Asian and European Experts Join Hands to Address Solid Waste Burden in Asia

Asian and European experts collaborate closely in the EU funded project ISSOWAMA to address Solid Waste Burden in Asia. During its final conference and a site visit on 8-9th June in Delhi guidelines for a more effective and sustainable waste management will be presented.

Bremerhaven/Delhi, May 2011. Asia is one of the world’s most densely populated regions with tremendous output of solid waste. Most of it is inadequately handled. Rapid urbanization in the region is creating an increasing strain on overburdened infrastructure, as well as higher demand on limited public services.

To address these issues, Asian and European experts have joined their forces to identify and overcome hurdles and practical difficulties. Their work has taken place in the form of a European Union funded project: ISSOWAMA (http://www.issowama.net) has examined solid waste management issues of eight Asian countries, in order to develop a performance assessment system for integrated management scenarios. The consortium will meet on 8th and 9th of June 2011 for its final conference and a site visit (Ghazipur, East Delhi). On this occasion, some key outcomes and results will be discussed. The panel discussion on 8th June and a field visit the morning after are open for the press and all other stakeholders (agenda attached).

The central focus of the project is to integrate environmental impacts, economic considerations and the social situation in the way in which solid waste management is currently practiced in the region. The regions and countries are South Asia (Bangladesh, India), the greater Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Thailand, and China) and South East Asia (Indonesia and the Philippines). Project results are subsumed in guidelines for solid waste management, addresses to key stakeholders like local governments and municipalities, wastepickers and other informal recyclers and pollution control boards. The 3rd Thematic Panel discussion will focus on Asian Guidelines of assessment methods of different solid waste streams with relevant stakeholders such as academia, government research institution, association of industries, local representative of international cooperation agencies, public environmental and health agencies and municipalities.

The project results indicate that by integrating appropriate low-cost and efficient technologies with community-based management and their relevant governance, institutional frameworks and socio-economic constraints, waste treatment can be linked with poverty reduction and improvement of welfare of the population. Targeted are research institutions, municipalities and other end-users.

Organizational
The press and all other stakeholders are invited to join the thematic panel discussion on Wednesday, 8th June, and the filed visit in the morning of Thursday, 9th June (departure from Habitat/Oberoi Hotel!). Agenda enclosed. No fees.
Meeting Place panel discussion
Casurina
India Habitat Centre
Lodhi Road
New Delhi 110003
Landfill Place
Ghazipur, East Delhi
Operator: Municipal Corporation of Delhi
Schedule field visit to waste disposal on June 9th, 7.00 to 9.00am. Ghazipur, East Delhi
7 am: Departure to Landfill from Habitat/Oberoi Hotel
7: 30 am Reach Landfill
7:30 to 8:15: Time spent at Landfill (45 mins). This will include a walk to the landfill base, introduction to the landfill area by Bharati Chaturvedi, an interaction with waste pickers working at the landfill, visit to one of their homes.

8:20 am: Return to Conference. As office hours will have begun, it might take longer, hence 8:20 am to 9 am is the estimated time. Note: 5 mins allocated for boarding the bus.

Project-Pictures can be downloaded here: https://picasaweb.google.com/solidwastephilippines/Pix4ISSOWAMA?feat=email#

For more information visit http://www.issowama.net

Registration and press contact in India:
Please register via e-mail: rjohri@teri.res.in
Rakesh Johri
The Energy and Resources Institute
India Habitat Centre
Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003
Tel.: (011) 24682100
Fax.: (011) 24682144
Press contact in the European Union:
Christian Colmer
Head of Communication and Media
ttz Bremerhaven
Fischkai 1
D-27572 Bremerhaven (Germany)
Phone: +49 (0)471 48 32 -124
Fax: +49 (0)471 48 32 – 129
ccolmer@ttz-bremerhaven.de
www.ttz-bremerhaven.de
ttz Bremerhaven is an innovative provider of research services and operates in the field of application-oriented research and development. Under the umbrella of ttz Bremerhaven, an international team of experts is working in the areas of food, environment and health.