Although Bangladesh has set a target of supplying safe water for all its people by 2011, a recent survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the United Nations children's fund (UNICEF) showed that 12.6% of Bangladesh households, or about 20 million people, still drink water containing arsenic above the government's recommendation of no more than 50 micrograms per litre.
"Urgent action is needed to re-focus the attention of the nation towards an arsenic-safe environment," said Renata Lok Dessallien, U.N. resident coordinator in Bangladesh, as quoted by Reuters. "Concerted efforts by the government and all stakeholders are necessary to reinvigorate arsenic monitoring and mitigation efforts and conduct comprehensive research on emerging threats."
Arsenic is a naturally occurring chemical introduced into water through the dissolution of minerals and ores. It is poisonous to humans and is known to cause skin lesions and cancers of the bladder, kidney, lungs and skin.
Organic carbon can trigger the release of arsenic from sediments into groundwater. Studies have recommended against using groundwater in man-made ponds and rice fields.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Asia to be 'Global Ethanol Hub' by 2012
Strong government support and surging clean fuel acceptance will drive ethanol production in Asia Pacific region to reach a record height by 2012, according to a new report by market researchers, RNCOS.
Global Biofuel Market Analysis details the "promising growth pattern" in the region's ethanol production over the last few years. For example, China registered over 21.1% CAGR in ethanol production during 2005-2008 and is expected to grow rapidly in coming years. Similarly, India has also exhibited even more rapid developments in ethanol production. The country is anticipated to see some important growth reforms in ethanol production during 2009-2012.
Apart from China and India, countries like Australia, Thailand, South Korea and Japan will provide significant boost to the overall ethanol industry in the region. The prime reason for encouraging ethanol production in most of the Asia Pacific countries is their dependence on imported oil. They allocate a huge reserve for oil purchase in order to meet their energy requirements. Under such scenario, the use of biofuel will certainly help them to cut their dependence on imported oil with added benefit of energy security.
The report has also found that developed economies like the US and European countries are not showing any sign of saturation although the global economic slowdown has had severe impact on their development programs. The study has shown that both ethanol production and consumption in the region are expected to bear post-reversionary effects without any significant dent.
The report provides statistics and non- manipulative information about the biofuel industry current status and its future prospects with a deep focus on regional level developments. It also contains details of government supports, Kyoto Protocol, second-generation biofuel production, cost analysis and several other aspects of the industry.
Global Biofuel Market Analysis details the "promising growth pattern" in the region's ethanol production over the last few years. For example, China registered over 21.1% CAGR in ethanol production during 2005-2008 and is expected to grow rapidly in coming years. Similarly, India has also exhibited even more rapid developments in ethanol production. The country is anticipated to see some important growth reforms in ethanol production during 2009-2012.
Apart from China and India, countries like Australia, Thailand, South Korea and Japan will provide significant boost to the overall ethanol industry in the region. The prime reason for encouraging ethanol production in most of the Asia Pacific countries is their dependence on imported oil. They allocate a huge reserve for oil purchase in order to meet their energy requirements. Under such scenario, the use of biofuel will certainly help them to cut their dependence on imported oil with added benefit of energy security.
The report has also found that developed economies like the US and European countries are not showing any sign of saturation although the global economic slowdown has had severe impact on their development programs. The study has shown that both ethanol production and consumption in the region are expected to bear post-reversionary effects without any significant dent.
The report provides statistics and non- manipulative information about the biofuel industry current status and its future prospects with a deep focus on regional level developments. It also contains details of government supports, Kyoto Protocol, second-generation biofuel production, cost analysis and several other aspects of the industry.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Sanitation program to save biilions a year
Developing countries could save billions of dollars if they start to invest in sanitation now, according to a new World Bank report which stated that investment in Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) in Asian countries would yield a rate of return from 30%-200%.
It added that between 1.3%-7.7% of Gross Domestic Product is lost because of a lack of sanitation. In five countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam, economic costs amounted to over $9.2 billion a year due to poor sanitation and hygiene (in 2005 prices).
"We know from the that poor sanitation has considerable negative economic consequences for societies," said WSP's economist Guy Hutton, author of the report. "We are looking at how much of these costs can be averted, and which are the sanitation interventions that can bring the greatest economic and financial benefits and at least cost,"he said.
"The data are confirming our story for which we had little concrete evidence up to now: That investment in sanitation is an efficient use of a society's resources," WSP Regional Team Leader for East Asia and the Pacific Almud Weitz added.
"Governments not only possess the economic evidence that supports increasing budget allocations towards reducing the millions of people currently living without access to sanitation, with the analysis of a variety of investment options, they will now also be able to decide what would be the best use of additional funding made available for the sector. There is no more excuse not to act," he said, as quoted by Xinhua newsagency.
The WSP is a multi-donor partnership created in 1978 and administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe and sustainable access to water and sanitation services.
It added that between 1.3%-7.7% of Gross Domestic Product is lost because of a lack of sanitation. In five countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam, economic costs amounted to over $9.2 billion a year due to poor sanitation and hygiene (in 2005 prices).
"We know from the that poor sanitation has considerable negative economic consequences for societies," said WSP's economist Guy Hutton, author of the report. "We are looking at how much of these costs can be averted, and which are the sanitation interventions that can bring the greatest economic and financial benefits and at least cost,"he said.
"The data are confirming our story for which we had little concrete evidence up to now: That investment in sanitation is an efficient use of a society's resources," WSP Regional Team Leader for East Asia and the Pacific Almud Weitz added.
"Governments not only possess the economic evidence that supports increasing budget allocations towards reducing the millions of people currently living without access to sanitation, with the analysis of a variety of investment options, they will now also be able to decide what would be the best use of additional funding made available for the sector. There is no more excuse not to act," he said, as quoted by Xinhua newsagency.
The WSP is a multi-donor partnership created in 1978 and administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe and sustainable access to water and sanitation services.
Green rating system for Jakarta buildings
Eight major property developers in Jakarta, Indonesia's sprawling capital city, are hoping to obtain green building certification for newly built properties. “They want us to certify the new properties they have just built before selling them,” Tiyok Prasetyoadi, a founder of the Green Building Council Indonesia, said in Jakarta at a recent seminar on green buildings.
The eight are Agung Podomoro Group, Springhill Group, Ciputra Group, BSD City, Intiland Development, Summarecon, Agung Sedayu and Pikko Group. Artha Debang, located in Medan, North Sumatra province, is also hoping to obtain certification.
