‘Fuel conservation a moral responsibility of all’

Saksham 2023: Energy conservation towards Net Zero 

Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 25

Ever wondered about the quantum of fuel burned by vehicles at traffics stops? The loss incurred in idle engine mode would be insignificant to the individual but try multiplying it by thousands, if not crores of vehicles on the roads. The figure would be mindboggling. 

A study by the now dissolved Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) revealed some interesting details.

Among the findings of the study, dating to around 2006-07, conducted in collaboration with the Central Road Research Institute, was a part about ‘Estimation of fuel loss during idling of vehicles at signalised intersections in Delhi,’ which deduced that Rs 994 cr worth of fuel was burned by vehicles while idling at traffic intersections. 

That study was only confined to one city alone, almost two decades ago. Imagine it in today’s situational terms and multiple cities, alongwith traffic jams, and the figure would not only be astronomical in monetary terms but also in terms of carbon foot print.  

It said that such wastage can be checked “to a large extent” by something as simple as switching off the engine. Another study conducted, alongwith the Indian Institute of Petroleum, found that the ideal time to switch off the engine would be 15 seconds after a red light or after a traffic stop.  

The primary job of the PCRA, under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, was propagating awareness on fuel conservation given India’s dependence on crude oil imports backdropped by rising demand and the cascading impact on climate. 

Saksham has been one such campaign conducted across the country annually. The campaign for 2023 was launched on April 24 under the slogan Energy Conservation Towards Net Zero. The two-week long awareness event will last till May 8.

With the dissolution of the PCRA, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will be spearheading a mass outreach campaign over the next two weeks in all the states and union territories emphasising on the importance and benefits of fuel conservation, while promoting the adoption of fuel-efficient practices and available technologies. 

As per the action plan for 2023, atleast one event, over the course of the campaign, should be addressed by top office holders of a state on TV or radio, besides public messages on the print medium. 

The main inaugural function was launched in New Delhi by the Union Minister of State, Petroleum and Natural Gas & Labour and Employment, Rameswar Teli. 

In Nagaland, the campaign was launched by the Director of Food & Civil Supplies, V Lovitoly Sema at a programme held at Faith Services, an IOC fuel retail outlet located at 5th Mile, Chümoukedima, Monday. 

According to her, such awareness programmes are essential to energy security and sustainable development which will eventually aid the economy of the country. As third largest consumer of fuel, only after the USA and China, she reminded that India’s crude oil production at a little over 30 million metric tonnes per annum “is well below our needs” of over 200 million metric tonnes. “We have to find ways and means to conserve energy as our dependency on imports is nearly 82 percent of the total requirement.” 

She expressed confidence that the campaign would reach out wide sensitizing the masses on the importance of energy conservation. “Energy conservation should be made a way of life. It is our moral responsibility to work towards energy conservation because it is for all of us, not only for the government,” she said.  

H Thangzamuan, Manager, LPG Sales, IOC said that the Sasksham campaign, in essence, seeks to “convince consumers to switch to cleaner fuels and bring in behavioral change to use fossil fuel intelligently.” Thangzamuan, who is also the Nagaland State Level Coordinator for Oil Marketing Companies, added that a number of events have been lined up targeting schools and colleges, besides other stakeholders, aimed at propagating awareness on the necessity to conserve fuel and the benefits of adopting fuel efficient technologies and practices. Car pooling, making a habit of switching off cooking gas by turning off the regulator first, adopting pressure cooking and newly developed fueled efficient LPG stove are some of the conservation habits any person can adopt. According to him, there is a there is a new LPG stove that has been proven to be 80 percent energy-efficient in comparison to older models. 

DP Vidhyarthi, Chief General Manager (LPG), IOC, emphasised the importance for every citizen to conserve petroleum while migrating to renewable and green energy. Terming the 2023 Saksham’s theme as a fitting action in today’s energy situation, he called for developing “a culture for preference for renewable non-petroleum energy sources.”