STOCKHOLM, Sweden (PAMACC News) - African Water and Sanitation Ministers attending the 2017 World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden have underlined the importance of wastewater to the region’s aspirations for economic growth and sustainable development.
Speaking in Central Stockholm, water and sanitation minsters from the five sub-regions in Africa were unanimous in their resolve to adopt and promote effective wastewater management across Africa.
According to them, improved wastewater management is not only critical to achieving the Africa Water Vision 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goal on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), but also to other goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In an address to over 3,100 delegates at the annual water event in Stockholm, Engr. Gerson Lwenge, the Tanzanian minister for Water and Irrigation and President of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), recalled that African Ministers responsible for sanitation took proactive steps before the end of the MDGs era in 2015 by adopting the N’gor Declaration with a commitment that Africa will “progressively eliminate untreated waste by encouraging its productive use.”
Of equal importance to this commitment according to Engr. Lwenge, is “the fact that to actualize the potentials of turning waste to benefits, Africa needs to create the right policy environment and move from policy to effective implementation.” “It is on this basis that the High Level Ministerial Panel at this year’s Africa Focus Sessions will explore possibilities of using science to enrich policy making and increase policy implementation efficiency,” the AMCOW president added.
The Senegalese Hydraulic and Sanitation Minister, Mansour Faye disclosed that this year’s World Water Week and by extension the Africa Focus Sessions, will provide a global platform for him and his colleague Ministers to “discuss policy options and enabling factors that support the adaption and implementation of innovative wastewater management approaches and technologies as well as draw recommendations on how African states can move from waste to benefits.”
To Dr. Mohamed Abdel Atty, the Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister and AMCOW Vice President for North Africa, AMCOW’s commitment to achieving an Africa where there is equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation and socio-economic development, regional cooperation and the environment remains unwavering. “With improved wastewater management particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors, Africa will be on the firm path to food security and sustainable development” Dr Atty said.
Speaking on behalf of Water and Sanitation Ministers from Southern Africa region at the World Water Week, Mrs Jabulile Mashwama, Kingdom of Swaziland’s Minister for Natural Resources and Energy and AMCOW Vice President (Southern Africa), this year’s world water week provides an opportunity for Africa Ministers “to highlight the vision and aspirations of the water and sanitation community and stakeholders; share evidence and perspectives, as well as policy options on enabling factors that support the adoption and implementation of innovative wastewater approaches.”
From Central Africa region came the voice of caution as Léopold Mboli Fatran, Central African Republic Minister for Water, Mines and Energy and AMCOW Vice President for Central Africa underlined the fact that the quest to turn waste to benefits requires maximizing the resource recovery and reuse potentials in both sewered and non-sewered systems.
“If this is not well managed and supported by both government and development partners, the prospects of polluting the eco system, compromising water quality and undermining safe sanitation and hygiene won’t be ruled out” Fatran added.
AMCOW’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Canisius Kanangire agrees with the Central African Minister as faecal sludge and wastewater continually pose threats to human livelihood especially in African cities experiencing population growth due to rural to urban migration.
According to Dr. Kanangire, experiences by AMCOW member states show that wastewater can be a resource for irrigation with basic treatment and proper hygiene practices; sludge can be used as a source of energy, and fertilizers. “The productive use of waste water can generate income, development of micro enterprise and employment, as well as contribute to urban food and energy security. The threat therefore could be turned into opportunities for poverty alleviation” Kanangire says.
Wastewater: the untapped resource
The 2017 UN World Water Development Report states that most human activities that use water produce wastewater. As the overall demand for water grows, the quantity of wastewater produced and its overall pollution load are continuously increasing worldwide.
Over 80% of the world’s wastewater and over 95% in some least developed countries is released to the environment without treatment.
The report which dubs wastewater as the “untapped resource” observed that once it is discharged into water bodies, wastewater is either diluted, transported downstream or infiltrates into aquifers, where it can affect the quality (and therefore the availability) of freshwater supplies.
The ultimate destination of wastewater discharged into rivers and lakes is often the ocean with negative consequences for the marine environment. However, with improved and innovative management, wastewater can generate social, environmental and economic benefits essential for sustainable development.
