UEM Newsletter is published three times a year by the SEA-UEMA project coordinated by the UEM Field of Study, School of Environment, Resources and Development, AIT, Thailand. Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008 UEM Urban Environmental Management (UEM) Field of Study School of Environment, Resources and Development Asian Institute of Technology Pathumthani, Thailand Newsletter Highlights What’s Inside? Graduate Education 2 Sub-sector Networks 4 Gender and UEM 5 Action Research 6 Applications of UEM Lessons 7 Lessons Learned 9 New Publications 11 SEA-UEMA Project Supplement Global Warming and Climate Change Lessons from Demonstration Projects Nonthaburi takes interest in addressing global warming and climate change issues at municipality level. Prof. S. Kumar highlighting climate change issues Policymakers address the urgent need to improve existing policies on solid waste and wastewater management as well as sanitation practices in Lao PDR. Mr. Souksakhone (Right) explaining sanitation problems >page 7 >page 8 Gender Training A national training was held in Bandung, Indonesia to integrate gender equality in UEM projects at the local level. Participants at the training >page 5 Pilot Projects Five pilot projects are up and running and are expected to contribute in enhancing Public and Private Partnerships. Junkshop in Cavite, Philippines >page 11
Transcript
UEM Newsletter is published three times a year by the SEA-UEMA project coordinated by theUEM Field of Study, School of Environment, Resources and Development, AIT, Thailand.
Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008
UEMUrban Environmental Management (UEM) Field of Study
School of Environment, Resources and DevelopmentAsian Institute of Technology
Pathumthani, Thailand
Newsletter
Highlights
What’s Inside? Graduate Education 2 Sub-sector Networks 4 Gender and UEM 5 Action Research 6 Applications of UEM Lessons 7 Lessons Learned 9 New Publications 11
SEA-UEMA Project Supplement
Global Warming and Climate Change
Lessons from Demonstration Projects
Nonthaburi takes interest in addressing global warmingand climate change issues at municipality level.
Prof. S. Kumar highlighting climate change issues
Policymakers address the urgent need to improveexisting policies on solid waste and wastewatermanagement as well as sanitation practices in LaoPDR.
Mr. Souksakhone (Right) explaining sanitation problems
>page 7
>page 8
Gender Training
A national training was held in Bandung, Indonesiato integrate gender equality in UEM projects at thelocal level.
Participants at the training
>page 5
Pilot Projects
Five pilot projectsare up and runningand are expected tocontribute inenhancing Publicand PrivatePartnerships.
Junkshop in Cavite, Philippines>page 11
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 20082
UEM Alumni Updates
Dr. Tep Makathy, UEM 2003 graduate from Cambodia, completed hisPhD degree in Urban Engineering from Graduate School of Engineering,University of Tokyo, Japan in March 2008. His PhD thesis was entitled PolicyAdjustment for Managing Unplanned Land Sub-division Development in an ImmaturePlanning , Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He is now working as urban planner at theMunicipality of Phnom Penh.
Dr. Malik Asghar Naeem, UEM 2003 graduate from Pakistan, completedhis PhD degree in December 2007 from the Centre of Urban Planning andEnvironmental Management at the University of Hong Kong. His PhD thesis,entitled Stakeholders Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility: Case Studies fromBangladesh and Pakistan, investigates and compares the role of the business sectorin achieving the goal of sustainable development. He recently joined Sida-AITUrban Research Planning Project as a Senior Project Associate.
New faces joined the UEM Field of Study in the January 2008 term. Two are regular masterstudents (one each from Lao PDR and Pakistan), one is an exchange student from the Universite deMontreal, Canada and one is from the Philippines. The latter is the first student under the newlyopened Post-graduate Certificate program in UEM.
Sabrina Islam
New UEM Students
Apart from master’s students, four doctoral students have joined this semester, three of whomare from Thailand and one from Malaysia. The students are now settled in their AIT environment andare busy preparing for final exams and assignments, all leading to the acquisition of higher level educationto contribute towards better planning and management of the urban environment.
