The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners are reportedly moving swiftly to help local health authorities contain a cholera outbreak in a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in north-eastern Nigeria.
Internally Displaced Persons queuing up for water at Muna IDPs camp. Photo credit: WHO/CE.Onuekwe
A total of 69 cases including five deaths have been reported so far in the outbreak at Muna Garage, a camp on the outskirts of the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, which is home to 44,000 people displaced by conflict and famine. The state of Borno is said to be at the heart of a humanitarian crisis in the north-east of the country where almost seven million people need health assistance and 60% of health facilities are functioning partially or not at all.
Detecting and responding rapidly to suspected cases of cholera is vital to controlling outbreaks, which can spread rapidly in areas where access to safe water is limited, hygiene conditions are poor and populations are weakened by food shortages. Intense efforts by national and partner response teams in Borno State over the last year mean surveillance and monitoring capacity have been greatly strengthened, enabling early detection of this outbreak.
Public health response
The State Ministry of Health is leading partners including WHO, in the response to the outbreak in Muna Garage, which includes the establishment of a cholera treatment centre, increasing risk communications and assessing the need for an oral cholera vaccination campaign in the affected area.
The WHO has prepositioned Inter-agency Diarrheal Disease Kits across the state for immediate response to diarrhea and cholera outbreaks and has trained 56 health workers including doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and pharmacists on cholera case management, and infection prevention and control (IPC). These health workers are boosting capacity to treat people with the disease in the affected camp and surrounding health facilities.
WHO-supported community outreach workers are conducting active case search in the camp to find and refer anyone suffering from the disease that has not been able to seek help at a health facility.
Risk communication
The most effective prevention measures against cholera are basic hygiene practices, including use of clean and safe water and proper sanitation. House-to-house visits are underway in the camp to sensitise people to the risk of cholera, teach them how to prevent and manage diarrhea at home, and educate them on the use of chloride tablets for household water treatment and safe water storage.
Sample collection, data management and trend analysis are being implemented by WHO surveillance teams to ensure that the response is not just keeping up with cases but is also tailored to prevent further spread. Partners are also working to improve water and sanitation conditions in the camps.
The construction of the provisional structures required to make sure that all 20,000 plus delegates and visitors to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) scheduled November 6 to 17, 2017 in Bonn, Germany can be accommodated started this month and appears to be progressing as planned. The German government is building an impressive array of temporary buildings which will complement the existing World Conference Centre Bonn. UNFCCC Newsroom reporters, Mariana Castano Cano and Monica Lafaire Mejia, on Thursday, August 31, 2017 went to see to how things are going
And aerial view of the construction site of the COP23 “Bonn Zone”
A significant part of the COP23 provisional structures are right now being built in Bonn’s Rheinaue Park, where citizens of Bonn – and UN staff – normally go to relax at the week-end. On week days, the park, which features scenic lakes and flower beds, is populated by cyclists as well as office workers having their lunch-breaks. The park is also home to many ducks and swans that don’t seem scared or even bothered by the frantic building activity going on around them.
“If the weather is warm, maybe they will stay for the conference,” a German government official jokingly says about the birds.
The conference will be presided over by the Government of Fiji and is being organised by the UNFCCC secretariat with the support of the Government of Germany, in close collaboration with the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Bonn.
German Environment Minister, Barbara Hendricks, and her Environment Ministry (BMUB) team were on location in the Rheinaue Park this week to inform citizens, listen to their views and respond to their concerns about the provisional structures.
Construction started on August 14 and is progressing remarkably fast, with some two-stories tents already topped with hard-plastic roofs in the form of pyramids.
In order to appreciate the sheer scale of the project and the materials involved, one just has to look at the thousands of wooden panels waiting to be installed as the flooring of the tents. This flooring will cover a surface of 50,000 square meters.
“At the moment there are just 200 people working here. But, over the next two months, there will be more than 2,000 workers on site, out of a total 6,000 people working on the project.
Construction is progressing as planned and we expect to finish on time, by the end of October,” says Mr. Franz Emde, BMUB Spokesperson.