Under the greenship rating system, buildings are assessed based on six criteria: the appropriateness of site development; energy efficiency and refrigerants; water conservation; indoor air health and comfort; and building environment management.
“A green building provides a positive image of its owner and developer. It expends less energy and uses materials with better durability. These things can all increase the market value of properties,” Mr Prasetyoadi said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post. He added that so far he had not found any office building in Jakarta that fulfilled all of the criteria.
The Jakarta provincial government is currently developing an official rating system for the assessment of green buildings, which it hopes to finalise by March or early April this year.
The eight are Agung Podomoro Group, Springhill Group, Ciputra Group, BSD City, Intiland Development, Summarecon, Agung Sedayu and Pikko Group. Artha Debang, located in Medan, North Sumatra province, is also hoping to obtain certification.
Under the greenship rating system, buildings are assessed based on six criteria: the appropriateness of site development; energy efficiency and refrigerants; water conservation; indoor air health and comfort; and building environment management.
“A green building provides a positive image of its owner and developer. It expends less energy and uses materials with better durability. These things can all increase the market value of properties,” Mr Prasetyoadi said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post. He added that so far he had not found any office building in Jakarta that fulfilled all of the criteria.
The Jakarta provincial government is currently developing an official rating system for the assessment of green buildings, which it hopes to finalise by March or early April this year.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Australians track down 'drought-resistant' turf
An Australian research team is on a quest for the perfect turf – grass that grows with minimal water. The 11-member team is two years into a four-year project to breed a grass that meets a list of criteria for “the perfect couch grass” and confident the first commercial product could be available in 2011.
Project sponsor Lynn Davidson, managing director of Jimboomba Turf Group, said the turf would be ideal for mine site rehabilitation, sports fields and other commercial projects.
The $3 million project is funded by Jimboomba Turf Group, a major south-east Queensland supplier; the Council of Mayors, an organisation representing nine south-east Queensland councils; the Australian Research Council; and Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Team leader is Dr Chris Lambrides, a senior research fellow in molecular plant breeding at the University of Queensland. He planted turf in his suburban Brisbane backyard and was disappointed the couch was not drought resistant. Given his research bent, it was logical for Dr Lambrides to lead the quest.
Researchers began by searching Australia-wide for grass that grows well in arid conditions. They collected almost 1,000 samples of the genus Cynodon from far-flung parts of western Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, where grasses demonstrated longevity and stress tolerance.
The plants are now being subjected to laboratory and field tests to determine which of the diverse genetics collected need the least water to survive. Mr Davidson says the logic is to identify and commercialise what nature has already achieved.
He said that, apart from growing with minimal water, he had a long list of criteria the ideal turf grass should meet. It must be pest and disease resistant, retain its colour year-round and grow low, with less clipping yield, to reduce mowing costs. Deep root establishment will ensure excellent erosion prevention traits for commercial applications.
Dr Lambrides is aiming for an aesthetically and genetically improved plant – “grass by design”. At UQ’s Gatton Campus, the grasses are grown in 1m-square plots and monitored daily. A range of measurements is taken on stem sections and root profile. Density, colour, leaf size and flowering traits are recorded.
An infrared thermometer is used to check the temperature. The hotter the canopy, the less water the plant is likely to lose, which is a positive.
Another experiment involves growing samples under an automated roof that detects rain and moves to cover the plants, ensuring they receive no rain at all.
Once suitable grasses are identified, samples will be grown at Jimboomba Turf Group’s farms to test and confirm commercial properties.
Mr Davidson says it’s the first time “this depth of real science” has backed turf species’ selection in growers’ attempts to develop an optimum grass for the world’s driest inhabited continent.
The former grazier says the project is not a gamble. “The incredible depth of science being invested means we’ll get a positive result that is likely to become the ideal grass for Australian conditions and export markets,” he said.
“The quality of science employed in developing this product will give landscape architects, project specifiers, mine site rehabilitators and local authorities a huge degree of confidence, knowing the product has the science behind it to fulfill the purpose.”
Mr Davidson says the project stakeholders are “deeply committed to producing a turf grass that will take the industry into a new environmental sphere. Turf grass, ‘the lungs of the earth’, will now do better with less of that precious resource, water. Achieving that goal will propel this uniquely designed product onto the world stage”.
Mr Davidson chairs the turf growers’ peak body, Turf Producers Australia Ltd, which oversees the A$450 million-a-year industry, but he says none of the statutory levy collected from growers by TPAL for industry research is spent on the UQ-based project.
Project sponsor Lynn Davidson, managing director of Jimboomba Turf Group, said the turf would be ideal for mine site rehabilitation, sports fields and other commercial projects.
The $3 million project is funded by Jimboomba Turf Group, a major south-east Queensland supplier; the Council of Mayors, an organisation representing nine south-east Queensland councils; the Australian Research Council; and Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries.
Team leader is Dr Chris Lambrides, a senior research fellow in molecular plant breeding at the University of Queensland. He planted turf in his suburban Brisbane backyard and was disappointed the couch was not drought resistant. Given his research bent, it was logical for Dr Lambrides to lead the quest.
Researchers began by searching Australia-wide for grass that grows well in arid conditions. They collected almost 1,000 samples of the genus Cynodon from far-flung parts of western Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, where grasses demonstrated longevity and stress tolerance.
The plants are now being subjected to laboratory and field tests to determine which of the diverse genetics collected need the least water to survive. Mr Davidson says the logic is to identify and commercialise what nature has already achieved.
He said that, apart from growing with minimal water, he had a long list of criteria the ideal turf grass should meet. It must be pest and disease resistant, retain its colour year-round and grow low, with less clipping yield, to reduce mowing costs. Deep root establishment will ensure excellent erosion prevention traits for commercial applications.
Dr Lambrides is aiming for an aesthetically and genetically improved plant – “grass by design”. At UQ’s Gatton Campus, the grasses are grown in 1m-square plots and monitored daily. A range of measurements is taken on stem sections and root profile. Density, colour, leaf size and flowering traits are recorded.
An infrared thermometer is used to check the temperature. The hotter the canopy, the less water the plant is likely to lose, which is a positive.
Another experiment involves growing samples under an automated roof that detects rain and moves to cover the plants, ensuring they receive no rain at all.
Once suitable grasses are identified, samples will be grown at Jimboomba Turf Group’s farms to test and confirm commercial properties.
Mr Davidson says it’s the first time “this depth of real science” has backed turf species’ selection in growers’ attempts to develop an optimum grass for the world’s driest inhabited continent.
The former grazier says the project is not a gamble. “The incredible depth of science being invested means we’ll get a positive result that is likely to become the ideal grass for Australian conditions and export markets,” he said.