G. Immarigeon P. L. D. Queblatin
D.K.B. Khailani S. Pumpinyo R. KlinsrisukR. Phatpan
Graduate Education
K. Onedavong G. Ali
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008 3
Stimulating Changes at UEM FoS
UEM FoS is experiencing stimulating changes with the onset of the consolidation phase ofCIDA-AIT SEA-UEMA project. Such changes include the addition of project experiences in the coursestaught by each faculty member, launching of the new course Assessment and Implementation of DevelopmentProjects, inclusion of field visits for hands-on demonstration, student interaction with project implementers,and development of upcoming mandatory course on gender equality in UEM. The new course offeringsand curriculum changes have largely been inspired by experiences and lessons learned from the SEA-UEMA Project.
In line with these changes, the UEM FoS has launched a Gender Thesis Award competitionfrom January 2008 semester and opened internship opportunities from August 2008. The GenderThesis Award will be given to the student whose thesis best tackled gender as a cross-cutting theme inUEM. Meanwhile, the internship program will allow UEM students to work and gain experience underSEA-UEMA Project partner organizations in the region.
These changes will not only make the UEM curriculum more interesting and interactive butalso more rewarding. These will enable students to interact more with faculty members and gatherknowledge based on demonstration and research projects for practical knowledge on urbanenvironmental management practices with better competence in integrating gender equality in UEMwork.
Construction Waste Management and Gender
Findings from a post-doctoral research supported by the SEA-UEMA Project has noted thatwomen have higher concerns on construction waste issues but they are less encouraged and have lesspower to make decision in managing the waste.
With gender-recognizedpolicies and techniques adopted forconstruction waste management, theconstruction industry can reduce socialproblems within organizations andenvironmental impacts to localcommunities. The opportunity forconstruction operatives to generatebenefits from construction waste isbroadly open while needingappropriate investment and supportfrom both the government and privatesectors.
This research is currently inthe stage of data analysis. The final
Ektewan Manowong
Construction wasteoutcome is expected to contribute good practices of construction waste management in Thailand aswell as the Southeast Asian countries.
Sabrina Islam
Graduate Education
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 20084
Professional Training Program on Evaluation of UEM Projects
SEA-UEMA Project conducted the Professional Training Program on Evaluation of UEM Projectson December 17-19, 2007 in AIT. The training was a follow up on the PTP on the Implementation ofUEM Projects Integrating Gender Equality in Southeast Asia held last year.
Christine Widjaya
Presentations and discussions include evaluation techniques and tools with emphasis on genderequality aspects using results-based management (RBM), basic communication, use of evaluation findingsand case studies related to UEM projects. Twenty nine partners and implementers, who are activelyworking in UEM interventions, joined the training. The final presentation of each project group andtheir feedback reflected their enthusiasm to apply knowledge from the training. The training is expectedto improve their project performance.
Participants at the training program
UEM FoS Hosts Canada and Sri Lanka Municipality Team
Two Canadian municipal specialists and eight representatives of the Sri Lankan local governmentteam within the framework of the Canada/Sri Lanka Municipal Cooperation Program (MCP) visitedUEM Field of Study on January 9, 2008. MCP, which is also funded by the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (CIDA), supports the national post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction in
During their trip, MCP delegates visitedthe SEA-UEMA Project site School Garbage Bankin Ayutthaya. They also visited other solid wastemanagement sites such as Pobsuk RecyclingCentre in Pakret Municipality, the Bio-Fertilizerunder the Royal Development Project(Nonthaburi Province) and the CommunityGarbage Bank in Wat Klang Community inBangkok.
Christine Widjaya
Visitors at the school garbage bank in Ayutthaya
Sri Lanka by assisting local governments restoreservices and actively include citizens inreconstruction planning and decision-making.