Two different tent complexes are being built, one close to the UN Campus and to the World Conference Center Bonn in “Bula Zone”; and a second complex at the heart of the Rheinaue Park, the “Bonn Zone”.
This is part of the concept of “one conference, two zones”. The so-called “Bula Zone” is where talks between governments will take place, and the “Bonn” Zone will host hundreds of events showcasing climate action, including some media activities and the pavilions of national delegations.
Ensuring the sustainability of the conference is a priority for the organisers. “The whole UN Climate Conference is certified under Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), a European certification system that takes into account the overall environmental footprint of the COP, from water to transportation and electrity,” Mr. Emde explains.
Preserving the natural environment of the Rheinaue Park and making sure Bonners and visitors can continue enjoying this green space is also a priority. Only a small part of the 160 hectares of the park will be used for the conference.
Even though the citizens who approached the German Environment Ministry staff did ask questions related to the construction or potential inconveniences they might experience during the two-weeks conference, most were more interested about learning how to be part of it.
The Ministry and the City of Bonn officials explained that there will be activities around the COP not only in the Bonn and Bula Zones – where the entrance will be limited to accredited participants – but that all around the city there will be events related to climate action, from scientific and cultural exhibitions to art and educational activities for all public, including youth.
The Benue State House of Assembly on Thursday, August 30, 2017 directed the State Ministry of Lands and Survey to review the Master Plan for Makurdi as well as other urban centres in the state to forestall further violation of approved settlement patterns and checkmate incessant flooding.
Submerged part of BIPC Quarters, Makurdi
This followed the motion of urgent public importance moved by Mr Terkaa Ucha (Vandeikya-Tiev/PDP) during plenary who stressed the need for the government to undertake permanent measures to forestall flooding in urban centres in the state.
He said: “The non-implementation of a Master Plan for Makurdi, or any other urban centre in the state, makes officials of the Ministry of Lands and Survey and land speculators to indiscriminately allocate and sell lands for buildings, with people and institutions erecting structures on places such as water-sheds, water-ways and drainage-ways, thereby obstructing the free flow and safe flow of water.”
Seconding the motion, Mr Benjamin Nungwa (Kwande West/APC) stated that the motion is apt considering that the issue of flooding is critical, hence, it should be given due attention so that proper consideration and measures will be put in place to tackle the menace.
Also speaking, Chief Whip of the House, Mr Titus Uba (Vandeikya-Kyan/APC), who stated that the flood issue is natural due to climate change caused by the people’s ill activities, called for information on climate change to be disseminated across the state to help people change from carrying out activities capable of accelerating climate change.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on a flood assessing tour of Makurdi
In his contribution, Mr Ianna Jato (Katsina-Ala East),who noted that the issue of flood is now a global phenomenon caused by torrential rainfall, said a rough estimate of about 90,000 persons have been displaced by the Makurdi floods, adding that public spirited individuals and other NGOs should come to the aid of the affected people to give them succour.
Mr Richard Ujege (Konshisha/APC) adduced the main problem of flooding in the Benue State capital to the uncompleted major crescent drainage that is to run from the River Benue through the town and back to the River, adding that, if completed, it would greatly ease the menace of flooding.
Speaking separately, Mr Egli Ahubi (Otukpo Akpa/PDP), Mr Chris Adaji (Ohimini/PDP), Mrs Ngohemba Agaigbe (Gboko East/APC), Barr Adam Okloho (Adoka Ogboju/APC) and Mr Terhemba Chabo (Gboko West/APC) sympathised with the affected people, calling on the Federal Government to lend a helping hand to the State Government to tackle the problem.
They noted that though it is a natural occurrence, improper planning and not taking the environment into cognisance especially with the disposal of refuse in drainage systems has not helped the situation.
Furthermore, the Assembly called on the State Urban Development Board to identify all buildings and structures that have been illegally erected on and across water-ways in all parts of the state for appropriate action.
The Assembly equally called on the Benue State Government to intimate the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and request same to urgently provide relief for victims of the current flooding in all parts of Benue State.
