[sustran] : Urgent Info Request: ADB and Waste Incineration

[kisan]

Dear Gaia and etoxic colleagues,

Apologies for responding to your Gaia One request after the cut off date.  You agree that it is better late than never.  So this message.  I am including our colleagues in the Sustran because it was with this group that I had occasion 
to meet the ADB officials a couple of years ago.  I know that our Sustran colleagues are equally interested in developing sustainable programmes that affect the poor the least. We all talk of poverty alievation but do the otherwise. 

In response to my letter earlier to Dr Heckler opposing the ADB promoting incineration and `burn all' gadgets, he had appreciated our Integrated Solid Waste Management Programme (ISWMP) and promised to write again 
however that opportunity of knowing as to how the ADB will support 
sustainable programmes never came as he has not written again as assured. 

For the developing (frankly poor) countries,  the most critical issue is the paucity of financial resources.  Multilateral financial agencies like the World Bank, IMF and of course the ADB pump in large loans that poor countries find it difficult 
to pay back.   Though some of these loans are extended at very low interest, burden of interest on people becomes very heavy as high government costs, corruption, favouritism etc increase the burden.  It is this burden that breaks 
the back of the poor.  The state selects programmes that gives them credit but no help to the poor.   The multilateral agencies do not extend loans to  NGOs 
for carrying out really sustainable programmes of long term interest to the people.  They have started giving loans to private sector but no help to 
citizen groups. The WB President Mr Wolfensohn categrorically refused 
support to NGOs in our meeting with him. 

As Dr Heckler accepted that the ISWMP was interesting, would the ADB 
support NGOs to implement it to assure jobs as well as respect to  poor rag 
pickers who would lose all chance of living if the `burn all' comes up with the 
ADB support?  Philipines and all Asian, African and Latin American countries have sizeable population at `below the poverty line' level. The poor will ensure higher level of cleanliness and regard for environment and public health than 
the higher ups and `burn all' programmes.

In discussion with the ADB then,  I had drawn their attention to a number of road-expressway- programmes in the Western India which were likely to affect the environment.  The ADB officers in discussion with us first pleaded that the ADB was not involved with any assistance for expressways. Then they changed over to saying that expressway assistance was handled by another ADB Dept with which they have no connection.  In response to our persistent insistence, they were good enough to assure that they would contact us after consulting their colleagues.  This was in 1997.  We have not heard anything till today.  In the meantime, the expressway from Mumbai to Ahmedabad is fast coming up. In a patch of 60 km distance, the authorities cut down over 70,000 trees even 
before the road alignment was finalised.  Clear felling of 100 year old trees within 15 metre distance either side of present alignment took place.  Now the expressway, under construction, at some points pass through distances far 
off so fresh cutting of trees.   The Govt of India does not allow (it claims) 
cutting of trees in forests however they permit cutting when a project is 
backed by multilateral agencies. 

Can we not ask as to why it should support any project where the environment 
is affected and where finite natural resources are destroyed beyond redemption?
Would the ADB insist on involving people in projects itproposes to support?  
Can we not ask the ADB to evaluate viable alternatives from the point of burden on the people, susatainability, involvement of the poor in implementing the projects while considering and supporting wasteful state projects?   Is this 
system is carried out and full degree of transparency maintained, then `burn all' programmes will disqualify for  loans from them.   We all talk of transparency.   citizens have a stake in programmes and yet they are not involved.  Will the 
ADB ensure total transparency in its functioning as well as of borrowers with 
their citizens?  Easy liquidity of money emboldens the states to ask for more loans without realising that every loan is aburden on people and not on the politicians.   Best wishes for successful and effective discussion with the ADB President and his colleagues.

Kisan Mehta mailto:kisansbc at vsnl.com.

 .          




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: One-GAIA 
  To: csaro at forum.org.kh ; Berrie Straatman ; Paul Tobiason ; Miranda Yip ; Perry Yam ; thanal at md4.vsnl.net.in ; Madhumita Dutta ; Toxics Link Delhi ; ravig at de16.vsnl.net.in ; kisansbc at vsnl.com ; waste21 at chollian.net ; È«¼ö¿­ ; mannaza at hanmail.net ; Kim Eun-Kyung ; ÀÌ´ë¼ö ; Mageswari Sangaralingam ; laltin at hotmail.com ; mingma ; Asma Hussain ; priscy at edsamail.com.ph ; Sasanka Dev Disha ; manu gopalan ; azastigor at yahoo.com ; kpbb ; Nur Hidayati ; Koa Tasaka ; Kawana Hideyuki ; Ayako SEKINE ; QZG07170 at nifty.ne.jp ; rei-sato at hh.iij4u.or.jp ; Sonia Mendoza ; motherearth at surfshop.net.ph ; Planet Earth ; George Cheng ; g6438 at ms26.hinet.net ; Jian Zhi Chen ; mepu at pchome.com.tw ; Penchom Tang ; varoon at dialb.greenpeace.org ; Tara Buakamsri ; nbinh at nea.gov.vn ; Warren Snow ; Leslie B ; gaia.sec at surfshop.net.ph ; Mohan Mainali 
  Cc: Ann Leonard ; Neil Tangri ; marcia at essential.org ; Olinca Marino ; Bobby Peek ; Jindrich Petrlik ; Madhumita Dutta ; Von Hernandez ; Jim Puckett ; S. Altamira 
  Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 1:50 PM
  Subject: Urgent Info Request: ADB and Waste Incineration


  Dear Friends,

  Greetings from the GAIA Secretariat.

  We are pleased to inform you that Dr. Jorge Emmanuel will meet officials of the Asian Development Bank next week on 15 August 2001, 3:00 pm at the ADB Headquarters here in the Philippines. The meeting was initiated by the GAIA Secretariat and facilitated by the Partnership for Clean Air (an ADB-civil society forum).  We were informed this morning by a bank staff that Mr. Tadao Chino, ADB President, will probably attend the said meeting where Dr. Emmanuel is expected to make a presentation on non-burn approaches to waste management.

  Dr. Emmanuel, as some of you may know, is a US-based environmental consultant, chemical engineer and chemist specializing in the management of hazardous and bio-hazardous waste, including the testing and evaluation of medical waste treatment technologies.  He has been a consultant to Health Care Without Harm (a global coalition campaigning for environmentally responsible health care) and several hospitals and biomedical laboratories in the USA. He will be in the Philippines for a 5-day speaking engagement to discuss with health and environment officials, hospital administrators, facility managers and NGO activists about non-incineration medical waste disposal methods.  His trip is organized by Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

  We write to seek your URGENT ADVICE as regards issues and cases that we should raise to the attention of the ADB President and his colleagues. In particular, we need information pertaining to any ADB-assisted or funded waste incineration projects in Asia and the Pacific and what local communities and groups are saying about these projects.  We need the information by 11 AUGUST 2001 at the latest.  We apologize for the rush.  The meeting was only confirmed today. 

  Thank you for your immediate reply.

  Best wishes.

  --------------------------------------------------------
  Manny C. Calonzo
  GAIA Secretariat
  Unit 320, Eagle Court Condominium
  26 Matalino St., Barangay Central
  Quezon City, PHILIPPINES
  Tel. + 632 9290376
  Tel/Fax: +632 4364733
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