China: Beijing’s Water and Waste Performance at Olympics Earns Gold, says WRI report

Beijing achieved and largely exceeded the drinking water and waste-management goals it set as part of its bid for last summer’s Olympics, according to a new report.

“[T]he city improved its drinking water, as well as its waste-disposal and recycling systems,” said Cy Jones, a senior associate at the World Resources Institute (WRI) and lead author of two chapters within the report, which was produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with several partners.

WRI’s research – covering the water and waste chapters – found that the city’s drinking water treatment plants met China’s new water quality standards and guidelines set by the World Health Organization. Beijing also expanded its wastewater collection and treatment systems, enabling the city to treat 92 percent of its wastewater during the games.

“[B]eijing’s aggressive efforts before the Olympics show that it’s possible for cities to minimize water consumption, maximize the use of available rainwater and treated wastewater, and protect critical surface-water resources,” Jones added.

In addition to improving water quality, Beijing surpassed its goal of sorting 50 percent and recycling 30 percent of all solid waste produced within the city by 2008. Upgrades to the city’s waste disposal system allowed 52 percent of waste to be sorted and 35 percent to be recycled by 2007.

Further, Beijing greatly expanded its ability to properly dispose of hazardous waste in specially designated landfills. [...] In 2008, the city increased capacity [from 2,000 tons in 2001] to 30,000 tons and recycled an additional 10,000 tons.

The authors found that Beijing’s water management leading up to the Olympic Games serves as an example to other cities of how to achieve maximum efficiency in the use and management of scarce water resources. Beijing should continue its efforts. Further, the International Olympic Committee should promote the development and implementation of environmentally sound water and waste management in all cities being considered for future games.

The report, Independent Environmental Assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, was produced by UNEP. Data was provided by the Beijing Municipal Government, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. WRI provided expertise and analysis on both the water quality and solid waste chapters.

Source: WRI, 09 Jun 2009

Bangladesh: School debate on safe water and sanitation

BRAC will organise a countrywide school debate competition as part of its awareness campaign on safe water, sanitation coverage and hygiene practices among the underprivileged population, says a press release. The yearlong competition will begin at upazila level from the middle of May [2009] in cooperation with Brac-WASH and Brac-Advocacy unit.

The objective of the competition is to create awareness among the school students about safe water, sanitation coverage and hygiene practices. The competition will be held in two phases — 1st phase, schools from 24 selected remote upazilas will participate at the selection round and at the 2nd phase, winner teams of selection round will participate at quarterfinal, semi-final and final competition at district level.

Source: The Daily Star, 08 May 2009

Pakistan Conference on Sanitation (PACOSAN), Islamabad, Pakistan, 28-29 May 2009

Organised by: Ministry of Environment, with the support of RSPN (Rural Support Programmes Network), UNICEF, WSP-SA, WaterAid, Plan Pakistan and other partners.

The objectives of the conference are:

• Creating awareness and sensitization for mainstreaming sanitation across sectors, ministries/departments, institutions and socio-political persuasions so that sanitation is prioritized in their respective programs
• Stocktaking of the main features of the enabling environment and current situation in terms of the existing provincial strategies, action plans and targets
• Developing a PACOSAN Roadmap on Sanitation highlighting a set of key actions and milestones to achieving the national goals and MDGs in a time-bound manner
• Inception planning of developing a framework for an Integrated Sanitation and Hygiene Programme through brainstorming on various models of collaboration, roles & responsibilities of various stakeholders, financing and the institutional options and arrangements

The conference is expected to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Source: Minutes of the 11th Meeting of the Water and Sanitation Donor Coordination Group (WSDCG) held at UNICEF office, Islamabad on 23 April 2009, drinking water-Pakistan Google Group, 07 May 2009

ADB-Viet Nam Sanitation Dialogue

From 16-17 April 2009, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) organised an in-country Sanitation Dialogue in Thanh Hoa, Viet Nam.  The session followed-up on Viet Nam’s sanitation actions proposed at the ADB-DMC Sanitation Dialogue held in March 2009, in the Philippines.

The event web page includes presentations on urban wastewater management, technology and financing options.

Nepal: Sanitation Brand Ambassador, actress Jharana Thapa, on campaign

In September 2008, famous Nepali actress Jharana Thapa was nominated Sanitation Brand Ambassador by the End Water Poverty Campaign. In November 2008 she participated in the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN) III held in New Delhi, India, where she stressed to establish sanitation as a basic right.After her participation in the conference, Jharana Thapa is not only involved in making speeches on sanitation. Whenever she visits villages for shooting or [a] personal visit nowadays, she asks, “Is there a toilet or not? Is it clean or not? “Do you wash your hands with soap and water after going to the toilet?” [...] “Due to toilet problem, many girl students do not drink water during school hours,” said Jharana, adding, “The girl students feel uncomfortable during periods and toilet problem might cause mental problem.” Jharana advises the girl students not to feel ashamed and talk to the school management to arrange separate toilets for them.

Jharana herself has experiences of problems a woman has to face for not having a toilet. Jharana said, “I also had to search for a toilet in many places while in outdoor shooting locations. So, I am arranging for a mobile toilet in my home production to be used in shooting. She added, “I am also initiating to include social messages of sanitation in my films.”