“The quality of science employed in developing this product will give landscape architects, project specifiers, mine site rehabilitators and local authorities a huge degree of confidence, knowing the product has the science behind it to fulfill the purpose.”
Mr Davidson says the project stakeholders are “deeply committed to producing a turf grass that will take the industry into a new environmental sphere. Turf grass, ‘the lungs of the earth’, will now do better with less of that precious resource, water. Achieving that goal will propel this uniquely designed product onto the world stage”.
Mr Davidson chairs the turf growers’ peak body, Turf Producers Australia Ltd, which oversees the A$450 million-a-year industry, but he says none of the statutory levy collected from growers by TPAL for industry research is spent on the UQ-based project.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
US public companies must disclose 'Climate Risk'
The USA's Securities and Exchange Commission has ruled that publicly-listed companies should warn investors of any serious risks that global warming might pose to their businesses. Although the agency has long required companies to reveal possible financial or legal impacts from a variety of environmental challenges, it has never specifically cited climate change as bringing potentially significant business risks or rewards.
John Broder in the New YorkTimes reported that the SEC, on a party-line 3-2 vote, issued “interpretive guidance” to help companies decide when and whether to disclose matters related to climate change. The commission said that companies could be helped or hurt by climate-related lawsuits, business opportunities or legislation and should promptly disclose such potential impacts. Banks or insurance companies that invest in coastal property that could be affected by storms or rising seas, for example, should disclose such risks, the agency said.
SEC chairwoman, Mary L. Schapiro, who was appointed by President Obama, said that the commission was not creating new legal requirements for companies, nor did it intend to endorse any particular scientific or policy view of global warming. She said that including climate risks among other disclosures was a logical step.
“It is neither surprising nor especially remarkable for us to conclude that of course a company must consider whether potential legislation — whether that legislation concerns climate change or new licensing requirements — is likely to occur,” Ms. Schapiro said. “Similarly, a company must disclose the significant risks that it faces, whether those risks are due to increased competition or severe weather. These principles of materiality form the bedrock of our disclosure framework.”
According to an SEC staff paper, the new guidance urges companies to consider, for example, whether any new law or international treaty limiting carbon dioxide emissions might increase operating costs and prompt a disclosure requirement.
Ms. Schapiro and the commission staff were careful to avoid expressing an opinion on the issue of global warming itself. Ms Schapiro emphasized that “we are not opining on whether the world’s climate is changing; at what pace it might be changing; or due to what causes. Nothing that the commission does today should be construed as weighing in on those topics.”
John Broder in the New YorkTimes reported that the SEC, on a party-line 3-2 vote, issued “interpretive guidance” to help companies decide when and whether to disclose matters related to climate change. The commission said that companies could be helped or hurt by climate-related lawsuits, business opportunities or legislation and should promptly disclose such potential impacts. Banks or insurance companies that invest in coastal property that could be affected by storms or rising seas, for example, should disclose such risks, the agency said.
SEC chairwoman, Mary L. Schapiro, who was appointed by President Obama, said that the commission was not creating new legal requirements for companies, nor did it intend to endorse any particular scientific or policy view of global warming. She said that including climate risks among other disclosures was a logical step.
“It is neither surprising nor especially remarkable for us to conclude that of course a company must consider whether potential legislation — whether that legislation concerns climate change or new licensing requirements — is likely to occur,” Ms. Schapiro said. “Similarly, a company must disclose the significant risks that it faces, whether those risks are due to increased competition or severe weather. These principles of materiality form the bedrock of our disclosure framework.”
According to an SEC staff paper, the new guidance urges companies to consider, for example, whether any new law or international treaty limiting carbon dioxide emissions might increase operating costs and prompt a disclosure requirement.
Ms. Schapiro and the commission staff were careful to avoid expressing an opinion on the issue of global warming itself. Ms Schapiro emphasized that “we are not opining on whether the world’s climate is changing; at what pace it might be changing; or due to what causes. Nothing that the commission does today should be construed as weighing in on those topics.”
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Stakeholders critical of Jakarta's foreign water companies
PAM Jaya, the water board of Indonesia's capital city province, DKI Jakarta, is becoming increasingly critical of its two, foreign-owned water contractors, Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) and Aetra Air Jakarta. Like an estimated 75% of Indonesia's local water boards, PAM Jaya is heavily indebted; last year its director, Haryadi Priyohutomo, reported that the company’s debts exceeded Rp 300 billion.
In 1997, when Palyja and PT Thames PAM Jaya (which was later taken over by Aetra) were appointed to supply water, PAM Jaya was in dire need of restructuring and funding to pay off debts and increase the supply and quality of water.
Half of the province's clean water supply is from Jatiluhur dam in West Java, 80 km from the city. It is channelled through West Tarum Barat canal into water treatment facilities owned by the two water operators. Under their contracts, PAM Jaya pays Palyja and Aetra water charges for the water they provide to customers.
The latest water charge PAM Jaya paid the contractors, however, was above the average water rate customers paid PAM Jaya, which was Rp 7,000 (around 70 cents) per cubic metre.
Based on their income brackets Jakartans pay different water rates to PAM Jaya, with the lowest rates just over Rp 1,000 per cubic metre and the highest at around Rp 14,000.This arrangement has continually caused PAM Jaya losses because most of its customers pay less than the standard water rate. “75% [of customers] pay less than the standard rates,” Riant Nugroho, a member of the province's water regulatory body, told The Jakarta Post.
Water quality
Continuing poor water quality is a major concern of the provincial government as large companies are turning to their own water treatment instead of paying top bracket prices to the water companies.
“Some companies have begun to plan ways to recycle their water using reverse osmosis technology,” said Nugroho. PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, which owns Ancol Dreamland Park, and PT Pelindo II, one of Indonesia’s seaport operators, had both begun researching this option, he said.
Firdaus Ali, an environmental expert of the University of Indonesia assigned to the independent water regulatory body by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, is critical of the performance of both contractors. “If you ask me, I would agree to terminate Palyja and Aetra,” he told Arientha Primanita of The Jakarta Globe. "However, if [the province] cancels its contracts it would have to pay roughly Rp 5.7 trillion [$615.6 million] and,' he said, alluding to contracts written in favour of the contractors, "if the two companies cancelled the contract, the [province] will still have to pay Rp 3.7 trillion.”
Legal threat
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) is currently planning to file both a civil and criminal suit against Palyja for allegedly providing poor service to residents of Muara Baru, North Jakarta and Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) said his office will work with the YLBHI to support the actions.
