Development Aspects Impressum Editors

Source: International Environmental Technology Centre, United Nations Environment Programme (2003)

3. Transferring technology for improved sanitation in Asian communities: UNITAR’s city-to-city cooperation projects for Eco-San

In Asia, one such key opportunity to apply Agenda 21 or UNFCCC provisions is by addressing the gap in sanitation services and investing in the transfer of sanitation technologies that are environmentally sound, while delivering much needed sani- tation services for communities (eco-efficient sanitation technologies). Sanitation is generally defined as the provision of facilities and services for the safe disposal of human excreta, and also refers to the maintenance of hygienic conditions, through services such as garbage collection and wastewater disposal (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, 2010).

World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that inadequate sanitation is a major cause of disease worldwide and improving sanitation is known to have a significant beneficial impact on health, both in households and across communi- ties. “Globally, an estimated 2.6 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation
…Rapid urbanization and population growth, expansion of piped water services, and increased per capita water use all lead to greater volumes of wastewater dis- charge. Untreated, this discharge can harm biodiversity in rivers, pollute lakes and coastal waters, and affect public health” (World Bank, 2012). The urgency for better sanitation certainly ranks high for cities and local governments, especially in developing countries. The disparity in access between North and South is clear, and an even wider gap exists between urban and rural or low-income communities within developing countries.

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   Transferring technology for improved sanitation in Asian communities: UNITAR’s city-to-city cooperation projects for Eco-San
   

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According to a 2008 World Bank study on the economic impacts of sanitation in South-East Asia, “Cambodia, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Vietnam lose an estimated US$9 billion a year due to of poor sanitation …The associated economic costs of polluted water attributed to poor sanitation exceed US$2.3 billion per year” (World Bank, 2008). The study denotes, like many others, that poor sanita- tion access, hygiene and infrastructure cause at least 180 million disease episodes and 100,000 premature deaths annually, while significantly contributing to water pollution. The economic cost of this, especially on quality of life, productivity and local economic outputs across low-income communities hardest hit by the effects of poor sanitation is surely an impetus for improving local infrastructure and access through the acquisition of new technologies.

In recognition of the urgent need for greater awareness and action on sanita- tion, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation (United Nations, 2007). In accordance with the declaration, UNITAR then began formulating a pilot project to research how an enabling environment is practically created for the transfer of greener technologies, in this case focusing on improving local wastewater management and sanitation through decentralized wastewater treatment. Decentralized wastewater treatment can have enormous potential in contributing to the development of environmentally sustainable sani- tation services and water quality in developing country communities, in line with the Bellagio Principles (EAWAG Aquatic Research, 2010). UNITAR worked in part- nership with several stakeholders to research the sustainable transfer of ecological technologies for wastewater treatment to three different communities in Indone- sia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
In the case of the UNITAR project, the three beneficiary cities were all non- capital cities meeting a series of selection criteria and participation requirements for the project. Palembang, Indonesia, has the highest population, with about 1.5 million inhabitants and data also commonly shows that Indonesia, given its popula- tion size, is the worst-ranked nation in sanitation access among the three project countries. Negombo, Sri Lanka, and San Fernando, Philippines, have no more than 160,000 inhabitants each and, in the case of San Fernando, there were various successful pre-existing experiences in working with improved sanitation technolo- gies.
Negombo is approximately 37 km north of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The 100 km long canal network running through the town is still used, and outrigger canoes and modern water-craft use this route daily for trade and tourism purposes. Cur- rently, the city’s population is estimated at 160,000, 20 per cent of which are from the fishing and low-income communities. Likewise, there is an increasing number in settlements from remote areas, mostly located in the urban fringe, causing the sprawl of illegal settlements and traffic congestion in the city. The city targeted the city Fish Market, the Monocogama Housing Project Site, which caters for about a hundred low-income families, and a planned new public bus terminal as ideal sites for Eco-Tank installation. The projected amount of daily users would be an estimated 700 people.

As the capital of South Sumatra Province, Palembang has 1.5 million inhabit- ants. Its territorial area is 400.61 km² distributed into 14 sub-district territories. Palembang is divided into two by the Musi River, which is also known as the Palem- bang River. This stream forms the heart of the city and is a major transport water- way including the small creeks especially on the Ulu side (upstream). The creeks are only navigable at high tide; as the river ebbs they are dry. Owing to its orientation towards the river, the city has an elongated profile along both sides and does not stretch far inland. The riverbanks of the Musi used to be home to moored raft- dwellings, called rakit (in the local language), some of which served as vendors. These are widely recognized as slum areas and were targeted, along with one public housing complex, for Eco-Tank installation. At the moment, these are mainly found upstream from the main city centre. The houses along the banks face the water and are built on piles, as the Musi is a tidal river, which means that the banks are covered with water at regular intervals.

The City of San Fernando is situated in the mountainous area at almost the mid-section of La Union province along the Philippines’ China Sea coast. The City of San Fernando is the seat of national government agencies in Region I and centre of trade, commerce, financial and educational institutions, among others. With a population of 115,000, the city currently does not have a wastewater treatment plant and wastewater is directly released into the nearby rivers, ponds or coastal areas. Septic tanks are common in many places and the city has taken the initia- tive to improve its sanitation using eco-san toilets in some areas. Two low-income riverside slums were initially targeted as sites for the Eco-Tank project. These low- income riverside communities discharged wastewater directly into the San Fer- nando City River.
Along with Agenda 21 recommendations, the project also integrated the UNEP Seven “C”s Framework, as stated above, conducting a variety of pre-project fea- sibility studies, baseline research, study visits to Bangkok, Thailand, for the ben- eficiary cities and other measures to maximize the sustainability of the technology through a community-specific approach. The following section details the actual implementation phases and final outcomes from the project.

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