USAID RDM/A Regional Environment Office Weekly Report Week Ending July 18, 2008

USAID Helps Malaysian Water Utility “Twin” with Indian Counterpart to Deliver Continuous Water Supply. On July 16, 2008, Indian state water utility Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and Ranhill Utilities Berhad (Ranhill), a well-respected Malaysian water utility, signed a memorandum of understanding on delivering continuous water supply to households in Maharashtra, India. Up to now, many residents, especially the poor, in Maharashtra and throughout India receive water only about four hours per day. MJP plans to convert 25 of those intermittent systems into continuous, metered schemes that will make water available to every home. To make the conversion as effective as possible, USAID's ECO-Asia facilitated a utility-to-utility “twinning” arrangement between MJP and Ranhill. Ranhill has extensive experience in developing and implementing techniques that ensure 24-hour-a-day service delivery and a reduction in water losses.  As the twinning process goes forward, ECO-Asia will continue to assist as the partners share technical expertise and information.

USAID-Sponsored AECEN Partners to Support “Green Courts” Workshop in the Philippines. On July 16-18, 2008, the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) in partnership with the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN), the United States Department of Interior (USDOI), Ateneo School of Government, and the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation conducted a Multi-Sector Workshop on the creation of a Manual and Training Design for Green Courts.  Held in Manila, selected justices/judges, prosecutors, enforcement officials and environmental law practitioners from areas where there are designated green courts took part.  The workshop provided the opportunity to gather input and suggestions on the contents of a proposed Manual/ Benchbook for environmental cases and the development of an enhanced training curriculum for the judiciary.  The creation of the Benchbook is an initiative supported by the USDOI while the effort to strengthen the environmental curriculum is part of a USAID grant to PHILJA through USAID's Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-Asia) program and AECEN.

China and USAID Partner to Reduce Energy Use by Chinese Businesses and Factories. USAID has joined a partnership to help Chinese government agencies and electricity companies design and promote energy-efficiency programs. The USAID ECO-Asia Clean Development and Climate Program (ECO-Asia CDCP) has joined with the U.S.-China partnership that is preparing a National Demand-Side Management (DSM) Manual for China. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the U.S-China Energy Efficiency Alliance, and its partner utilities are developing the DSM Manual in cooperation with China's State Grid Corporation and under the direction of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The DSM Manual will serve as a reference for China's state-owned electric utilities, government agencies, and other stakeholders as they design and implement programs that help large businesses and factories slash their energy use. ECO-Asia CDCP is preparing a supplemental annex for the Manual that will cover financing models and mechanisms, as well as the use of energy service companies (ESCOs) to develop and manage energy-saving projects.

Vietnamese Government and Partners Praise USAID Support of PES Policy. On July 10, 2008, Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Finance, the People's Committee of Lam Dong Province, and other relevant agencies met in Dalat, Vietnam to evaluate progress on the USAID-funded Asia Regional Biodiversity Conservation Program (ARBCP) and to plan for next steps. Participants praised the project for its support to the development of Vietnam's Pilot Payments for Environmental Services (PES) Policy and for its development of practical, community-based models to raise incomes and support conservation. MARD also formally requested the program to continue its vital support to PES implementation and to provide assistance in better linking this sustainable funding source to household livelihood improvement and overall forest management and planning. Officials reported that expected impacts of the PES pilot include improved incomes for an estimated 3,925 forest-dependent households and improved sustainable management and conservation of approximately 188,395 hectares (465,336 acres).

USAID Sponsors Study Tour as a Part of Water Loss Asia Conference.  As part of the Conference, held this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, USAID’s ECO-Asia program supported six senior officials, four from India’s Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and two from Pune Municipal Corporation ­ to attend the conference and participate in a study tour of Ranhill Utilities Berhad facilities.  During the study tour, they discussed essential best practices employed by Ranhill to maintain continuous water supply, such as pressure management, leakage detection, district meter zoning, and customer metering. They also observed practical applications of these best practices on the ground. 

USAID “Twinning” Partner Ranhill Utilities Berhad Publishes Handbook on Minimizing Water Losses. Ranhill Utilities Berhad (Ranhill), with support from USAID, released a new publication titled The Manager’s Non-Revenue Water Handbook: A Practical Guide to Understanding Water Losses. In 2006-2007, the USAID-funded ECO-Asia Program facilitated twinning partnerships between Ranhill, a Malaysian utility recognized for effectively reducing and managing non-revenue water (NRW), and the Provincial Waterworks Authority (PWA) of Thailand and the Bac Ninh Water Supply and Sewerage Company (WSSC) in Vietnam. These partnerships have strengthened the capacities of PWA and WSSC to better understand and address NRW. Lessons from Ranhill’s experiences and these twinning arrangements have contributed to the development of The Manager’s Non-Revenue Water Handbook. The handbook serves to assist senior water utility managers in meeting the challenges of NRW management and adjust their operational efficiencies to improve service delivery in urban areas. The publication was launched at the Water Loss Asia Conference 2008, held on July 15-16, 2008, in Kuala Lumpur.