While symathising with the victims of the current flooding that is ravaging across the state, the Speaker, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange (Ushongo/APC), advised Benue people not to buy land and build on water-ways or flood-prone areas, as this will amount to waste of resources and expose them to danger in the long-run.
More than $10 million to date has been disbursed through the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) Readiness Programme, a flagship funding programme that provides resources to enhance country ownership and access to the Fund.
Howard Bamsey, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
The GCF Readiness Programme portfolio currently consists of 119 approved proposals for capacity building activities in some 88 developing countries valued over $39 million. Of this amount, $10 million has been disbursed to 72 different Readiness initiatives in 59 developing countries, including 44 small island developing states, least developed countries and African countries – societies particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Through the Readiness Programme, GCF provides resources for strengthening the institutional capacities of National Designated Authorities (NDAs) or focal points and Direct Access Entities to effectively engage with the Fund. It also assists countries in undertaking adaptation planning and developing programming frameworks to build out their long-term climate action agendas with GCF.
The Fund’s governing body has released, to date, $80 million in initial resources for Readiness activities, which GCF can provide to recipients in the form of grants or technical assistance.
Countries have partnered with several national, regional and international organizations to serve as their ‘delivery partners’ to access the GCF’s Readiness resources. These organisations work directly with countries to support or execute the activities approved under a Readiness grant, providing services such as development of readiness request proposals; implementation and supervision; fiduciary management; progress reporting; and project completion and evaluation.
“The GCF Board set 2017 as a year of implementation for the Fund, and making Readiness resources available to countries is a priority for the Secretariat,” said GCF Executive Director, Howard Bamsey. “With well over $10 million now disbursed, we are beginning to see the impact of the programme as countries start to report on how Readiness resources received are helping to structure and plan their engagement with GCF.”
With a significant number of activities under implementation, the GCF Secretariat is working to capture early Readiness results countries are sharing. This includes the development of country programmes in Antigua and Barbuda and the Federated States of Micronesia, a stakeholder communication strategy in Guyana, and a climate-information services (CIS) scoping exercise in Vanuatu, which was used to inform the design of a $26.6 million CIS project that the GCF Board approved for Vanuatu in December 2016.
Readiness resources are also being used by organisations interested in becoming accredited to the Fund through its direct access modality. With the support of the Readiness Programme, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and the Micronesia Conservation Trust were accredited to the GCF at the 15th meeting and 17th meeting of the GCF Board, respectively. Technical assistance provided to the organisations helped identify areas where improvements were needed to meet the Fund’s accreditation requirements, and to formulate actions plans to address them.
Solar powered primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Chhattisgarh admitted over 50% more patients and conducted almost twice the number of child deliveries in a month compared to power-deficit PHCs without a solar system, according to study released on Thursday, August 31, 2017 by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) in India.
Solar panel
The first-of-its-kind independent study, funded by Oxfam India, evaluates the role of electricity access on health outcomes in rural Chhattisgarh, a heavily forested state in central India. The study finds that solar powered PHCs could significantly improve in-patient services, out-patient services, emergency care, delivery services, and laboratory services in rural India. The study also establishes a strong correlation between sustainable development goals, focusing on good health and well-being (Goal 3), and focusing on affordable and clean energy (Goal 7).
The CEEW study is based on an evaluation of 147 PHCs, including 83 having solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, across 15 districts in Chhattisgarh. Despite being a power surplus state, one-third of the PHCs in Chhattisgarh are either un-electrified or without regular power supply. About 90% of PHCs reported power cuts during peak operating hours. One-third of the PHCs experienced power cuts in the evening. More than 21% of the PHCs reported damage of medical equipment due to voltage fluctuations.
Between 2012 and 2016, the Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) installed 2 kWp off-grid solar PV rooftop systems across 570 PHCs in the state. CEEW analysis found that a solar PV system provides three to four hours of backup electricity for a PHC. Also, peak generation from solar PV systems coincides with peak load times for PHCs, 12pm to 4pm, making solar not simply an effective backup generation system but also a potential primary mode of power supply. Higher comfort due to better lighting and running fans in the solar PHCs increased patients’ willingness to get admitted.
Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW, said, “Scaling solar systems across PHCs is in India’s interest as it meets the targets of the National Solar Mission as well as the National Health Mission. In Chhattisgarh, CEEW found that solar provided a reliable power backup to PHCs, especially during peak load hours and after sundown. While installing solar systems, priority should be given to power-deficit PHCs, especially those that have been designated to provide 24×7 services. Solar systems for PHCs must also be tailored to local needs and considerations. Taking a cue from CREDA, other states must also focus on creating robust operations and maintenance services for solar powered PHCs.”
In Chhattisgarh, 90% of the solar powered PHCs reported cost savings from using solar PV systems over diesel generators. Diesel power costs INR 24-26 per kWh while solar plus battery costs around INR 12-14 per kWh.
The ability of solar powered PHCs to operate cold chain, storing vaccines and drugs, and newborn care equipment also improved significantly in Chhattisgarh. Almost one-fourth of power-deficit PHCs currently rely exclusively on solar as a backup to run cold chain equipment. Ensuring continuous electricity supply to cold chains at PHCs is critical, especially in rural Chhattisgarh, where the infant mortality rate (43) is higher than the average for rural India (41).
Providing solar (5 kW systems) to all PHCs across India could contribute to about 160 MW of the rooftop target. If solar were to be extended to cover Sub-Centres (1 kW systems) and Community Health Centres (8 kW systems), the total potential would be about 415 MW.
According to the Rural Health Statistics 2016, India has about 25,000 PHCs. Of the functional PHCs in India, 4.6% are unelectrified, affecting over 38 million rural households depending on these healthcare facilities. Further, the District Level Household and Facility Survey – 4 (DLHS-4) data indicate that one out of every two PHCs in the country suffers from unreliable power supply or has no electricity access at all. Unreliable and poor-quality electricity supply limits diagnostic and treatment services, reduces hours of operation to daytime, and forces patients to travel a longer distance in search of better healthcare.
Leading online environment and development magazine, EnviroNews Nigeria, along with several others organisations and individuals, will be honoured during the 8th Environment Outreach Magazine Public Lecture and Environmental Awards Ceremony scheduled to hold on Thursday, September 7, 2017 in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
Eminent sustainable development expert, Professor Hilary Inyang, is Guest Lecturer at the event
The “2017 Environmental Awards” honours individuals and corporate bodies that have distinguished themselves in various fields of environmental management. The Environmental Awards include Environmental Stewardship Award, Environmental Legislative Excellence Award, Environmental Awareness Creation Award, Environmental Media Excellence Award, Environmental Protection and Support Award, Environmental Governance Award, and Community Development and Nature Conservation Award.
EnviroNews Nigeria is to bag the “2017 Environmental Media Excellence Award”.
According to the host of the event and Publisher of the Environment Outreach Magazine, Chief Noble Akenge, the theme of this year’s lecture is “Nigeria’s Depleting Forests and Its Implication for Forest Resources and Climate Change”.
The Lecture, he added, would be delivered by the eminent sustainable development expert, Professor Hilary Inyang, former Vice Chancellor, Botswana University of Science and Technology, Papalye, as well as President/CEO of Global Education and Infrastructure Services (GEISE) LLC. He is also a 2013 Winner of the Nigeria National Order of Merit (NNOM).
The Conservator-General of the Federation, Mallam Ibrahim Musa Goni, is to chair the occasion while Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State is expected as Special Guest of Honour.
Other distinguished guests expected at the occasion include Mr. John Odey, former Minister of Environment; Professor Steve Azaiki, President of the World Environmental Foundation for Africa and the International Society for Comparative Education, Science and Technology (ISCEST), Nigeria; Engr. Goni Ahmed, Director-General of the Great Green Wall Agency; Barrister Sam Nwakohu, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Living Earth Nigeria Foundation; Samuel Onuigbo, Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Climate Change; Professor Florence Obi, DVC Academics, University of Calabar; Obinna Chidoka, Chairman, House of Reps Committee on Environment and Ecology; Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi, CEO of LUFASI Park, Lekki, Lagos; and Barrister Iniruo Wills, former Commissioner for Environment, Bayelsa State.
