USAID RDM/A
Regional Environment Office
Weekly Report
Week Ending December 7, 2007 |
East Asian Leaders Pledge to Invest in Sanitation and Hygiene to Benefit the Poor. The first-ever East Asia Ministerial Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene (EASAN) was held in Beppu City, Japan from November 30 – December 1, where ministers and decision makers from 15 countries affirmed that adequate sanitation and hygiene play a pivotal and direct role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals for access to basic services, education, poverty, and health, and that the poor have the most limited access to adequate facilities. A declaration adopted at the end of the conference recognized that “business as usual” was not an acceptable approach. The declaration further pledged to raise investments in sanitation and hygiene and provide strong leadership for action. EASAN was co-organized by the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program (WSP), World Health Organization (WHO), and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as a lead-in event to 2008, the WHO International Year of Sanitation. USAID participated as partner to EASAN providing support to country participants and contributing to two key technical publications: “Universal Sanitation in East Asia: Mission Possible?” and “Economic Impacts of Sanitation in Southeast Asia.” USAID’s Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) program will work closely with WSP and UNICEF over the coming year to support country commitments to increased sanitation and hygiene coverage, especially in urban settings.
San Fernando City Inaugurates First Wastewater Treatment System. San Fernando City, located in the heart of La Union Province, Philippines, inaugurated its new wastewater treatment plant for its public market on December 4, 2007, which will benefit approximately 5,700 people in the area. Using a technology known as the Sequencing Batch Reactor, the treatment system is designed to treat the high-strength market wastewater to a level suitable for discharging into the San Fernando bay, while consuming a minimum of electricity. In the past, the public market discharged wastewater effluent directly into the river, which leads to the bay. The river is heavily used for swimming, bathing and washing laundry, and the bay is an important fishery and recreational site. Treating this wastewater will reduce bacteria, viruses and other pathogens that enter the stream from the public market, and will provide long-term improvements to water quality in the river and the bay. USAID’s Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) Water and Sanitation Program supported the project through technical assistance, training workshops and study tours that brought local officials to see similar projects in the Philippines and Vietnam. The city will operate the new system in-house with a team of operators who have been receiving additional training through the ECO-Asia program.
Grants Will Replicate Successes in Coastal Resilience. USAID’s Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods Project has supported three study tours for participants from India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives Islands, and Thailand to visit sites in various countries and share effective community resilience practices. Small grants have been awarded to eight participants from all five countries to replicate effective techniques in sustainable aquaculture, horticulture and microfinance/micro enterprise. Results of the grants will be reported in a regional lessons learned workshop in Bangkok in February.
San Fernando City Launches WASH-Day Campaign. On December 4, 2007, San Fernando City officials, along with USAID Environmental Cooperation-Asia staff, launched its first annual WASH day campaign in an effort to reduce diarrhea diseases. Geared mostly for school-age children, the campaign taught basic hygiene skills including hand washing, tooth brushing and personal cleanliness. Statistics show that diarrhea diseases can be reduced by at least 30% when proper hand washing is employed. This WASH day campaign, in addition to teaching skills, also stressed the importance of providing appropriate facilities. These include providing a clean water source, soap and towels. A skills session ensued where hand washing techniques were demonstrated. Other workshops at the event included soap making and tooth brushing. Approximately 150 school children were in attendance.