AMCOW and the World Water Week
Established since 2002, the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) brings together Water and Sanitation ministers from 55 African countries to promote cooperation, security, social and economic development and poverty eradication among member states through the effective management of the continent’s water resources and provision of water.
As Technical Committee for Water and Sanitation of the African Union, AMCOW contributes to Africa’s progress towards sustainable growth and development by providing political leadership in the continent's efforts at achieving effective and efficient management of water resources through the provision of adequate and equitable access to safe water and sanitation
The World Water Week is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the event brings together experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today.
This year’s theme “water and waste: reduce and reuse” reinforces SIWI’s belief in the relevance of water to global prosperity and the attainment of a water wise world.
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (PAMACC News) - Cameroon’s government is touting the construction of several new dams along the Sanaga River, to increase hydro-electric generation as part of its ambitious plans to become an emerging economy by 2035.
The river is the country’s primary water source and already has two dams downstream from the new sites.
“These (new) dams will be the biggest (electricity) generation asset of Cameroon by 2024, providing a very positive impact on Cameroon’s energy system,” said Louis Paul Motaze, minister of the economy, planning and regional development, at the signing of a financing agreement for the Nachtigal hydro dam with the African Development Bank in Yaounde, the capital, on July 17.
With the economy forecast to grow by at least 5 percent annually between 2015 and 2018, Cameroon’s government says the hydro projects will ramp up power production to 3,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030, from a current level of 1,200 MW.
The decision to multiply hydro sites on the River Sanaga according to the Minister of Water and Energy,Basil Atangana Kouna is geared at reinforcing climate and environmental protection in the river basin area as well as boost electricity supply for surrounding areas. He says the new dams to be constructed will also assist local farmers improve on their crop production to alleviate poverty, malnutrition impacted by the effects of climate change.
Supported by the World Bank, the project that began in May 2017 is expected to be completed by July 2023 at a cost of US$ 28.70 million.
According a May 2017 World Bank Report,the development of hydro sites on the Sanaga River, will permit current and future electricity consumers to benefit from cheaper hydroelectricity compared to fossil fuel alternatives, improved the country’s new electrification programs as part of vision 2035 economic emergence plan.
Vision 2035 according to government, is to see Cameroon become a middle‐income, industrialized country with poverty levels below 10 percent by 2035. The strategy emphasizes the need for agricultural diversification, increased productivity, and large‐scale public investment projects with priority on infrastructure development in energy.
World Bank officials note “There is a growing demand for electricity in Cameroon. In terms of electricity distribution and access, only approximately 48 percent of the Cameroonian population have access to electricity. With Cameroon having the third largest hydropower development potential in sub-Saharan Africa, and half of it being in the Sanaga River basin, it is important to focus on the hydro development of this river and assist the country in its development of the sector for the benefit of the population,” said Elisabeth Huybens, World Bank Country Director for Cameroon.
A World Bank Funded studies on the impacts of climate change on minimum water flow in the river said it was potentially severe with droughts crippling not only the energy sector but affecting rain-fed agriculture, reducing crop yields by more than 15 percent in the last five years.
The Hydropower projects will enable regulation of water levels in the Sanaga River, benefiting the population of over 5million in the South and Littoral regions downstream, by making irrigation for this highly farming possible during the dry season, government officials say.
One of such hydro-power dam that has already started is the the Lom Pangar dam. Once construction is complete and the reservoir is filled in the next couple of years, the new dam on the Sanaga River experts say will improve the reliability of power supply and lower the cost for up to five million Cameroonians. The Lom Pangar project will also pave the way for developing the full 6,000 MW of hydropower potential of the Sanaga River by regulating the flow of the river.
However forest experts fear this multiple hydropower projects might entail sacrificing huge forest areas along the River Sanaga, a potentially problematic situation to the indigenous forest population along the river villages.
“We have observed a surge in investment activities in forest areas with the increased presence of Chinese and other foreign business operators in Cameroon, and this is disturbing because the rights of these forest communities are constantly violated, leading to clashes,“ says Benard Njonga, coordinator of the Cameroon-based NGO Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD).
However, government and development partners say that all the rights of the affected communities in the hydro dam projects will be respected.
