RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND INTERNET

Report on the State of Cities

The UNCHS Urban Observatory is seeking to document activities of partners to be presented in a report oriented towards achievements in the implementation of the Habitat II Agenda, to be published in 1998.

To know more about the Habitat II Agenda and in order to contribute to this report, please write to: <guo@unchs.org>.

UWEP Urban Waste Series

- Waste recently published a book entitled « "The Collection of Household Excreta - the Operation of Services in Urban Low-income Neighbourhoods" - UWEP Urban Waste Series no. 6, by M.S. Muller (ed.), an ENSIC-AIT/WASTE co-publication. It covers the collection and disposal of human excreta in four urban areas in the South. Cases are taken from Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, Ghaziabad in India, Accra in Ghana and Yichang in China. A French translation is currently being prepared.

- Please also take note of the publication of "Coleta Seletiva de Lixo: Experiencias Brasileiras" (Source selection in Brazil), by E.M. Eigenheer, CIRS. UWEP-WASTE. Available only in Portuguese.

To order these documents, please write to Waste Consultants, Nieuwehaven 201, 2801 CW Gouda, Pays Bas, email: alrisseeuw@waste.nl, fax: 31 182 550 313

Paris Conference : Water and sustainable development

The Paris conference adopted a political declaration calling for a « new world order of water ». The « polluter pays » principle was adopted, adapted to low-income populations. A certain monetarisation would allow to collect some 400 billion dollars necessary for an efficient water supply and sanitation service.

The « polluter pays principle » was validated by the conference, as well as the major role to be played by the civil society represented by a large number of NGOs.

Enda Tiers Monde took the opportunity to present a position paper entitled « strategies for water supply and sanitation in low-income urban areas » (in French).

The following teams of Enda also presented information on their activities:

This document can be sent to you as an attached file upon request.

SELECTION OF TECHNICAL STUDIES

produced by Enda Maghreb, urban department

1) «Alternative use of domestic wastes in Oulmes, study for the creation of a sorting and composting unit», ENDA Maghreb, Commune of Oulmes, May-July 1997

This study includes an assessment of the state of waste management, a proposal for an alternative management of wastes, a study for the creation of a sorting and composting unit. It proposes a global evaluation (financial analysis) of unit costs. The role of the commune in the management of this unit is also described.

This study also includes a section on the choice of a site for the Oulmes waste site, and the necessary adaptations to limit the negative impacts of such a site on the environment. These two studies allowed for the creation of a project on waste management and decentralised cooperation in Oulmes (PRODEC programme, funded by the European Union).

2) « The second life of plastic in Morocco », ENDA Maghreb, Rabat-Sale. Jan 1997

This study identifies the popular economy networks active in plastic recovery in Rabat Sale (actors, exchanges, flows). A second part addresses the market for plastics and recovery in Morocco. The third section contains alternative use for plastic bags.

This study contains the main arguments which allowed for the creation of a project on plastic recycling, funded by the French Embassy in Morocco.

3) « Proposals for a scheme for the recovery and use of wastes in the city of Ouarzazate » ENDA Maghreb, Municipalite de Ouarzazate, 1996.

This study is composed of two major parts: description of the present situation in terms of waste recovery and treatment, and a feasibility study for a selective recovery and treatment system by compost.

To order these studies, please write to: endamag@mail.sis.net.ma

VIDEO INFO: Objectif Plein Sud n°3: Water, source of life ("L'eau, source de vie")

The association Orchidees is an audio-visual communication group which produces a number of programmes watched by millions of TV viewers. It has created a network of partners for production and distribution throughout the five continents, and trained a number of African, European, and Asian interns to the techniques of television and cinema.

The eighth edition of the video magazine "Objectif Plein Sud", which includes a 48-minute video entitled « Water, source of life », is available for 100FF.

The main problems regarding water and the increasing scarcity of drinking-water reserves, contamination of water tables by industrial, urban and agricultural activities, are having catastrophic impact on the health of populations. Third world countries are primarily agricultural, and desertification is having considerable economic, social and cultural impacts.

Contact: Orchidees, 23 rue Pierre Curie, 94200 Ivry, France.
Tel: 01 46 71 82 53, Fax: 01 46 72 51 00.

The "PHAST" initiative (Participatory, Hygiene, And Sanitation, Transformation): a new method of working with the communities.

The innovative PHAST method aims to promote hygiene, sanitation and the community participation in sanitation and water supply infrastructures.

It is based on the intrinsic capacity of human being to deal with and solve their own problems. It aims to offer the communities the possibility to pay for their water and to control illnesses linked to sanitation, favouring the awareness and comprehension of health issues, improving attitudes and environmental conditions.

WHO/UNDP - World Bank, Water and sanitation programme, ref. WHO-EOS-96.11, available for free in English, French, and Spanish.

Contact: WHO, Rural Hygiene section, 20 avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. Tel: 41 22 791 35 40, Fax: 41 22 791 41 59.

WEBSITES TO VISIT:

The Community Development Programme (CDP), in partnership with UNCHS, has created an internet site for training on methodologies for community mobilisation in the strengthening of low-income communities.

The CDP seeks to strengthen community management of human settlements through training programmes aimed at communities and local and national governments. The programme has launched pilot projects in more than 45 rural communities, municipalities and districts in the South.

It proposes technical and management tools, as well as the possibility to work with other actors in the field of human settlements. The CDP is also raising the awareness of governments as to the importance of community participation and to formulate policies placing the ultimate beneficiaries of development at the centre of the planning process.

Numerous links are also available towards other urban development programmes.

### http://www.scn.org/ip/cds/cmp/index.html ###

AGORA21: the francophone site dedicated to sustainable development.

Sustainable development ---- Information exchange node ---- Discussion forum ---- Documentation centre ---- Calendar ---- New arrivals ---- Studies

Following the example of AGORA, cross-roads of public and political debate in the democracy of ancient Greece, AGORA21 would be a virtual public place for information and debates on the world of tomorrow, the world of the 21st Century.

The site aims to be an information cross-roads between all Francophone actors in the field of urban development, that is environmental protection, social, human and economic development.

AGORA21 has been created thanks to the support of the Rhone-Alps Region, the General Council of the Loire region and the City of Saint Etienne.

### http://agora21.emse.fr ###