Sub-sector Networks
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008 5
National Gender Training in Bandung Held
Urban and Regional DevelopmentInstitute (URDI) organized a National GenderTraining on Integrating Gender Equality in UEMProjects in Bandung, Indonesia on January 29-31, 2008. It was organized in cooperation withSEA-UEMA Project local gender expert, AnnyAndaryati. The training is expected to finalizethe gender analysis framework on UEM andcustomize case studies that are suitable for localcontext. It also attempts to improve theparticipants knowledge and skills in integratinggender equality perspectives in implementingUEM projects. Group discussion during the program
Laksiri Chomchuen
From Local to Global: UEM Collaborations to Achieve the MDGs
Giovanni Velez
SEA-UEMA Project, togetherwith the National Municipal League ofThailand (NMT), organized a PolicyWorkshop on Collaborations for UEMApplications in Achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) on March 26,2008. The workshop was a side-event ofthe ASEAN Roundtable Meeting onMDGs held on March 24-25, 2008 tolaunch the AIT Center of Excellence onMDGs.(R-L): Prof. B. Soegijoko, Dr. B. Mekvichai, Dr. V. Nitivattananon,
Ms. P. Kictham, Dr. E. Sajor; Prof. S. Kumar, Mayor Y. Wirangkul
Sub-sector Networks
Government officials from Thailand, such as Mayor Yongyut Wirangkul of Tah KlongMunicipality and Acting Chairman of the NMT and Dr. Banasopit Mekvichai, Deputy Governor ofthe Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), attended the policy workshop. Both stressed theimportance of cooperation among agencies at the local, national and international levels in undertakingenvironmental activities to achieve the MDGs.
Prior to the workshop, selected SEA-UEMA network members attended the ASEANRoundtable Meeting on MDGs and gave a presentation on the accomplishments of the project and itscontribution in achieving the MDGs. Participants in the meeting also visted the Wat Kean SchoolGarbage Bank in Ayutthaya Municipality, a SEA-UEMA Project site, to learn how urban environmentalmanagement interventions are helping achieve specific MDGs.
Looking forward, the SEA-UEMA Project will support the AIT Center of Excellence onMDGs by providing professional support programs, policy advocacy and campaigns, and thedevelopment of relevant UEM courses using lessons from the field.
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 20086
Phnom Penh Municipality Encourages Improvements in Urban Indoor Air Quality
Arlene Nietes-Satapornvanit
Mother and child in the JAR study area
Participants with HE Vice Governor M. Chhoeurn (10th from right, standing)
Action Research
Results of the SEA-UEMA funded joint action research (JAR) project implemented by theDevelopment Appropriate Technology (DATe) in Cambodia on improving indoor air pollution amongurban poor households has generated interest among stakeholders, especially the Municipality of PhnomPenh.
This was expressed by His Excellency MannChhoeurn, Vice-Governor of the Municipality ofPhnom Penh (MPP), during the final consultationworkshop on improving indoor air quality held inPhnom Penh on March 27, 2008. The workshop wasorganized by DATe and was based on the results ofthe JAR entitled Indoor Air Pollution as a Reflection of Genderand Poverty Issue – a Study on Women, Health BehaviourPatterns and Kitchen in Phnom Penh. Thirty stakeholdersfrom various related government agencies and non-government organizations as well as from the study.
H.E. Mr. Chhoeurn provided information andinsights on the municipality’s concerns for theenvironment related to urban poor communities. Thus,
he said that the MPP is interested in the JAR results as a basis for policy decisions in reducing indoor airpollution for better health conditions especially for women and children. Currently, Phnom Penh hasno instrument or mechanism to measure the level of air pollution in the kitchen. Mr. Chhoeurn saidthat the MPP is willing to conduct pilot projects based on the JAR results in resettlement areas wherenew housing units are being built. He expressed support and willingness of MPP and the communitiesto work together with DATe, SEA-UEMA Project and other interested organizations in making thispossible.
He suggested that anaction plan for a pilot projectto improve indoor air qualitywith target dates and identifiedresponsibilities should bepresented to the MPP so thatthis can be included in theirwork and budget plans. Theplan should define the kind ofcooking facilities, educatinghousewives, and providingloans for the appropriatefacilities, structure and stoves.
