Abandoned Vehicle – What Next for the Drive of Your Life?

Sir,

Decrepit, wrecked, or otherwise useless automobiles that have been abandoned and unlawfully disposed in the environment are referred to as abandoned vehicles. One may have seen them as rusting mounds of metal on the side of the road, in a backyard, or down a back alley.

The majority of these cars were merely abandoned by their owners since they were no longer useful or operational. Because they are not aware of structured procedures to recycle or dispose off end-of-life vehicles, owners frequently leave them. Some vehicles are a part of crime or accidents, while some are a victim of natural disasters like flooding. For fear of being accused of theft or facing criminal charges by the authorities, scrap dealers won’t purchase vehicles that have been abandoned without following the proper procedures. On occasion, thieves will take a vehicle to use in a crime and then decide to ditch it in a different neighborhood.[1]

According to the Delhi administration, in 2019, there were over 4 million “overage” automobiles, both diesel and gasoline, that are deemed deregistered but have not yet been removed from the roads in the city.[2] There are 1,188 abandoned vehicles (AVs) in Pune, 751 of which are two-wheelers, 214 are three-wheelers, and 220 are cars, all of which are in terrible shape.[3]

Environmentally, AVs are an eyesore and a source of pollution. Socially, because of their rusty metal and broken glass, AVs can block parking spaces and highways, endangering children who play there. AVs encourage vandalism and arson and add to neighborhood deterioration, fear of crime, and other negative feelings and squander of resources. AVs are a loss to recycling resources when they burn out and waste both personal and communal resources. Additionally, AVs are a waste of money because the majority of the high expenses for removing, storing, and disposing of AVs are borne by local governments.[3]

Unattractive AVs that are left in the neighborhood have a negative impact on the area’s esthetic amenity. In addition, deteriorating parts and leaks from things like oil and battery acid can endanger the health and safety of people and animals as well as contaminate the environment. A vehicle is made up of around 75% metal, both ferrous and non-ferrous, regardless of its age and weight. Tires, fluids, and other components account for the final 25% of the vehicle weight. Glass, metal, plastic, fabric, and rubber pieces are among the wastes left behind when an automobile approaches the end of its useful life or is disposed off. They also consist of lubricants, gasoline, diesel, antifreeze, used oil, lubricants, and, increasingly, electronic parts consisting of valuable and heavy metals.[4]

Batteries, tires, paint, and other components are still present in a number of these AVs. Their decomposition may result in significant groundwater and air pollution. Car tires can accumulate methane if they are left to rot in landfills. Tire fires at landfills can burn for months and release a lot of hazardous pollutants into the atmosphere. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxane furanes, and nitrogen oxides are some of the carcinogens released when rubber is burned.[5]

Additionally, AVs serve as a breeding ground for disease-carrying rodents and rats.[1] According to a study, individual larval homes range in size from tiny to medium (e.g., industrial-sized buckets holding 19 liters, ephemeral ground pools holding 34 liters, abandoned vehicles and tires storing 10 ml, and tree hole cavities holding 25 ml).[4]

Much of the material in a vehicle can be recycled. Over 15 lakh tons of steel scrap, 1.8 lakh tons of aluminum, and 75,000 tons of plastic and rubber can be recovered if India develops an effective recycling system.[1] The auctioning of confiscated and abandoned automobiles brought in Rs 64 lakhs for the Hyderabad City Police. A total of 1,150 confiscated and abandoned automobiles were sold at auction.

The Government also constructed a park in Delhi named Waste to Wonders, which is created from waste materials like old benches and scrap metals. Although the Government has come up with National Scrappage Policy, which is yet to be implemented, it does not include AV.

It is high time AVs are included in the National policy, and strict enforcement should be done to crack down on over-aged vehicles as soon as possible as it would be a win–win situation for the society as a whole.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.