subject: Consumer Issue: Adulterated Fuel [print this page] These days, it is very difficult to find a consumer who is fully satisfied with the products he uses. The consumer will be having one or more problems with the products. The latest problem is the adulteration of fuel. It is a very serious problem, which is spreading very fast in India. At first, it will appear to the customers as a very small problem. However if we go deep into the issue, the consumer will know how big the problem is and what are all the consequences that he has to face because of that. Adulterated fuel not only affects the economy of the country, but also affects the environment as well as the economically backward consumers.
As the number of petrol pumps distributing adulterated fuel increases, consumers complain that they are facing many types of problems including poor ignition, reduced mileage and even jammed engines. Apart from causing inconvenience to the consumers, it also causes a huge financial burden. The consumers are finding it very difficult to manage the maintenance cost of their vehicle and now they have to spend a huge amount of money for the mistakes that they have not made. The price of the spare parts, especially the engines are increasing day by day.
It has been reported that there is rise in adulteration of fuel in India. On an average, at least five to six complaints are reported every month. In most cases, the problem is with the pick up or the engine is completely damaged. The cost of repairing such damages ranges from INR 20,000 to INR 3,00,000. What irritates the customer most is that the manufacturers do not cover the cost incurred due to adulterated fuel under warranty. Sometimes replacing an individual spare part is very difficult. Therefore, they have to change the entire unit to make the vehicle function again. This is when the consumer has to pay heavily. Some of the consumers complain that their vehicles are having some problems even though they are filling fuels in their vehicles only from reputed petrol pumps.
Even though there are many complaints from the consumers, the oil companies are least bothered about it. According to the oil companies, adulteration of fuel is not a big issue for them. In addition, they claim that they have very stringent quality check processes and the chances for adulterating the fuel are very less. Suppose if they find any of their dealers involved in adulteration of fuel, they will not hesitate to cancel their dealership.
Adulteration of fuel can cause health problems and will affect the environment due to the increased tailpipe emissions of harmful and sometimes carcinogenic pollutants. When fuel is adulterated, the composition of the fuel changes and the engine might require more amount of fuel. This will affect the combustion dynamics inside the engine thereby increase the emission of harmful pollutants like hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). Adulteration of fuels can also cause emissions of air toxins like benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), both are well-known carcinogens.
In most of the cases, they use kerosene, toluene, xylene and other solvents for adulterating the fuel. The kerosene they use for adulterating the transport fuel will be from the Public Distribution System (PDS). The large scale diversion of Public Distribution System kerosene subsidized for household use, when used for adulterating the fuel will deprive the economically backward consumer of kerosene which they use for cooking their food. Since there is a lack of availability of Public Distribution System kerosene, they will start using wood and other biomass fuels for cooking, which will increase the emission of harmful pollutants.
However, the blending of kerosene with automotive diesel is generally practiced by oil industry worldwide as a means of adjusting the low temperature operability of the fuel. This practice is neither harmful nor increases the tailpipe emissions, provided the resulting fuel continues to meet engine manufacturer's specifications. However, high level adulteration of diesel with kerosene can cause the fuel to exceed the sulphur limit. Usually it is very easy to detect the adulterated diesel because the addition of heavier fuel oils to diesel will make it darker than normal. Depending on the nature of the materials used for adulterating, the amount of pollutants emitted will vary.
Adulterating of fuel will cause a significant loss of tax revenue for the government as well as for the oil companies. This consistent rise in the number of adulteration cases only indicates the seriousness of the issue and it is time something substantial is done to stop this business.