Source: Nepal Samacharpatra / NGO Forum, 18 Feb 2009

India, Haryana: No toilet, no bride – slogan hits the mark

The war against insanitation is being fought by women in Haryana by placing a simple condition before their daughters get married – her new household should have a toilet. Suresh Devi, 52, a resident of Shahar Malpur village near Panipat, about 100 km from New Delhi, had been forced to defecate in the open till not so long ago, as there was no toilet in her home. But when her daughter got married, she made sure the bride had a toilet in her new home.

[...] It has been nearly four years since the Haryana government embarked on a campaign to create awareness about sanitation among the masses through radio jingles, television advertisements, posters and banners. Walls in many villages have been painted with slogans in Hindi reading – ‘Na byahun beti us ghar mein jismein na ho shauchalaya (Won’t get my daughter married into a household which does not have a toilet).’

Since 2005, 1.41 million toilets have been built across the agriculture-dependent state that surrounds the national capital on three sides. Out of the 1,417,960 toilets constructed from 2005 to Jan 31 this year under the total sanitation campaign, 947,828 units were built by families above the poverty line and 470,132 by those below the poverty line.

Read more: Ritu Sharma, (IANS) / Calcutta News.Net, 13 Mar 2009

See also: Ben Arnoldy, India: Rural villagers say, “no toilet, no bride”, Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 2009

ADB President Calls on Governments, Private Sector to Do More to Address Sanitation Issue

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda has called for regional governments and the private sector to do more to help the 1.8 billion people in Asia who lack access to adequate sanitation. “There is urgency to this moment,” Mr. Kuroda said in opening remarks at the Sanitation Dialogue at ADB’s Manila Headquarters. He added that the issue of sanitation “poses enormous challenges to Asia’s environment and public health.”

[...] Mr. Kuroda stressed that sanitation, like water supply, cannot be sustained on government budgets alone and that more needs to be done to attract private sector investment. “Key to a change in strategy is the consideration of sanitation as a business,” Mr. Kuroda said. “The economic returns of good sanitation have been demonstrated universally and we must find clever ways of translating them into effective and sustainable solutions for Asia.”

ADB has committed 20% of its Water Financing Partnership Facility to sanitation, which will help provide 200 million people with sustainable access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. Mr. Kuroda cited successful national sanitation initiatives in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. [...] “Our annual average lending pipeline for sanitation has increased [...] to $710 million for 2008-2010,” Mr. Kuroda said, adding that as a proportion of ADB’s overall funding commitments, water and sanitation projects are expected to increase from an average of 8.5% in 2003-07 to about 17% in 2008-10.

Source: ADB,03 Mar 2009

Sri Lanka: SLWP and Water Integrity Network Partnership Roots Out Corruption

On Thursday, February 12, 2009, the Daily Mirror in Sri Lanka reported the arrest of seven illegal sand miners by Bingiriya police. In a separate article on the same day, the paper reported that more stringent laws against illegal sand mining are to be introduced in order to protect the environment.

In 2008, the Sri Lanka Water Partnership (SLWP) began working with the Water Integrity Network (WIN) to fight corruption surrounding illicit and unregulated river sand mining. Together the two agencies produced an integrated package of activities, including awareness programmes, brochures, posters, and a documentary. Police from Bingiriya had participated in the awareness programs. Police attendance was over 150% of target in all dialogues with community representatives.

Illegal sand mining contributes to river-bank collapse and lowers water tables, causing havoc to ecosystems, community water needs and the livelihoods of fishermen. Erosion undermines bridges and irrigation infrastructure, productive land is lost and stagnant water breeds disease.

[...] The SLWP-WIN partnership-of anti-corruption action in the water sector will be highlighted at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, in March [2009] during a side event titled “Beyond the Global Corruption Report 2008: Promoting Water Integrity through Partnerships”.

A draft completion report, information sheets, posters and photos of the river sand mining project are avaialable on the Sri Lanka Water Partnership (SLWP) web site.  See below one of the project posters and a video on sand mining by the he Access Initiative Coalition of Sri Lanka.

Source: GWP, 18 Feb 2009

SLWP poster on Sand River Mining

Meeting on Action Plan for Water and Climate Change, 25-27 February 2009, Manila, Philippines

The aim of this meeting is to discuss and agree on follow-up actions from the Regional Workshop on Developing Partnerships for Water and Climate Change Adaptation, which was held in December 2008.

It is being organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations (NARBO), Center for River Basin Organization and Management (CRBOM), National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Team Japan and others.

NAHRIM is the Asia-Pacific Water Forum‘s Regional Water Knowledge Hub for Water and Climate Change Adaptation in Southeast Asia.

Read more on the ADB web site.

ADB-DMC Sanitation Dialogue, 3-5 March 2009, Manila, Philippines

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is inviting developing member country (DMC) Ministers of Finance, Health, Water and Sanitation, Environment, and Water Resources or their senior executives and city mayors to the ADB-DMC Sanitation Dialogue to discuss DMC’s sanitation needs, barriers, options, and actions.

Themes:

• Economics of sanitation: (benefits and costs) covers public health and environmental issues, and impacts on other sectors, like tourism;
• Social issues: community psychology and sociology of sanitation;
• Technologies: practical, affordable options;
• Finance: financing sources and options, and financial viability of sanitation;
• Private sector participation: opportunities and business environment;
• Politics of sanitation: why and how to market sanitation and overcome political barriers.

See also the related background article “Getting Sanitation on Track” by Anand Chiplunkar (Feb 2009, ADB)

Read more on the ADB web site