In the past 10 years, he said, clean water and electricity were the top subjects of customer complaints submitted to the YLKI. "We receive hundreds of complaints every year. We received 450 complaints about [PAM Jaya] in 2008," he told Indah Setiawati of The Jakarta Post. He said complaints included poor water quality, inconsistency of water flow and changes to the customer category, which affected the water tariff.
However, according to PAM Jaya's latest report quoted by the newspaper, the two operators showed "satisfying" performances in 2009. The number of customers increased by 2.1% to 795,149 from the previous year. Palyja's non-revenue water (NRW), or water loss, reached 43.9%, a decrease of 1.4%, while Aetra's NRW reached 48.6%, a decline of 2.1%. The report said the two contractors sold 267.4 million cubic metres of water in 2009, an increase of 3.% from 2008.
In November last year, Governor Bowo announced that the province's clean water coverage stood at 63% and he was aiming to increase that to 70% within five years. He also foreshadowed a new cross-subsidy scheme for water rates. “We will charge the upper-middle customers with an additional tariff to fund the supply for the poor,” he said.
Cross-subsidies
The Governor said that since the majority of the customers served by the two water distributors were considered low income, the size of the subsidies to be paid by bigger earners would be significant. He said he'd also asked the water operators to reduce pipe leakage and waste but the saving measures had not yet gone far enough.
Meyritha Maryanie, a Palyja representative, said the company expected an increase in water rates because the price had been frozen for three years. She added that the upper-middle class customers the governor was referring to were those who paid water rates of between Rp 6,800 to Rp 12,550 (73 cents to $1.34) per cubic metre.
She declined to give details about the company’s recommendation to the city administration, but said that the increase would not exceed the charge to the groundwater tariff. The groundwater tariff was increased to Rp 8,000 to Rp 20,000 per cubic metre from Rp 525 to Rp 3,000 per cubic metre. “The increase is important for the cross-subsidy for low-income water consumers,” she said adding that the water tariff for those in the low income group was now Rp 1,050 to Rp.3,550 per cubic metre.
To widenlow-income access to clean water, Palyja has launched a water installation program funded by a World Bank grant. In the scheme, new water connection fees are reportedly set at Rp 120,000 compared to the regular fee of Rp 620,000.
Palyja said it has invested $2.5 million in the program with its expenditure to be reimbursed after accounts had been audited. Maryanie said the World Bank will not disburse the subsidy if usage is less than 10 cubic metres per month because that meant people were not using the clean water.
In 1997, when Palyja and PT Thames PAM Jaya (which was later taken over by Aetra) were appointed to supply water, PAM Jaya was in dire need of restructuring and funding to pay off debts and increase the supply and quality of water.
Half of the province's clean water supply is from Jatiluhur dam in West Java, 80 km from the city. It is channelled through West Tarum Barat canal into water treatment facilities owned by the two water operators. Under their contracts, PAM Jaya pays Palyja and Aetra water charges for the water they provide to customers.
The latest water charge PAM Jaya paid the contractors, however, was above the average water rate customers paid PAM Jaya, which was Rp 7,000 (around 70 cents) per cubic metre.
Based on their income brackets Jakartans pay different water rates to PAM Jaya, with the lowest rates just over Rp 1,000 per cubic metre and the highest at around Rp 14,000.This arrangement has continually caused PAM Jaya losses because most of its customers pay less than the standard water rate. “75% [of customers] pay less than the standard rates,” Riant Nugroho, a member of the province's water regulatory body, told The Jakarta Post.
Water quality
Continuing poor water quality is a major concern of the provincial government as large companies are turning to their own water treatment instead of paying top bracket prices to the water companies.
“Some companies have begun to plan ways to recycle their water using reverse osmosis technology,” said Nugroho. PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, which owns Ancol Dreamland Park, and PT Pelindo II, one of Indonesia’s seaport operators, had both begun researching this option, he said.
Firdaus Ali, an environmental expert of the University of Indonesia assigned to the independent water regulatory body by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, is critical of the performance of both contractors. “If you ask me, I would agree to terminate Palyja and Aetra,” he told Arientha Primanita of The Jakarta Globe. "However, if [the province] cancels its contracts it would have to pay roughly Rp 5.7 trillion [$615.6 million] and,' he said, alluding to contracts written in favour of the contractors, "if the two companies cancelled the contract, the [province] will still have to pay Rp 3.7 trillion.”
Legal threat
The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) is currently planning to file both a civil and criminal suit against Palyja for allegedly providing poor service to residents of Muara Baru, North Jakarta and Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI) said his office will work with the YLBHI to support the actions.
In the past 10 years, he said, clean water and electricity were the top subjects of customer complaints submitted to the YLKI. "We receive hundreds of complaints every year. We received 450 complaints about [PAM Jaya] in 2008," he told Indah Setiawati of The Jakarta Post. He said complaints included poor water quality, inconsistency of water flow and changes to the customer category, which affected the water tariff.
However, according to PAM Jaya's latest report quoted by the newspaper, the two operators showed "satisfying" performances in 2009. The number of customers increased by 2.1% to 795,149 from the previous year. Palyja's non-revenue water (NRW), or water loss, reached 43.9%, a decrease of 1.4%, while Aetra's NRW reached 48.6%, a decline of 2.1%. The report said the two contractors sold 267.4 million cubic metres of water in 2009, an increase of 3.% from 2008.
In November last year, Governor Bowo announced that the province's clean water coverage stood at 63% and he was aiming to increase that to 70% within five years. He also foreshadowed a new cross-subsidy scheme for water rates. “We will charge the upper-middle customers with an additional tariff to fund the supply for the poor,” he said.
Cross-subsidies
The Governor said that since the majority of the customers served by the two water distributors were considered low income, the size of the subsidies to be paid by bigger earners would be significant. He said he'd also asked the water operators to reduce pipe leakage and waste but the saving measures had not yet gone far enough.
Meyritha Maryanie, a Palyja representative, said the company expected an increase in water rates because the price had been frozen for three years. She added that the upper-middle class customers the governor was referring to were those who paid water rates of between Rp 6,800 to Rp 12,550 (73 cents to $1.34) per cubic metre.
She declined to give details about the company’s recommendation to the city administration, but said that the increase would not exceed the charge to the groundwater tariff. The groundwater tariff was increased to Rp 8,000 to Rp 20,000 per cubic metre from Rp 525 to Rp 3,000 per cubic metre. “The increase is important for the cross-subsidy for low-income water consumers,” she said adding that the water tariff for those in the low income group was now Rp 1,050 to Rp.3,550 per cubic metre.
