WASPA

WASPA Asia

WASPA Asia Sharepoint (Project Team)

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Events

In November members of the WASPA project team took part in an expert consultation which resulted in the “Accra Consensus”:

Accra Consensus

Agenda for Research, Capacity Building & Action on the Safe Use of Wastewater and Excreta in Agriculture

In collaboration with IDRC and WHO, IWMI organized from 6th to 9th October an international expert consultation in Accra, Ghana, to brainstorm about the state of the art of applied research on wastewater irrigation in low-income countries. This meeting followed the one in Hyderabad in 2002 which emphasized the common reality of wastewater use and its related livelihoods and concluded with the Hyderabad Declaration.

The participants discussed overview papers on health risk assessments, on options for health risk reduction (including non-treatment options) and on participatory governance in wastewater treatment for reuse. The resulting papers will be published jointly by Earthscan, IDRC and IWMI.

The group of about 40 participants from 30 international, regional, and national research institutes, multilateral and bilateral bodies, and universities based in 17 countries emphasized the need to support policy makers around the world in informed decision making that lead to cost-effective interventions that improve public health, promote sustainable sanitation, protect the environment, and support food security and economic development.

For this, the group agreed on the following Accra Consensus : Agenda for Research, Capacity Building & Action on the Safe Use of Wastewater and Excreta in Agriculture.

Environmental essay competition

After the WASPA workshop held in Kandy on 25th and 26th Feb 2008, the Environmental Officer from Kurunegala Municipal Council planned to conduct an essay competition for school children of Kurunegala, to mark the World water Day. Thor Axel, the workshop coordinator, presented 50USD out of his pocket as the first prize of the competition.

The competition went ahead as planned under the theme of "Wastewater management in Kurunegala City" and the award ceremony for winners was held on 5th June 2008 in KMC auditorium. The same 50USD note given by Thor Axel was presented to the winner, and the 2nd and 3rd prizes of 3000 LKR and 2000 respectively were provided by WASPA. To read the winning essay, please click here.

1st place – Dilukshi Priyadarshani Rajapaksha – Wayamba Royal College
2nd Place – R.M.nuwantha Jayatissa – Maliyadewa Boys School
3rd Place – M.H.S.Hanaf - Lakdas Maha Vidyalaya.

National Symposium on Water supply, sanitation and wastewater management: Progress and
prospects towards clean and healthy society
June 23, 2008
Organized by Cap-Net

Please click here to download a brochure for the event.

Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) 64th Annual Scientific Session from 1st to 6th December 2008
Theme : Science for Sustainable use of Water Resources

Please click here to download a brochure for the event.

The 2nd International WASH Practitioners' Marketplace and Fair will be held on November 11 to 13 2008 in Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh.

The themes of the fair are:

Theme 1: Addressing environmental vulnerability through Integrated Water Resources Management
Theme 2: Policy, Practice and Advocacy for Sustainable Sanitation
Theme 3: Wastewater Management for Productive Use
Theme 4: Community Participation in Sanitation Solutions
Theme 5: Business Unusual: Sanitation Entrepreneurship
Theme 6: Safety Nets for Ensuring Water Quality

To read more or to find out how to submit an abstract please go to http://www.streams.net/


Obtaining Consensus on How Ecological Sanitation can be used to Address the MDGs in Sri Lanka: Planning the Way Forward
Workshop on 29th April 2008 At IWMI Auditorium, 127 Sunil Mawatha, Pellawatte, Battaramulla
The Ministry of Healthcare & Nutrition, the Ministry of Water Supply and Drainage, IWMI, IFRC/SEI, UNICEF and IOM are hosting a workshop to obtain consensus on how ecological sanitation options could contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, in Sri Lanka. It is intended that the workshop will have very definite outcomes and will be the first stage in a process of implementing sustainable sanitation options as a means to effectively meet the challenges of the MDGs. It is therefore expected that as a result of the workshop the following objectives would be achieved:
Participating organizations will have a better appreciation of the ecological sanitation concept; Government will endorse the acceptance of the ecological sanitation concept; Participants are aware of the role they and others will play in ecological sanitation; and Participants will reach consensus on the key steps in taking ecological sanitation forward and relevant responsibilities will be understood.