Others expected at the event include Dr. Mrs. Alice Ekwu; Commissioner for Climate Change and Forestry, Cross River State; Dr. Iniobong Essien, Commissioner for Environment, Akwa Ibom State; other State Commissioners for Environment; top Government Functionaries, the Academia; Civil Society Organisations (CSOs); representatives of various environmental groups, traditional rulers and members of the public.
The era of exporting obsolete technologies to Africa in the guise of meeting the continent’s infrastructure needs in the water and sanitation sector is over, say African water ministers.
A team of panelists at the Africa Focus Sessions, World Water Week, Stockholm
Ministers responsible for water and sanitation from across Africa made this declaration on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at the just concluded Africa Focus Sessions of the ongoing 2017 World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.
Speaking on behalf of the president of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW), the Egyptian Water and Irrigation Minister, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Atty, reckoned that, by the year 2030, global demand for water will grow by 50% and most of this demand will be in the cities.
“The need for newer approaches and technologies for wastewater collection, management and reuse therefore becomes imperative,” Dr. Atty said.
The Egyptian minister, who also doubles as AMCOW Vice President for North Africa region, declared that it has become a matter of urgency for Africa to set in motion “the machinery for the implementation of new game-changing technologies, innovative institutional frameworks and well-designed business models for more effective wastewater management and improved water quality.”
Nomvula Mokonyane, South Africa’s Water and Sanitation minister and panelist at the Africa Focus sessions, was vehement in her denunciation of obsolete technologies packaged as aid to Africa.
According to her, “Africa’s time to get organised and be proud of her is now. We must avoid being a Guinea pig for life and arise as lead agent for transformation, adaptation and for new technologies, not for solutions that have been rendered redundant in other places.” “Technical capacity building, knowledge and education therefore have become key priorities for us as Africans,” Minister Nomvula said.
The South African Water minister urged her colleagues to lead Africa on the path to “dedicated process and programme of progressive implementation, action and performance towards improved water security the sustainable financing.”
Reinforcing this position, Dhesigen Naidoo, the CEO of Water Research Commission of the Republic of South Africa, added that more than half of the innovative water related inventions in use across the globe today came from Africa and Africans.
“Africa is the home of innovations in water and sanitation. All we need to do is to scale up,” Naidoo said.
Another panelist at the High Level Ministerial Panel of the Africa Focus session and Nigeria’s Water Resources Minister, Suleiman Adamu, believes that “African solutions are in Africa and effective management of wastewater will not only improve the economies of Africa, but would also improve and promote good health of Africans.”
It is in this light, according to the minister, that “Nigeria is mobilising resources through the Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) initiative to address the nation’s Water and Sanitation Sub-sector in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goal-6 on water and safe sanitation in both rural and urban areas of the country.”
With home-grown technologies, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, AMCOW’s Executive Secretary, envisions a prosperous future for the continent. “From what we call waste, Africa can generate wealth, employment and food,” Dr Kanangire added.
When I conceived the thought to write about elephants as part of efforts to mark the World Elephant Day – observed on August 12, I got a link with a note about how an endangered species – a gorilla – was killed and butchered by hunters in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria. The images were so gory.
Forest elephants are poached for their ivory and skin, and threatened with extinction
We habitually excuse the ignorance of such perpetrators and justify such jail-worthy offense by hunger. The truth we are yet to tell ourselves is that we deny our generation and those unborn the enormous benefits that wildlife avails us.
The murder of the gorilla in Sapele is just one of the many unlawful killings of our priceless and irreplaceable creatures which are fast heading to extinction; all because of our unsustainable human activities.
Elephants are a wonderful part of our existence, they are the world’s biggest land animal with many unique features: long trunks, broad thick legs and large floppy ears used to emit heat from its body. I personally can’t imagine a world without elephants, hence my decision to join my voice with a million others to mark the 2017 World Elephant Day.