To widenlow-income access to clean water, Palyja has launched a water installation program funded by a World Bank grant. In the scheme, new water connection fees are reportedly set at Rp 120,000 compared to the regular fee of Rp 620,000.
Palyja said it has invested $2.5 million in the program with its expenditure to be reimbursed after accounts had been audited. Maryanie said the World Bank will not disburse the subsidy if usage is less than 10 cubic metres per month because that meant people were not using the clean water.
UK's chief scientist calls for climate change honesty
The impact of global warming has been exaggerated by some scientists and there is an urgent need for more honest disclosure of the uncertainty of predictions about the rate of climate change, according to the British Government's chief scientific adviser. John Beddington was speaking to The Times in the wake of an admission by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that it grossly overstated the rate at which Himalayan glaciers were receding.
Professor Beddington said that climate scientists should be less hostile to sceptics who questioned man-made global warming. He condemned scientists who refused to publish the data underpinning their reports. He said that public confidence in climate science would be improved if there were more openness about its uncertainties, even if that meant admitting that sceptics had been right on some hotly disputed issues.
"I don't think it's healthy to dismiss proper scepticism. Science grows and improves in the light of criticism. There is a fundamental uncertainty about climate change prediction that can't be changed," he said.
Professor Beddington said that the false claim in the IPCC's 2007 report that the glaciers would disappear by 2035 had exposed a wider problem with the way that some evidence was presented.
"Certain unqualified statements have been unfortunate. We have a problem in communicating uncertainty. There's definitely an issue there. If there wasn't, there wouldn't be the level of scepticism. All of these predictions have to be caveated by saying, `There's a level of uncertainty about that'."
Professor Beddington said that particular caution was needed when communicating predictions about climate change made with the help of computer models. "It's unchallengeable that CO2 traps heat and warms the Earth and that burning fossil fuels shoves billions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. But where you can get challenges is on the speed of change.
"When you get into large-scale climate modelling there are quite substantial uncertainties. On the rate of change and the local effects, there are uncertainties both in terms of empirical evidence and the climate models themselves."
He said that it was wrong for scientists to refuse to disclose their data to their critics: "I think, wherever possible, we should try to ensure there is openness and that source material is available for the whole scientific community ... There is a danger that people can manipulate the data, but the benefits from being open far outweigh that danger."
Professor Beddington said that climate scientists should be less hostile to sceptics who questioned man-made global warming. He condemned scientists who refused to publish the data underpinning their reports. He said that public confidence in climate science would be improved if there were more openness about its uncertainties, even if that meant admitting that sceptics had been right on some hotly disputed issues.
"I don't think it's healthy to dismiss proper scepticism. Science grows and improves in the light of criticism. There is a fundamental uncertainty about climate change prediction that can't be changed," he said.
Professor Beddington said that the false claim in the IPCC's 2007 report that the glaciers would disappear by 2035 had exposed a wider problem with the way that some evidence was presented.
"Certain unqualified statements have been unfortunate. We have a problem in communicating uncertainty. There's definitely an issue there. If there wasn't, there wouldn't be the level of scepticism. All of these predictions have to be caveated by saying, `There's a level of uncertainty about that'."
Professor Beddington said that particular caution was needed when communicating predictions about climate change made with the help of computer models. "It's unchallengeable that CO2 traps heat and warms the Earth and that burning fossil fuels shoves billions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. But where you can get challenges is on the speed of change.
"When you get into large-scale climate modelling there are quite substantial uncertainties. On the rate of change and the local effects, there are uncertainties both in terms of empirical evidence and the climate models themselves."
He said that it was wrong for scientists to refuse to disclose their data to their critics: "I think, wherever possible, we should try to ensure there is openness and that source material is available for the whole scientific community ... There is a danger that people can manipulate the data, but the benefits from being open far outweigh that danger."
UN, ADB recomend low cost Sulabh toilet
Experts from the United Nations and Asian Development Bank have asked developing nations to adopt the low cost Sulabh toilet to streamline their sanitation system.
"The Sulabh technology is one of the solutions to the sanitation crisis and this low cost Indian method should be utilised in developing countries," senior ADB official A Thapan said at a follow-up conference of the International Year of Sanitation being hosted in Tokyo by the UN and the Japanese government.
Thomas Steltzer, Assistant Secretary-General, UN, also advocated the Sulabh model for streamlining sanitation systems in developing and third world countries. Appreciating the work done by Sulabh in the field of sanitation, Chizuru Aoki of UN Environment Programme laid stress on the need for such kind of innovative toilet technology.
Sulabh Social Service Organisation developed a new technology for production and utilisation of biogas from human wastes for different purposes. Its founder, Bindeshwar Pathak, is participating in the conference which is seeking to explore how sustainable sanitation services can be delivered to every citizen in the world.
Another ADB representative Amy Siu Ping Leung hailed the role of Pathak in promoting toilets in slums, schools and small villages and emancipating scores of manual scavengers and named him the 'Champion of Sanitation'.
"The Sulabh technology is one of the solutions to the sanitation crisis and this low cost Indian method should be utilised in developing countries," senior ADB official A Thapan said at a follow-up conference of the International Year of Sanitation being hosted in Tokyo by the UN and the Japanese government.
Thomas Steltzer, Assistant Secretary-General, UN, also advocated the Sulabh model for streamlining sanitation systems in developing and third world countries. Appreciating the work done by Sulabh in the field of sanitation, Chizuru Aoki of UN Environment Programme laid stress on the need for such kind of innovative toilet technology.
Sulabh Social Service Organisation developed a new technology for production and utilisation of biogas from human wastes for different purposes. Its founder, Bindeshwar Pathak, is participating in the conference which is seeking to explore how sustainable sanitation services can be delivered to every citizen in the world.
Another ADB representative Amy Siu Ping Leung hailed the role of Pathak in promoting toilets in slums, schools and small villages and emancipating scores of manual scavengers and named him the 'Champion of Sanitation'.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Indonesians can SMS environmental violations
The Indonesian government has launched an online system allowing the public to report environmental violations via short message service (SMS). People can text reports of violations to +62 811 932 932 or lodge them online via the State Ministry of Environment website.
“We invite the public to monitor the progress of their complaints. We hope it will force the government or local administrations to do something to improve the environment,” State Environment Ministry compliance deputy Illyas Asaad told Adianto P. Simamora of The Jakarta Post. He said the ministry will, for example, receive reports on declining air quality, river pollution, or companies damaging the environment.