Local Workshops on the Use of Wastewater and Treated Excreta in Agriculture: Options, Assessments and Potential Barriers.
Kandy: 25th and 26th February Rajshahi: 3rd March Participants: Local government and local NGOs. The objective of the workshops is to present and discuss wastewater, greywater and excreta management and agricultural use. The perspectives of the technical and non-technical options for risk reduction will be presented and discussed, as well as the nutritional benefits with the re-use. This will compare with the “WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Excreta, Greywater and Wastewater in Agriculture” and with the current management options as related to barriers to disease transmission as well as with different sanitation system solutions, including dry toilets.
The meeting agenda :	Kandy workshop	Rajshahi workshop
	Workshop Report - Kandy	Workshop Report - Rajshahi

National Workshops on the Use of Wastewater and Treated Excreta in Agriculture: Options, Assessments and Potential Barriers.
Colombo: 28th February Dhaka: 6th March Participants: Government officials, NGOs, academics, practitioners and donors. The objective of the workshops is to engage various actors in the discussion about wastewater agriculture, to increase awareness of the issues, to simulate debate and to share experiences. The content of the workshops will be similar to the local workshops but will be aimed at national level issues.
The meeting agenda :	Colombo workshop	Dhaka workshop
		Workshop Report - Dhaka

Industrialists Workshop – March 2008 Kurunegala

Ecosan training for Trainers of Public Health Inspectors at National Institute for Health Science, Kalutara, January 21 – 25, 2008 The ecosan training targeted the Supervising Public Health Inspectors (SPHIs), the tutors of PHIs, and the Medical Officers of Health. The SPHIs and MOHs will disseminate the knowledge in the field, whereas the tutors will pass on the knowledge to the next generation of PHIs. The training was conducted by seecon International and funded by IFRC/SEI. Please click here to download.

WASPA Asia, Kurunegala Core Group Meeting, 12th November 2007
For details about the content of this meeting please see the meeting minutes on the Publications page.

WASPA Asia, Rajshahi Core Group Meeting, 1st December 2007
For details about the content of this meeting please see the meeting minutes on the Publications page.

National Workshop on Integrated Sustainable Waste Management Organized by Energy Forum, WASTE and VNG International 20th-21st November, Hambantota
WASPA team members from COSI and IWMI attended the workshop which included a discussion on the terms of reference for a national platform on waste management based on the concept of learning alliances. The WASPA team intends to engage with this platform rather than establishing a separate platform. More information about the workshop and national platform can be found at: http://waste.efsl.lk/

WASPA Asia, Kurunegala Core Group Meeting 12th November 2007, Kurunegala Municipal Council
A meeting was held with the proposed Core Group for the WASPA Learning Alliance in Kurunegala. The meeting was attended by a small selection of government officials, farmers and residents of Wilgoda, who will be representatives in the Core Group. The discussion included: the terms of reference for the Core Group; who should be members; and the participatory action plans. The minutes of the meeting are available on the publications page.

1st Sri Lankan Round Table for Sustainable Consumption and Production Organized by the UNIDO National Cleaner Production Centre, Sri Lanka 5th-6th November 2007, Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
The Roundtable was intended to provide business, government and non government organizations with the opportunity to confront the challenges and opportunities of sustainability, explore innovative solutions and facilitate the implementation of appropriate strategies at National and Regional level. The workshop was attended by a representative of the WASPA team in order to build alliances that can contribute to the reduction of industrial pollution in the project areas. For a copy of the workshop brochure click here:

Building networks for waste management for agriculture and environmental sanitation
Workshop on:	“Building networks for waste management for agriculture and environmental sanitation"
Hosted by:	IWMI and COSI on 26 th September 2006
Venue:	ISB Auditorium, 141 Kandy Road , Kurunegala


UNICEF Strategic Planning Workshop on Sustainable Sanitation
Members of the WASPA team attended a meeting in Sri Lanka, on the 25-27 October 2006, held by UNICEF in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) and the Central Environmental Authority. The objectives of the meeting were to develop a national plan of action for household-centered environmental sanitation in line with Vision 21 and existing national policies that will aim at: 1. Building capacity of the public and private sector in constructed wetlands; 2. Finding opportunities for research and field based trials on appropriate sanitation technologies; and 3. Finding ways to publicize and promote new and innovative decentralized and environmentally friendly sanitation technologies and approaches.