Remarkably, some recent studies describe elephants as probably the smartest land animal. They are seen to be very clever and intelligent as demonstrated in their display of altruism and innovation to find solutions to their challenges; however, these solutions are largely beneficial to the survival of other animals in the wild.
An elephant’s long trunk can spot a smell about four times as sensitive as a tracking dog (bloodhound). Reports show that elephants can smell water several miles away, making them the kings of the wild in seasons of drought as other animals sort to move around elephants in the knowledge that it will smell and dig out water for the lot. But what then do we benefit from conserving wildlife as humans?
Most medical discovery and recent breakthrough were made possible because of the presence of animals. Some of them are majorly adopted from the life style of animals then improved for the benefit of humans as observed in equipment and machines we use. We can’t live without them. Conserving these animals could help grow our enthusiasm towards science, hence new and improved innovations could be achieved from studying animal behaviours.
The elephant, as well as other wild animals, if conserved and properly managed, could help grow our nation’s economy through eco-tourism and give our landscape some priceless aesthetic values as seen in some developed nations. Imagine how much income would be generated through group visits, tours, exhibitions and research to conservation areas, parks and nature reserves? Put an estimate to how many idle hands will be gainfully employed?
The earlier we know that it is our duty to protect and conserve our ecosystem because they are unique to us, the better for us. Folks with these understanding should wildly share this knowledge; government is encouraged to lead with policies, strategies, and enforcement to ensure that we promptly reduce poaching and illegal killings of wildlife knowing that we are all part of a web of life when one individual disappears others are the risk of disappearing as a result.
“When the last trees cut down, when all the animals are hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will we realise that one cannot eat money”. – Cree Prophecy.
By Udo-Azugo Somtochukwu, Adebote ‘Seyifunmi and Alli Abiola
Two students from the USA, Ryan Thorpe and Rachel Chang, received the 2017 Stockholm Junior Water Prize on Tuesday, August 29, 2017 for their novel approach to detect and purify water contaminated with Shigella, E. coli, Salmonella, and Cholera. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the prize at an award ceremony during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.
2017 Stockholm Junior Water Prize winners, Americans Ryan Thorpe (left) and Rachel Chang, with H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Similarly, Professor Stephen McCaffrey received the 2017 Stockholm Water Prize on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 for his unparalleled contribution to the evolution and progressive realisation of international water law. The prize was presented to Stephen McCaffrey by H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden, at a ceremony in Stockholm City Hall during the ongoing World Water Week.
In its citation, the Stockholm Water Prize Nominating Committee recognised Professor McCaffrey’s “path-breaking leadership and legal scholarship in international water law. He has made a unique contribution in three specific areas: his seminal work on Treaty negotiation; his major scholarly works, including his book The Law of International Watercourses and; his leadership providing expert legal advice, wise counsel, training and facilitation of complex negotiations with a wide range of stakeholders.”
On receiving the Prize, Professor McCaffrey said: “I accept this very special award not only on my own behalf, but also on the behalf of the many women and men who work so hard in the field to ensure that fresh water can be brought to people in ways that do not strain international relations, but which in fact affirmatively produce win-win solutions for countries and people on the ground in accordance with law”.
Prof. Stephen McCaffrey (left) receiving the prize from H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden
As Ryan Thorpe and Rachel Chang received the prize, Chang said: “I’m feeling so overwhelmed with emotions. All the projects here are absolutely amazing, truly of the highest quality. So, to be able to win such an achievement, it feels incredible”.
In its citation, the Jury said: “This year’s winning project embodies the fundamental principle of providing safe drinking water. The winner’s motivation is to eliminate millions of human deaths each year. The project developed a unique, rapid, and sensitive method to identify, quantify and control water contaminants.”
The students constructed a system that detects and purifies water contaminated with Shigella, E. coli, Salmonella, and Cholera more rapidly and sensitively than conventional methods. Their system detects as little as one reproductive bacteria colony per litre instantaneously and eliminates bacterial presence in approximately ten seconds. In contrast, conventional methods have detection limits of up to 1000 colonies and take one to two days. The students’ novel approach could prevent the contraction and outbreak of waterborne diseases and expand potable water throughout the world.