He also said his office can provide loans for cooking facilities under the Urban PlanningDevelopment Fund, in line with MPP’s emphasis on improving the Cambodian capital to achieve themillennium development goals and in living up to the 2007 World Leadership Award given to PhnomPenh for Local Environment Renovation.
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008 7
Nonthaburi Municipality Takes Action on Global Warming
Leilani GallardoLocal government officials in Nonthaburi Municipality have their strong interest to take action
in addressing global warming and climate change issues at the municipal level. Nonthaburi ProvinceVice-Governor, Mr. Chaowalit Thuptakong, and Nonthaburi Mayor, Mr. Somnuk Thanadechakul,acknowledged the need to implement local policies to address global warming and climate change.
The local officials expressedthis during a half-day policy workshopheld on March 3, 2008, jointlyorganized by the NonthaburiMunicipality, in cooperation with theSEA-UEMA Project. During theworkshop Mayor Thanadechakulnoted the need for local governmentsto respond to the issue of climatechange locally. This was echoed by Dr.Monthip Tabucanon, Director Generalof the Ministry of Natural Resources(MONRE), who discussed the effectsof poor air quality on public health aswell as the resulting impact of dirty airon global warming and climate change.
A SEA-UEMAdemonstration project thatpromoted alternativemeasures to control openburning of agriculturalresidues such as rice strawwas also highlighted. Theproject was implementedin Bang Bua ThongDistrict in Nonthaburi andaddressed local air qualityproblems to lessen theimpact of global
She then discussed the various initiatives being implemented by MONRE to mitigate global warmingand climate change. AIT School of Environment, Resources and Development Dean, Prof. SivannapanKumar, also highlighted the urgency of addressing climate change issues, not only because it is aburning topic in the international community but more importantly because of its wide-ranging impacton lives of people.
(L-R): Dr. N. Coowanitwong, Dr. M. Tabucanon, Prof. S. Kumar,Mr. C. Thuptakong and Mr. S. Thanadechakul
warming. Aside from the Vice Governor and Mayor, technical experts working in the NonthaburiMunicipality, Tambol Administrative Organization (TAO) local businessmen and rice farmers alsoattended the event.
Participants listen to presentations during the dialog
Applications of UEM Lessons
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 20088
Paving the Way for Sustainable Solid Waste Management Policy and UrbanWastewater Management & Sanitation in Vientiane
The Public Works and Transport Institute (PTI) in Laos and SEA-UEMA Project jointlyorganized a roundtable meeting on sustainable solid waste management (SWM) policies in Vientianeon March 6, 2008. The event was attended by H.E. Mr. Sommad Pholsena, Minister for Public Worksand Transport of Laos along with several senior government officials. The AIT team was led byProfessor Sudip K. Rakshit, Vice President for Research and UEM Faculty members Dr. Edsel Sajor,Dr. Nowarat Coowanitwong and Dr. Ranjith Perera.
Praja Shapkota
The roundtable meeting is a follow up of the policy dialog on sustainable SWM practices held onMarch 26, 2006 wherein several recommendations were made to pave a pathway for SWM to becomepart the Lao government policy agenda and to fill a gap in sustainable policies on SWM in the country.
During the event, Mr. Sommad indicated his support to any policy initiative geared towardimproving SWM policies in Laos. He assured the participants that he would personally take up issuesresulting from the meeting as recommendations for policy formulation in the national legislature.Aside from Mr. Pholsena, 19 senior bureaucrats attended the half-day roundtable meeting and discussedissues related to sustainable SWM practices and efforts to organize the various policy implicationsarising from successful local projects on SWM that can be used for national policymaking.
A policy dialog on problems related to wastewater management and sanitation practices inurban and suburban Vientiane was then held in afternoon of March 6, 2008 and the following day. Thedialog disseminated lessons and discussed policy implications from two demonstration projectssupported by SEA-UEMA Project in the city. The projects focused on integrated environmentalmanagement in a low-income community and decentralized sanitation for a household cluster.