“We are conscious of the socio-economic and environment responsibilities and the government is doing everything to address these,” economy minister Motaze said at a ceremony earlier this month to mark the beginning of construction of the second phase of the 30 MW Lom-Pangar dam in Belabo sub-division of the East Region.
Speaking at the same event, Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), said Cameroon was rich in energy potential which could not only add value to the resources and livelihoods of the surrounding population but also accelerate regional economic integration.
The Lom Pangar plant will provide electricity to some 150 localities with an estimated population of 150,000, according to Theodore Nsangou, general manager of the Electricity Development Corporation.
However, environmentalists say it is unwise to concentrate a series of dams along the river. The 263 MW Edea and 396 MW Song Loulou dams, downstream from the newly announced projects, currently generate 95 percent of Cameroon’s electricity.
Augustine Njamnshi of the Cameroon chapter of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance says that increasing Cameroon’s dependence on hydroelectric power will put the country at risk of economic breakdown if drought hits the river basin in the future.
“This will be tantamount to an economic suicide leap,” Njamnshi said.
He recalled the social unrest in February 2008 triggered by persistent blackouts that provoked a wave of strikes across the country. The government said that the resulting riots led to more 17 deaths.
Njamnshi argues that the government would be better advised to pursue other renewable energy sources.
“With abundance of sunlight, Cameroon just needs the political will to turn its energy deficiency into energy surplus, accessible not only to the remote parts of the country but also to neighbouring countries,” he said.
NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - Kenya's ban on plastic bags, its commitment to restore 5.1 Million hectares of land through afforestation and growth projections in the renewable energy sector are according to United Nations, key to addressing effects of climate change and environment.
In a meeting held recently between Kenya, United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change(UNFCCC) the Kenyan Ministry of Environment, Kenya Forest Service (KFS), World Resources Institute (WRI), Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Greenbelt Movement, the three commitments have been singled out as adaptation and mitigation measures to move Kenya towards a low carbon climate resilient development pathway
According to the Environment Cabinet Secretary Prof Judi Wakhungu the initiatives are being undertaken by Government and private sector, to help communities cope with the impacts of climate change and develop a low carbon infrastructure.
Through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in a gazette notice number 2356, the use, manufacture, and importation of all plastics bags has been banned in Kenya.
The ban was met with uproar and rejection especially from the manufacturing sector and is the third attempt by the government since 2005 to ban polythene bags below 30 micron.
"For a long time, the country suffered greatly from the negative effects of plastic bags; which have clogged drains and rivers and contributed to floods in different parts of the country," said Ms Wakhungu adding that floods have been blamed for killing of marine and domestic animals and also being breeding grounds for malaria causing mosquito among many other ills,"
A World Economic Forum recent report said that by the year 2050 if we do not change our ways there will be more plastic bags in the ocean than fish.
"I am so excited about the ban on plastic bags and I cannot wait to see innovative solutions emerge from our optimistic and forward-thinking population of young people. Re-usable bags, though costly to produce, may be the long term solution," said Wanjira Mathai, Director, Partnerships for Women's Entrepreneurship in Renewables (wPOWER), Wangari Maathai Institute (WMI).
Ms Wakhungu also pointed out that Kenya has announced a significant commitment to restore 5.1 million hectares of land.
"This is nearly nine per cent of Kenya's total landmass and makes us the first African country to complete a national restoration opportunity assessment that informed our commitment to the Bonn Challenge and African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100)," she said.
Through this initiative, Kenya is now the 13th African country to commit to bringing over 46 million hectares of land into restoration by 2030.
The various landscape restoration measures identified include reforestation and rehabilitation of degraded natural forests, agroforestry and woodlots on cropland, commercial tree and bamboo plantations and tree-based buffers along waterways, wetlands and roads.
The national restoration commitment is an opportunity to improve soil fertility and food security, boost access to clean water, increase natural forest cover for ecosystem services, combat desertification, create green jobs, and bolster economic growth and livelihoods, while at the same time making a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation.
Mathai said the Green Belt Movement, founded by the late Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, has planted more than 51 million trees across the country, and this has helped to protect critical watersheds, restore thousands of acres of indigenous forests, and empower thousands of women and their families.