The Jury was impressed by the winners, in particular their “exceptional intelligence, enthusiasm and true passion for water and human health.”
“This method is applicable to both developed and developing world. The winning project has used fundamental science in an elegant way to address pathogenic bacteria in drinking water. The project has the potential to revolutionise the future of water quality,” the Jury said further.
“This is a very inspiring project that takes on one of the world’s biggest challenges, providing clean drinking water for all. Methods like these can unlock huge human potential, when access to safe drinking water, and by extension health, improves among hundreds of millions of people,” said Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director of SIWI.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together the world’s brightest young scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment. This year, thousands of participants in countries all over the globe joined national competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the international final held during the World Water Week in Stockholm. Teams from 33 countries competed in the 2017 finals.
A Diploma of Excellence was awarded to the students Aniruddah Chowdhury, Arnab Chakraborty, and Rituraj Das Gupta from Bangladesh. Their project researched more efficient ways to remove dyes from textile industry discharges, using a composite of titanium dioxide and cheap, locally sourced chemicals.
“By innovative use of existing technology they show new possibilities to cost effectively and efficiently treat harmful waste water from textile industry,” the Jury said.
Stephen McCaffrey, Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, in Sacramento, California, is the single most respected authority on International Water Law. His work continues to influence scholars, legal practitioners and policy-makers and contribute to the sustainable and peaceful management of shared waters.
Dr Letitia Obeng, Member of the Stockholm Water Prize Nominating Committee, said: “Professor McCaffrey is an internationally respected pioneer in water law and in diplomacy. Today’s international lawyers stand on his shoulders”.
Water flows where it will and has no regard for national or regionally drawn boundaries. Beneficial hydrological, social, and economic linkages can be fostered among countries which share transboundary waters, with their equitable use promoting peace and development.
Nearly 40 per cent of the world’s population lives in countries that share river basins. Increasing stress on water resources globally will require the reasonable and equitable use of transboundary waters. Improved management of transboundary waters reduces the potential for conflict, fosters socio-economic development, promotes shared benefits, and supports healthy ecosystems and services.
“Cooperation over shared waters is becoming increasingly important, as we witness higher demand coupled with growing scarcity. Stephen McCaffrey is a true inspiration for us in this area, as well as and an important guide, through his works and his wisdom”, said SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren.
Professor McCaffrey has been acting as legal counsel to states in several negotiations concerning international watercourses. He has served as counsel in many inter-state disputes over shared water resources, for example between Argentina and Uruguay, Pakistan and India, and Slovakia and Hungary, which have been heard by international courts and tribunals.
Adeniyi Karunwi, Director General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), in this treatise expresses concern over the fact that a remarkable rainforest ecosystem in the country is threatened, courtesy of the proposed Superhighway project in Cross River State. He suggests that the state government appears not to be doing enough to address a set of conditions to be fulfilled before project commencement
Newly proposed altered route as seen above (with red line) as published by Global Forest Watch will still cut through intact forest and protected area
Cross River Tropical Rainforest, the largest remaining rainforest ecosystem in Nigeria and one of the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world is facing a very serious threats of degradation on account of the proposed Superhighway project of the Cross River State Government.
This rich forest estate is serving as home to highly threatened species including 1,568 plant species of which 77 are endangered medicinal plants and orchids, 22 primate species such as the Cross River gorilla (with only about 300 individuals remaining in the wild), Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee, drill monkeys, and a range of other wildlife species facing one of the greatest conservation challenges of our time.
Recent policy direction of the Cross River State Government has given consent for the unprecedented destruction of pristine forest habitats for the construction of the Superhighway. Consequently, dozens of earthmovers have been sighted in forest reserves and community forests making permanent and irreversible alterations to the rich forest landscape of Bakassi, Akamkpa, Ikom, Boki, and Bekwara Local Government Areas (LGAs). Sadly, this action is aggravating widespread poverty and ultimately resulting in untold hardship among indigenous communities that live adjacent to these forests. Essentially, this unplanned and unsustainable developmental action of government pertaining to habitat destruction as well as ecological and species destabilisation, is generating deep environmental and socio-economic concerns among civil society groups, local communities and other stakeholders.