Illyas promised that his office would follow up on reports within two weeks from the time they were sent. “We will send our auditors to the field to verify reports. Of course, we will also make it a priority to follow up on bigger cases,” he said.
“We invite the public to monitor the progress of their complaints. We hope it will force the government or local administrations to do something to improve the environment,” State Environment Ministry compliance deputy Illyas Asaad told Adianto P. Simamora of The Jakarta Post. He said the ministry will, for example, receive reports on declining air quality, river pollution, or companies damaging the environment.
Illyas promised that his office would follow up on reports within two weeks from the time they were sent. “We will send our auditors to the field to verify reports. Of course, we will also make it a priority to follow up on bigger cases,” he said.
Water treatment products demand to hit $50 billion by 2013
According to a new market research report, demand for water treatment products worldwide is projected to exceed $50 billion by 2013. As the global population expands, and the developing world continues to industrialize, the need for clean safe water and suitable treatment of wastewater will boost demand for water treatment chemicals and equipment.
An estimated one billion people do not have access to a safe water supply, and a larger number yet do not have access to sanitation facilities. In some nations, such as in Eastern Europe and some industrialized Asian countries, the water infrastructure has expanded to reach a large share of the population, but water quality remains subpar after decades of disregard for proper water stewardship.
Rapidly industrializing nations, such as China and India, struggle with obtaining supplies of usable water, especially in fast-growing urban areas, and with the difficulties associated with treating and discharging wastewater. Wastewater treatment rates usually are well below official estimates, and even treated wastewater is often treated insufficiently.
Even developed, affluent nations confront water problems. Some countries, including the United States, have population centers where native water supplies are inadequate or inferior, or the country as a whole is lacking an adequate water supply. This has led to a renewed interest in desalination, which had generally been considered too costly when compared with water importation.
World Water Treatment Products (Forecasts for 2013 & 2018 in 23 countries) by Freedonia, is available from the Infoshop by Global Information. The report presents historical demand data (1998, 2003 and 2008) plus forecasts for 2013 and 2018 by product type and market for six regions and 23 countries. The $6,100 study also considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share and profiles global industry competitors.
An estimated one billion people do not have access to a safe water supply, and a larger number yet do not have access to sanitation facilities. In some nations, such as in Eastern Europe and some industrialized Asian countries, the water infrastructure has expanded to reach a large share of the population, but water quality remains subpar after decades of disregard for proper water stewardship.
Rapidly industrializing nations, such as China and India, struggle with obtaining supplies of usable water, especially in fast-growing urban areas, and with the difficulties associated with treating and discharging wastewater. Wastewater treatment rates usually are well below official estimates, and even treated wastewater is often treated insufficiently.
Even developed, affluent nations confront water problems. Some countries, including the United States, have population centers where native water supplies are inadequate or inferior, or the country as a whole is lacking an adequate water supply. This has led to a renewed interest in desalination, which had generally been considered too costly when compared with water importation.
World Water Treatment Products (Forecasts for 2013 & 2018 in 23 countries) by Freedonia, is available from the Infoshop by Global Information. The report presents historical demand data (1998, 2003 and 2008) plus forecasts for 2013 and 2018 by product type and market for six regions and 23 countries. The $6,100 study also considers market environment factors, evaluates company market share and profiles global industry competitors.
ADB funds Philippine river pollution study
The Asian Development Bank is jointly financing the study with Manila Water Company Inc to boost efforts to revive one of the Philippines' most polluted rivers. The Manila-based ADB is providing $300,000 for the six-month assessment of wastewater and sanitation needs along the Pasig River, the main waterway flowing through the capital city.
The bank said the study "should provide key information that will lead to the building of a wastewater treatment system" along the 27 km river, once a source of drinking water and fish, but now unable to support any life after receiving untreated municipal and industrial wastewater for decades, as well as solid waste.
"This study will assess what needs to be done to turn the Pasig River back into the healthy, thriving heart of the city that it once was,' said Philip Erquiaga, director general of ADB's private sector operations department.
The ADB said it was considering a loan to Manila Water for wastewater treatment system in the river, as part of its Pasig River Catchment Sewerage Project, once the study is completed. The bank said it is also providing $50,000 dollars for an education project to teach residents not to discharge waste in the river.
The bank has previously approved multimillion-dollar loans to help enhance water quality of tributaries and canals around the Pasig River and to promote redevelopment along its banks.
The bank said the study "should provide key information that will lead to the building of a wastewater treatment system" along the 27 km river, once a source of drinking water and fish, but now unable to support any life after receiving untreated municipal and industrial wastewater for decades, as well as solid waste.
"This study will assess what needs to be done to turn the Pasig River back into the healthy, thriving heart of the city that it once was,' said Philip Erquiaga, director general of ADB's private sector operations department.
The ADB said it was considering a loan to Manila Water for wastewater treatment system in the river, as part of its Pasig River Catchment Sewerage Project, once the study is completed. The bank said it is also providing $50,000 dollars for an education project to teach residents not to discharge waste in the river.
The bank has previously approved multimillion-dollar loans to help enhance water quality of tributaries and canals around the Pasig River and to promote redevelopment along its banks.
Monday, January 25, 2010
EPA Strengthens Air Quality Standard for NO2
The USA Environmental Protection Agency has announced a new national air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to "protect millions of Americans from peak short-term exposures, which primarily occur near major roads." Short-term exposures to NO2 have been linked to impaired lung function and increased respiratory infections, especially in people with asthma.
The agency set the new one-hour standard for NO2 at a level of 100 parts per billion (ppb). The EPA also is retaining the existing annual average standard of 53 ppb. NO2 is formed from vehicle, power plant and other industrial emissions, and contributes to the formation of fine particle pollution and smog. Earlier this month, the EPA proposed to tighten the nation’s smog standards to protect the health of all Americans, especially children.
The EPA is establishing new monitoring requirements in urban areas that will measure NO2 levels around major roads and across the community. Monitors must be located near roadways in cities with at least 500,000 residents. Larger cities and areas with major roadways will have additional monitors. Community-wide monitoring will continue in cities with at least 1 million residents.
Update (27 Jan)
CAI-Asia recently conducted a survey on the status of NAAQS (including any plans for revisions of their NAAQS) in selected Asian countries. Comparing the one-hour average NO2 standards in 14 Asian countries with the new one-hour average NO2 standard set by USA EPA, only Japan and South Korea have one-hour average NO2 standards equal or stricter than the USA EPA standard (Table 1). Vietnam had one-hour average NO2 standard equivalent to WHO AQG, as with the proposed air quality objectives (AQO) of Hong Kong.