"We have a huge deficit of trees to plant, that is something we can do without spending too much," Mathai said.
Ms Wakhungu also revealed that Kenya has proposed to create such a framework through the Energy Bill, 2015 that recognizes the growth of the renewable energy sector in Kenya.
"A total of 87 per cent of Kenyans use solid fuels for cooking and five per cent use kerosene, meaning that only less than five per cent use liquified petroleum gas (LPG) as their primary cooking fuel,"
Another initiative that is promoting the use of clean cooking and lighting solutions in Kenya, is the wPOWER, an alliance of organizations that work towards empowering women to adopt the use of clean cooking stoves and solar lighting, and urging them to become clean energy entrepreneurs.
Burn Manufacturing, a cookstove manufacturing company in Kenya and a member of wPOWER has sold over 300,000 clean cookstoves, which has facilitated household savings of $63 million per year, and savings of over a million tonnes of carbondioxide.
"Kenyans have voted but there is an outcry for the incoming government to make difficult choices, not always in their short-term interest, such as putting a higher price on carbon and subsidizing renewables with unequivocal conviction," Mathai said.
PAMACC News (17/08/2017) - The world’s first Convention to protect the environment and human health in close to a decade, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, enters into force on 16th August 2017, committing its 74 Parties to reducing the risks to human health and the environment from the harmful release of mercury and mercury compounds. Mercury is recognized to be particularly harmful to unborn children and infants.
Governments that are party to the Convention are now legally bound to take a range of measures to protect human health and the environment by addressing mercury throughout its lifecycle. This includes banning new mercury mines, phasing-out existing ones, and regulating the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, manufacturing processes, and the production of everyday items such as cosmetics, light bulbs, batteries and teeth fillings.
The convention also seeks to reduce emissions as side effects from other industrial processes, such as coal-fired power stations, waste incineration, cement clinker production, and contains measures on the interim storage of mercury, on mercury waste and on measures to reduce the risks of contaminated sites.
“The Minamata Convention shows that our global work to protect our planet and its people can continue to bring nations together. We did it for the Ozone layer and now we're doing it for mercury, just as we need to do it for climate change – a cause that the Minamata Convention will also serve. Together, we can clean up our act," said Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment.
There is no safe level of exposure to mercury nor are there cures for mercury poisoning, which at high levels causes irreversible neurological and health damage. Unborn children and babies are the most vulnerable, along with populations who eat fish contaminated with mercury, those who use mercury at work, and people who live near a source of mercury pollution or in colder climates, where the dangerous heavy metal tends to accumulate.
A 2017 study comparing mercury levels among women of child-bearing age in the Asia and Pacific regions revealed high traces of mercury in 96 percent of the women tested from Pacific communities who have high fish diets.
"I am delighted to join others in the international community and celebrate the entry into force of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. It is an honor for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to be tasked with providing grants for projects and programs to reduce and eliminate the use of mercury. We are ready to continue to help countries conducting inventories, implementation plans, and investments in technology to make mercury history,” said Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson.
Up to 8,900 tonnes of mercury are emitted each year. It can be released naturally through the weathering of mercury-containing rocks, forest fires and volcanic eruptions, but significant emissions also come from human processes, particularly coal burning and artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Mining alone exposes up to 15 million workers in 70 different countries to mercury poisoning, including child labourers.
Other human activities that may be sources of mercury pollution include the production of chlorine and some plastics, waste incineration and use of mercury in laboratories, pharmaceuticals, preservatives, paints and jewelry. Since the element is indestructible, the Convention also stipulates conditions for interim storage and disposal of mercury waste.
Like other heavy metals, mercury persists in the environment and builds up in human and animal tissue, particularly in fish. Because it is easily vaporized, mercury can be transported through the air over long distances far removed from its original emission source, polluting air, water and soil.
Signed by 128 countries, the Convention takes its name from the most severe mercury poisoning disaster in history, which came to light in Minamata, Japan in May 1956, after sustained dumping of industrial wastewaters into Minamata Bay, beginning in the 1930s. Local villages who ate fish and shellfish from the bay started suffering convulsions, psychosis, loss of consciousness and coma. In all, thousands of people were certified as having directly suffered from mercury poisoning, now known as Minamata disease.