The initiation of government programmes for the development of the State is highly commendable particularly in the context of the Superhighway project. It is however advisable that such large scale projects should be made to comply with all related municipal legislations; international treaties and conventions of which Nigeria is a signatory. Importantly, this should include being subjected to environmental and social impact studies as stipulated in the Environmental Impact Assessment Act of 1992. This law makes it mandatory for proponents (including the Federal, State and Local Governments as well as private developers) to carry out detailed EIA studies on projects with potential impacts on the environment. Reports from such studies must be published for public scrutiny and comments.
Proposed map of the superhighway left and proposed rerouted direction of the superhighway right. Map courtesy of WCS
It is pertinent to observe that the proposed Superhighway has already produced three failed Environmental Impact Assessment reports. These reports have been widely criticised as being substandard, fraudulent and non-compliant with National Laws and International best practices. Curiously, in a letter dated 29th July, 2017, the 4th version of the EIA report has been granted conditional approval by the Federal Ministry of Environment despite these obvious deficiencies. According to the said letter issued by the Ministry to the proponent – the Cross River State Government, it is expected to fulfil 23 conditions within a period of two weeks before the commencement of the project.
Amongst these conditions are: the payment of compensation to all affected persons and communities, the production of coordinates, surveys and maps of the pathway of the superhighway that is said to have been rerouted from the Cross River National Park and the Ekuri forest; as well as the gazetting of the Reversal Order pertaining to the 10 km span buffer zone on either side of the superhighway previously contemplated; etc. This development has triggered widespread public debate as to whether the Cross River State Government should embark on this project or upgrade the already existing federal highway to a superhighway.
Nevertheless, this whole episode brings to bare some level of suspicion especially when the Cross River State Government on February 20, 2017 issued a notice to the Federal Government of Nigeria about going ahead with the Superhighway with or without the approval of the EIA and, in addition, where many trees felled along the route during the land clearing process were converted to valuable timber and mysteriously disappeared leaving doubts in the minds of many.
Recently, there have been publications and sketches of maps produced on the alternative Superhighway routes. However, the Government is yet to come up with a new acquisition order to show the new route, which would require further EIA. Therefore, “the project to save not just CRNP and Ekuri forest but the entire forest area of Cross River State should be a Flagship project and a state of emergency declared on the Cross River Tropical High Forest”.
Incidentally, in April 2017, the Cross River State Government decided to announce the rerouting of the superhighway following recommendations by some environmental groups, with the excuse that the road was going to be diverted completely from the park. But, as seen from the map above, the highway will still cut through several protected forests reserves and abut the western boundary of the Cross River National Park.
The issues raised in the previous EIA report which have not been adequately addressed in the recently released report are as follows:
Consistent and correct baseline data;
Cost-benefit analysis for each of the routes proposed and a clear justification for the superhighway and reasons for building a new road as opposed to upgrading the existing highway;
The impacts of the superhighway on nearby protected areas namely Cross River National Park, Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, Afi River Forest Reserve, Ukpon River Forest Reserve and Cross River South Forest Reserve;
Extensive stakeholder engagement to meet accepted standards as outlined by both Nigerian legislation and international best practice;
Mitigation measures and sufficient detail for implementation;
Mention the presence of many rare and endangered species present within the area such as the Preuss’s red colobus monkey Procolobus preussi and the slender-snouted crocodile Mecistops cataphractus both of which are classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Critically Endangered, or to assess possible impacts;
The socio-economic study to focus on about 180 affected communities rather than the 21 communities documented. The full impact of the project on these communities, on their livelihoods and vulnerability must also be assessed;
The 23 conditions for provisional approval (short, medium and long term) given by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
These, and many more issues highlighted above, demonstrate the fact that “the threat still stands”.
