in Latin America.

We had about 25,000 accidents last year!

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Public Transport in El Salvador

Public transport is operated by private parties. There is
vast atomization in the sector and no coordination at all
between routes. There is a fierce competition among
service providers for passengers, which causes a
number of problems.

Average PT fleet age: 14 years

Estimations of unnecessary veh kilometers for buses in
San Salvador: about 39,000 a day.

About 4000 veh kilometers for minibuses

That amounts to 1,2 million gallons of diesel in a year!!!!

A fuel tax of 0.10 $US per gallon has just been aproved
to subsidize the operation of public transport in the
country.

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Air pollution indicators

TOS/DAY
SS Metropolitan
GASES Area CBD

CO 227,700 13,500

HC 27,900 1,200

NOX 36,100 1,300

SO2 9,500 1,000

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Pollution & Transportation: El
Salvador´
Salvador´s case.
• SAL produces aprox. 9 million tons of (CO2)
every year. That is about 0.003 % of CO2
emissions worldwide.
• That amount is insignificant compared with
5,729 million tons produced by the US every
year. Yet it is a problem to the nation.
• Transportation produces about 22% of the
country’s CO2 every year.

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 The Reorganization of transit services in
San Salvador

•In 2001, the government launched an aggressive

campaign to organize Public Transport in the country,
particularly in the capital.
•The reorganization included the modification of
about 60% of all routes running in the capital.
•It was also aimed at matching the number of
available buses with real demand.
•It also aimed at formalizing the relationship between
the government and the operators of the public
transport system.

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 The Reorganization of transit in San
Salvador, impacts in the environment
(Emissions in tons)
Peak hour AM Valley Peak hour PM
Before After Change Before After Change Before After Change
(%) (%) (%)
Inmediate results
CO 18,596 18,090 -2.72 9,850 9,093 -7.69 17,715 17,078 -3.60

HC 2,271 2,227 -1.98 1,279 1,191 -6,86 2,162 2,099 -2.90

Ox 2,817 2,763 -1.92 1,976 1,839 -6.93 2,723 2,639 -3.06

SO2 758 706 -6.97 322 261 -18,80 719 640 -10.98

Short Term Results

CO 26,499 25,475 -3.87 13,790 12,509 -9.29 25,289 24,146 -4.52

HC 3,166 3,036 -4.10 1,731 1,568 -9.39 3,010 2,870 -4.64

Ox 3,599 3,421 -4.95 2,440 2,177 -10.79 3,463 3,263 -5.78

SO2 1,278 1,089 -14.78 504 366 -27.41 1,204 964 -19.92

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Reorganizing transit in San Salvador,
impacts in the CBD
(Emissions in tons)
Peak hour AM Valley Peak hour PM
Before After Change Before After Change Before After Change
(%) (%) (%)
Inmediate results
CO 995 826 -17.03 585 456 -22.15 1,099 951 -13.48
HC 92 83 -10.30 57 48 -16.03 102 93 -8.26
NOx 98 84 -14.94 71 56 -21.89 104 90 -13.31
SO2 84 63 -25.19 32 19 -41.05 79 49 -38.76
Short Term
CO 1,417 1,194 -15.75 828 631 -23.79 1,590 1,355 -14.78
HC 127 116 -8.63 77 65 -16.59 143 131 -8.63
NOx 127 110 -13.51 90 70 -21.77 136 118 -13.24
SO2 139 109 -22.10 53 31 -40.67 135 82 -39.39

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Mixed results
• Measures proved positive to reduce emissions, also
congestion in the city center.
• The measures would have allowed to improve the
control of the authorities over the transportation
system.
• Bus operators were against the implementation of
measures and put pressure on authorities to revert
the situation.
• The project had to be suspended due to political
pressure and bus operation returned to its original
inefficient pattern.
pattern.

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Current situation
• More actions are required
• 13 CDM projects are being promoted with potential
to reduce about 1.5 million tons of CO2.
• Until now 3 projects have been aproved
aproved,, under the
CDM. NO TRANSPORT PROJECTS ARE BEING
PROMOTED
• The old national rail began operation in a small line
during the last trimester of 2007.
• The new tax for fuels
fuels,, might be an accidental step in
the right direction
direction..
• Compulsory vehicle checks are demanded by law,
but litigations make it a pending matter with negative
effects on emissions and also on accident rates.

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

What else can be done?
• Many, many things
Many, things!!
• Begin by properly monitoring air quality and noise
levels..
levels
• Target Education as a key to any strategy
• Work responsibly towards mass transit
transit..
• Coordinate private and government efforts
efforts..
• Promote NMT modes.
modes.
• Increase Pedestrian safety.
• Streghten the law and its application
application..
• Establish a national policy on transportation
transportation,, also
on pollution and climate change
change..
• Develop laws to promote clean energy
production..
production

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

Will it be done?

• Environmental matters don’t seem a priority.

• Neither transportation, unfortunately.
• Higher fuel prices seem to do more for
transport than any formal strategy.
• Different strategies have proved successful,
but a firmer stance from the authorities is
required for sustainable improvement.
• For now, there is no happy ending to this
story!

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Now, lets think for a while…

• Do you think that political obstacles, that

seem to be more important than technical
obstacles in the developing world, can be
overcome?

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Final thoughts
• It is possible to change Status Quo.
• Become a proficient salesman of change!
• Take matters into your own hands!
• Get your data straight
• Make it simple & realistic
• Make it personal
• Put it in graphs, figures, votes and $!
• Promote maximum participation & Involvement
• Strive for maximum accountability
• Make it enforceable
• Compromise

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management

 Finally…

NEVER GIVE UP!

THE END!!!!
scastelar@yahoo.com

Saul Castelar 43 UNEP Course on Env. Management