The remaining Asian countries had more lenient one-hour average NO2 standards relative to the USA EPA and WHO AQG. Based on the results of the survey, aside from Hong Kong, none of the Asian countries have any plans of revising their one-hour average NO2 standards.
The agency set the new one-hour standard for NO2 at a level of 100 parts per billion (ppb). The EPA also is retaining the existing annual average standard of 53 ppb. NO2 is formed from vehicle, power plant and other industrial emissions, and contributes to the formation of fine particle pollution and smog. Earlier this month, the EPA proposed to tighten the nation’s smog standards to protect the health of all Americans, especially children.
The EPA is establishing new monitoring requirements in urban areas that will measure NO2 levels around major roads and across the community. Monitors must be located near roadways in cities with at least 500,000 residents. Larger cities and areas with major roadways will have additional monitors. Community-wide monitoring will continue in cities with at least 1 million residents.
Update (27 Jan)
CAI-Asia recently conducted a survey on the status of NAAQS (including any plans for revisions of their NAAQS) in selected Asian countries. Comparing the one-hour average NO2 standards in 14 Asian countries with the new one-hour average NO2 standard set by USA EPA, only Japan and South Korea have one-hour average NO2 standards equal or stricter than the USA EPA standard (Table 1). Vietnam had one-hour average NO2 standard equivalent to WHO AQG, as with the proposed air quality objectives (AQO) of Hong Kong.
The remaining Asian countries had more lenient one-hour average NO2 standards relative to the USA EPA and WHO AQG. Based on the results of the survey, aside from Hong Kong, none of the Asian countries have any plans of revising their one-hour average NO2 standards.
Disparities in Bangladesh district services
Despite the overall good progress made by Bangladesh towards achievement of the millennium development goals, a recent survey by the state-run Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, with UNICEF support, has found "huge disparities" among 64 districts of the South Asian country; particualrly between the best and worst performing districts for education, child health, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation. These key findings were disseminated at a workshop in Dhaka chaired by the Minister for Planning, AK Khander.
While 97.8% of the public has access to "improved source of water", the report indicates that 12.6% of the households' drinking water exceeds Bangladesh standards for arsenic content. When taking arsenic contamination into consideration, access to safe drinking water is reduced to 85.2% of the population, Naim-Ul-Karim reported.
While 97.8% of the public has access to "improved source of water", the report indicates that 12.6% of the households' drinking water exceeds Bangladesh standards for arsenic content. When taking arsenic contamination into consideration, access to safe drinking water is reduced to 85.2% of the population, Naim-Ul-Karim reported.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Australia to link with ASEAN CDM projects
Thailand has the potential to draw investments from Australia in the clean energy and environment sector through a carbon cluster initiative targeting Southeast Asian nations and India. A trade mission of 25 Australian companies interested in a supply chain of carbon projects will visit South East Asian nations in early March in the first of its clean development mechanism (CDM) missions, said Garth Taylor, Australia's trade commissioner to ASEAN.
"Australian companies already see Thailand as a good investment location, hoping to access other markets from a Thailand base," Mr Taylor, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, told Nareerat Wiriyapong of the Bangkok Post. Australia-based Future Fuels has invested in a manufacturing facility to further develop its hydrogen generation technology in Thailand. Aqua Guardian recently signed an agreement with a Thai partner to manufacture and stock its water efficiency products.
The two-day mission in Kuala Lumpur aims to draw 100 participating ASEAN organisations, including the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Association and PTT Plc. The Australians will later head to India.
CDM is a mechanism that allows industrialised nations to invest in and buy credits from carbon reduction projects in developing countries to meet their emission reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol by 2012. Mr Taylor said the Australian government wants 10 deals with ASEAN partners concluded in 18 months.
As the first Australian trade commissioner with a clean energy and environment portfolio in Asean, Mr Taylor's responsibility is part of the Australian government's A$4.5-billion initiative to increase Australia's profile in renewable and lower-emission energies partly through engagements with international communities.
"Australian companies already see Thailand as a good investment location, hoping to access other markets from a Thailand base," Mr Taylor, who is based in Kuala Lumpur, told Nareerat Wiriyapong of the Bangkok Post. Australia-based Future Fuels has invested in a manufacturing facility to further develop its hydrogen generation technology in Thailand. Aqua Guardian recently signed an agreement with a Thai partner to manufacture and stock its water efficiency products.
The two-day mission in Kuala Lumpur aims to draw 100 participating ASEAN organisations, including the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Association and PTT Plc. The Australians will later head to India.
CDM is a mechanism that allows industrialised nations to invest in and buy credits from carbon reduction projects in developing countries to meet their emission reduction commitments under the Kyoto Protocol by 2012. Mr Taylor said the Australian government wants 10 deals with ASEAN partners concluded in 18 months.
As the first Australian trade commissioner with a clean energy and environment portfolio in Asean, Mr Taylor's responsibility is part of the Australian government's A$4.5-billion initiative to increase Australia's profile in renewable and lower-emission energies partly through engagements with international communities.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Europeans, Australians aid Vietnam Clean Water Program
Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Embassy of Denmark and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 22 January signed an agreement for non-refundable aid from the UK worth 17 million pounds. The DFID’s chief representative in Vietnam, Fiona Lappin, expressed her hope that the program will continue to grow in the next three years, focusing on environmental hygiene for the poor.
The assistance supports the second phase of the National Program for Clean Water and Rural Environmental Hygiene (2005-2010) sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Ministry of Development Cooperation, with a commitment worth $125 million.
The program has helped 79% of the rural population get access to clean water and 51% of households in the countryside to acquire hygienic toilets. To date, 75% of schools, 77% of medical stations, 67% of communal People’s Committee offices and 45% of public markets have used the program.
The assistance supports the second phase of the National Program for Clean Water and Rural Environmental Hygiene (2005-2010) sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Netherlands Ministry of Development Cooperation, with a commitment worth $125 million.
The program has helped 79% of the rural population get access to clean water and 51% of households in the countryside to acquire hygienic toilets. To date, 75% of schools, 77% of medical stations, 67% of communal People’s Committee offices and 45% of public markets have used the program.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Substantial growth tipped for 'waste-to-energy' in Asia
Thermal technologies use heat or combustion to convert both organic and inorganic wastes while biological technologies use bacteria to digest organic wastes to yield fuel. Asia-Pacific’s waste-to-energy market will post substantial growth by 2015, as more countries view the technology as a sustainable alternative to landfills for disposing waste while generating clean energy.
