The Malta Transport Authority (ADT) betrayed people's trust when it ignored people's text messages reporting emissions, the environmental organisation Flimkien ghal-Ambjent Ahjar (FAA) said.
It said it was about the consequences of ADT's poor performance on street pollution adding that motivation to send such reports had been severely undermined. Apologies were not enough to limit the damage arising out of this mistake.
"Had this incident not yet been revealed, it still would have been clear that ADT is not giving enough importance to the serious health implications of the avoidable pollution in our streets.
"The fact that smoke emitted by diesel-driven vehicles is highly toxic is now common knowledge.
"It has now been scientifically proven beyond doubt that exposure to traffic pollution, especially the fine particulate fraction in diesel exhaust, is responsible for premature death from a number of causes including heart attacks, cancer and lung diseases. "Malta has one of the highest ever recorded rates of asthma and this is almost certainly due to our pollution. Recent evidence has strengthened the case against 'particulates' which are a major component of pollution from diesel engines.
"ADT has much to answer for, as long as the unacceptable threat to heath is allowed to continue. ADT must now take assertive steps to remedy the situation by decreasing our pollution more effectively," FAA said.
As for ADT's claims that emission testing was still being conducted on all vehicles including public transport buses, coaches, trucks and other heavy vehicles, the organisation said that if this was the case, results were still lacking.
"The situation has not improved at all. In fact the emission of black smoke by our buses seems to have intensified of late. This is strongly indicative that there is something seriously wrong in the reporting system, or, more likely, that emission testing is being conducted incorrectly, or being rendered useless by vehicle owners who tamper with their engines or adulterate their fuel and then simply put things temporarily right when the vehicle is due for testing."
FAA said it found it difficult to understand how police and traffic wardens - whose duty was to enforce the law - maintained that it was not their duty to take any corrective action against vehicles which were blatantly polluting the air in front of supposedly vigilant eyes.
It insisted that the time had come to empower traffic wardens and the police to enforce the law in respect of polluting vehicles. Vehicles emitting visible smoke should be taken off the road or sent for an immediate inspection without allowing any chance to readjust their engine and replace adulterated fuel with diesel fuel.
FAA also felt it would be appropriate if the Health Department took on an active role in reducing traffic induced pollution on Malta's streets.