The event resulted in some key recommendations for policy actions such as banning directdischarge of wastewater and sewerage into water bodies, and setting up standards for wastewaterdischarges and sanitation. Other suggestions included capacity building, provision of financial resourcesand establishment of an implementation plan for physical infrastructure and monitoring systems. Theevent concluded with the resolve to convene a follow-up roundtable meeting on policies for wastewatermanagement and sanitation in Laos by senior level policy makers, which will hopefully lead to theformulation of a national policy on wastewater management and sanitation practices in the country.
Paticipants at the meeting
Applications of UEM Lessons
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008 9
UEM students taking the Strategic Environmental Assessment for Urban Development course attendeda guest lecture at Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry ofNatural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in Bangkok, on February 7, 2008. The lecture entitledEnvironmental Impact Assessment for Urban Development was delivered by Mrs. Indhira Euamonlachat, Directorof Water Resources Group under the Environmental Impact Assessment Bureau.
The lecture gave students a betterunderstanding of environmental impact assessmentprinciples and processes as well as details aboutconducting EIA in Thailand. It described thedifferent activities required in preparing an EIAreport according to Thai laws and regulations. Italso provided information on EIA guidelines andprocedures and illustrated the role of stakeholdersinvolved in implementing EIA. Ms. Euamonlachatalso highlighted a case study in Huay LengReservoir project, Petchaboon, Thailand. In thiscase, project implementers were required to submitan EIA report although the project area was less
UEM students at MONREthan the required size because it was located in a forest reservation area. The students also shared theirexperiences on EIA implementation in their home countries.
UEM Students Apply Skills in Ratchaburi
Faisal M. AlihStudents taking the Urban Environmental Planning and Management Workshop course visited Muang
Ratchaburi Municipality on February 11-14, 2008 to apply their skills in conducting Rapid UrbanEnvironmental Assessment. This fieldwork activity provided the students an opportunity to learn
Students were tasked to examineissues on housing, urban development, solidwaste management and wastewatermanagement. The students visited provincialand local government offices as well asvarious stakeholders in the community to geta balanced range of information necessaryin making informed decisions on UEMissues.Group assigned on wastewater management
continued on page 10
firsthand how the municipality manages itsurban environment and how it applies variouspolicies and other instruments in the absenceof a formal environmental managementsystem.
Lessons Learned
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 200810
The fieldwork was a good learningexperience in understanding the realities of runningthe municipality given its range of problems andthe limited resources to deal with them. It providedthe students with skills in organizing urbanenvironmental assessment. It is necessary in creatingaction plans that strategically address the problemsthat were identified while enhancing the goodpractices in order to achieve a sustainable urbanenvironment.
Toyo University Students Attend Spring Workshop in AIT
Ariva Permana
Cities offer various earning opportunities for its citizens, however, only a small portion havethe chance to benefit from these chances while others struggle to survive. Those who are not fortunateenough create their own opportunities by engaging in informal income earning activities. They becomestreet vendors, hawkers, motorcycle-taxi drivers and the likes. These activities are collectively calledurban informal sector - the theme of the AIT-Toyo University Spring Workshop held on February2008. Eight female students from Toyo University in Japan participated in the workshop held in Thailand.
The workshop participants specifically studied informal business and housing. They visitedcommunites along Rangsit Canal, Khlong 1 and Khlong 2 in Pathumthani Province and compared thiswith more developed canal communities in Taling Chan to understand the difference betweenundeveloped and developed informal housing as well as their development process. They also hadopportunities to visit Dom Wai floating market in Phuttamonthon, Nakhon Pathom Province to observeinformal business managed by local citizens.