In its new report quoted by Ecoseed, consultants Frost & Sullivan said the industry can grow at a compound annual rate of 6.7% for thermal waste-to-energy and 9.7% for biological waste-to-energy from 2008 to 2015.
Thermal technologies use heat or combustion to convert both organic and inorganic wastes while biological technologies use bacteria to digest organic wastes to yield fuel.
Aside from its environmental benefits, recovering energy from waste generates carbon credits. Companies engaged in the industry could also enjoy investment tax allowances and income tax exemptions.
However, adoption of waste-to-energy technology has been sluggish since cheaper waste treatment methods abound. Melvin Leong, a consultant for the market analyst, revealed that most Asian countries dispose their solid waste through open dumping, which is the easiest and cheapest method.
The high capital investment needed to set up facilities or equipment could also impede the commercialization and implementation of the technology. An incineration plant that can process 1,300 tons of waste per day costs around $30 million to $180 million to construct compared with a traditional landfill that costs around $5 million to $10 million.
In its new report quoted by Ecoseed, consultants Frost & Sullivan said the industry can grow at a compound annual rate of 6.7% for thermal waste-to-energy and 9.7% for biological waste-to-energy from 2008 to 2015.
Thermal technologies use heat or combustion to convert both organic and inorganic wastes while biological technologies use bacteria to digest organic wastes to yield fuel.
Aside from its environmental benefits, recovering energy from waste generates carbon credits. Companies engaged in the industry could also enjoy investment tax allowances and income tax exemptions.
However, adoption of waste-to-energy technology has been sluggish since cheaper waste treatment methods abound. Melvin Leong, a consultant for the market analyst, revealed that most Asian countries dispose their solid waste through open dumping, which is the easiest and cheapest method.
The high capital investment needed to set up facilities or equipment could also impede the commercialization and implementation of the technology. An incineration plant that can process 1,300 tons of waste per day costs around $30 million to $180 million to construct compared with a traditional landfill that costs around $5 million to $10 million.
Delhi to shut down coal power plants
India's capital city, Delhi, will shut all its coal-fired power plants over the next four years and replace them with plants that use environment-friendly natural gas as fuel. The shift to cleaner power will result in higher power bills for end- users, but Delhi’s chief secretary Rakesh Mehta is hopeful that citizens will pay the bill.
“Consumers would be willing to pay more for cleaner atmosphere,” he told the Hindustan Times. “It is weighing cheap and dirty fuel power versus health of the citizens. In the longer run, health will surely weight out costs.”
According to Delhi’s power secretary Rajendra Kumar, the per unit cost of power from a new gas-based power plant would be around Rs 3.50 per unit as against the average cost of Rs 2 per unit from a coal-based plant. However, “it is too early to comment on the exact cost of power for the end user,” Kumar said.
Officials say the biggest challenge ahead lies in making the coal-based Badarpur plant, operated by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd, switch to gas. The plant accounts for as much as 57% of the capital’s power-driven air pollution.
“Consumers would be willing to pay more for cleaner atmosphere,” he told the Hindustan Times. “It is weighing cheap and dirty fuel power versus health of the citizens. In the longer run, health will surely weight out costs.”
According to Delhi’s power secretary Rajendra Kumar, the per unit cost of power from a new gas-based power plant would be around Rs 3.50 per unit as against the average cost of Rs 2 per unit from a coal-based plant. However, “it is too early to comment on the exact cost of power for the end user,” Kumar said.
Officials say the biggest challenge ahead lies in making the coal-based Badarpur plant, operated by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd, switch to gas. The plant accounts for as much as 57% of the capital’s power-driven air pollution.
USA helped reduce diarrhea incidence in Indonesia through improving clean water and sanitation practices
The United States Agency for International Development has announced that is has helped Indonesia "dramatically reduce diarrhea incidence" in communities where clean water and sanitation practices were adopted. The number of people suffering from the water-borne disease dropped from 18.3% in February 2007 to 7.7% in June 2009, in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Java, Central Java/Yogyakarta, East Java, DKI Jakarta and Papua.
In preparing for a USAID workshop on clean water and sanitation, Mission Director Walter North noted that USAID’s Environmental Services Program (ESP) had made tremendous contributions to the improvement of better health through improved water resources management, and expanded access to clean water and sanitation services. ESP was a sixty-four month program that worked with government, private sector, NGOs, community groups and other stakeholders to promote better health through improved water resources management and expanded access to clean water and sanitation services.
“Unsafe drinking water is a major cause of diarrhea, the second leading killer of children under five. Three out of every ten Indonesians suffer from water-borne diseases,” said North. “Fortunately, in the last few years we have seen growing interest and support by all stakeholders to increase access to safe water for the people of Indonesia.”
The ESP also contributed to improvements in conservation management of 78,144 ha of forest area and rehabilitated 52,561 ha of degraded land to support the conservation of water resources. It helped more than 1.25 million people obtain access to clean water and 60,000 people to benefit from community sanitation services. Achieved in close collaboration with Indonesian government and civil society partners, ESP helped meet important Millennium Development Goals.
NFXW3HWH98YA
In preparing for a USAID workshop on clean water and sanitation, Mission Director Walter North noted that USAID’s Environmental Services Program (ESP) had made tremendous contributions to the improvement of better health through improved water resources management, and expanded access to clean water and sanitation services. ESP was a sixty-four month program that worked with government, private sector, NGOs, community groups and other stakeholders to promote better health through improved water resources management and expanded access to clean water and sanitation services.
“Unsafe drinking water is a major cause of diarrhea, the second leading killer of children under five. Three out of every ten Indonesians suffer from water-borne diseases,” said North. “Fortunately, in the last few years we have seen growing interest and support by all stakeholders to increase access to safe water for the people of Indonesia.”
The ESP also contributed to improvements in conservation management of 78,144 ha of forest area and rehabilitated 52,561 ha of degraded land to support the conservation of water resources. It helped more than 1.25 million people obtain access to clean water and 60,000 people to benefit from community sanitation services. Achieved in close collaboration with Indonesian government and civil society partners, ESP helped meet important Millennium Development Goals.
NFXW3HWH98YA
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
"World First" free carbon management online library
3 Carbon Elements (3CE) has launched the "world's first" free carbon management online library. The collection comprises frequently updated policy and research papers, publications and presentations in various carbon management fields, including the Kyoto projects (CDM, JI, PoA), emission trading, carbon markets, carbon finance, aviation in EU ETS, CRC and many more. Subscribe here.
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