Briefing on Ratchaburi development plan
continued from page 9
Gathering data on the informal sectorStudents on a filed trip
Lessons Learned
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 2008 11
New Publications
Proceedings of the First Policy Forum on Urban Environmental Management inSoutheast Asia; 18-19 August 2005, (In English)V. Nitivattananon, M. Cabrera, A. Mohanty, S. Sujaritpong and G. Velez (eds.)Bangkok, Thailand, 2008, 166 pp; ISBN: 978-974-8257-52-5
Monogaph: Analysis of Houshold Waste Separation Practice for a Community-basedRecycling Project in Sisattanak District, Lao PDR (In English)L. Gallardo, N. Coowanitwong, E. Sajor and A. Nietes-Satapornvanit (eds.)Bangkok, Thailand, 2007, 21 pp; ISBN: 978-974-8257-42-6
Monograph: Transport-Related Air Quality Policy Improvement Using StrategicEnvironmental Assessment: A Case Study of Hanoi City, Vietnam (In English)D. L. Nguyen and N. CoowanitwongBangkok, Thailand, 2008, 10pp; ISBN: 978-974-8257-53-2
New Publications
Proceedings: Sharing of Experiences on Air Pollution Abatement in SoutheastAsia (Pre-event at Better Air Quality 2006 Workshop) (In English)N. Coowanitwong and L. Gallardo (eds.)Bangkok, Thailand, 2008, 71pp; ISBN: 978-974-8257-54-9
SEA-UEMA Awards Pilot Projects
Praja ShapkotaThe first round of pilot project saw the selection of two proposals from among the 10
Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and six shortlisted for full proposals of which ARL Componentreceived only three. The two proposals selected for implementation in the first round are:Collecting Boat People’s Human Excreta and Environment Education in Hue City: The project is a new venturebeing implemented to benefit 50 boat families whose excreta and domestic waste are being collectedusing a boat toilet to be processed in a septic tank of a public toilet built for the same community.Eco-friendly household biodegradable waste recycling and utilization through peri-urban & urban agriculture: It usesdomestic organic waste from 10 selected households in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to compost by rapiddecomposition in a specially designed container, while the effluent will be recycled through hydroponiccrop production to help the households recycle nutrients .
The second round of pilot project selection has witnessed three new projects out of a totalof twelve EOIs. These are:Community-Based Drainage and Sanitation for Parkhoiu Area and HouaXieng Village in Luang Prabang, LaoPDR: It aims to raise awareness of and asking for public participation from local community forenvironmental preservation (drainage systems and solid waste management) within its targeted areas.Car Free Day Pilot Project to Assess Impacts on Air Quality and Traffic to Improve Pedestrian Infrastructure: It aimsto investgate impacts of pro-pedestrian planning for a main highway in the central business district ofJakarta.Operationalizing the LGU-Junkshop Partnership in Support to the Cluster Materials Recovery and Composting Facilities(MRF) Project of General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite, Philippines: It aims to operationalize a JunkshopStandardization Program and facilitate the development of an integration mechanism of junkshopsinto the operations of the Cluster MRF.
SEA-UEMA Project Newsletter, Vol. 9, Issue 1, April 200812
Southeast Asia Urban Environmental Management Applications (SEA-UEMA) ProjectUrban Environmental Management (UEM) Field of Study
School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD)Asian Institute of Technology, P. O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand.
Acknowledgement: This newsletter is published through the financialsupport of the Government of Canada provided through the CanadianInternational Development Agency (CIDA) in the form of CIDA-AITPartnership (2003-2008) SEA-UEMA Project.
SEA-UEMA Project is expected to sponsor one-half of the expected 40 participants, whileother organizations working for UEM in the region and beyond are expected to support the otherhalf. Interested individuals/UEM practitioners/professionals are invited to send their abstracts by June02, 2008. For more information on conference themes and paper guide lines, please visit the projectwebsite: http://www.sea-uema.ait.ac.th/
International Conference for Greener Cities: A Legacy for the Future
The International Conference on Sustainable Urban Environmental Practices, scheduled to be held inChiang Mai, Thailand from October 28-31, 2008, aims to encourage greener cities as a legacy for thefuture. The event is jointly organized by the SEA-UEMA Project in collaboration with the Chiang MaiMunicipality (CMM) and Mae Fah Luang University (MFU) in Chiang Rai.
