Promoting a healthy environment / by Paul H. Guo

Promoting a healthy environment JHI ealth problems related to the environment are on the increase in the Western Pacific Region. Because of this WHO established the Centre for the Promotion of Environmental Planning and Applied Studies (PEPAS) in 1979. Located near Kuala Lumpur, in Malay- sia, the centre's main task is to support the development of the national capabilities of member countries in the field of environmental health. During the first ten years of its existence, PEPAS has undertaken more than 300 national and regional assignments. These include com- munity water supply and sanitation, environmental planning, environ- mental impact assessment, housing sanitation, solid waste management, air and water quality management, toxic and hazardous substances man- agement, noise control, and food safety. The centre has also conducted training courses and workshops for about 5,000 participants, the majority of whom were staff members of national health and environmental agencies. Since the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade began in 1981, PEPAS has directed a large part of its efforts to the com- munity water supply and sanitation sector in 17 countries and areas. Training courses on drinking water quality surveillance were held in China, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. National workshops on similar subjects have taken place in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Fed- erated States of Micronesia, and Palau. Studies on community involvement in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines have made it possible to draw up national guidelines on com- munity participation in water supply and sanitation projects and to intro- duce these at national workshops. Information monitored by PEPAS showed that more than 46 million people in developing countries of the Region have gained access to water or sanitation facilities during the first seven years of the Decade. Urban coverage with sanitation facilities has 10 by Dr Paul H. Guo Acting Director, PEPAS WHO/WPRO risen from 75 to 92 per cent, and rural coverage from 55 to 63 per cent. Water supply coverage has increased from 71 to 77 per cent in urban areas and from 46 to 56 per cent in rural areas in the same period. Poor air quality in big cities and industrial zones is a serious problem in countries that are undergoing rapid Training courses on how to monitor the quality of water are regular activities for PEPAS, WHO's Centre for the Pro- motion of Environmental Planning and Applied Studies. Facing page: So too is practical training "in the field" on how to use and maintain hand-pumps. WORLD HEALTH, November 1989 industrialisation. In the Western Pacific, many of these countries have not yet developed effective control and abatement measures to improve air quality. In this regard, PEPAS has worked with China, Malaysia, the Phi- lippines and the Republic of Korea on various aspects of air quality manage- ment, and has carried out programme evaluations in Australia and New Zea- land. The centre is also studying how to reduce pollution in the ambient air, how to cut down indoor air pollution in countries where coal and biomass fuels are used, and how to initiate air pollution control programmes; it also looks into operation, repair and main- tenance of air monitoring equipment. In recent years, the demand for PEPAS setvices in the field of toxic and hazardous substances manage- ment has increased as countries have become more aware of the hazards caused by accidental spills and the mishandling of toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes. In Malaysia, for instance, PEPAS has collaborated in preparing a draft contingency plan for chemical accidents, and has partici- pated in developing a site-specific chemical emergency plan. Further cooperative work on toxic and hazard- ous waste management has been done in the Philippines, the Republic of Korea and T onga. The centre is plan- ning activities with a number of coun- tries to formulate guidelines on clinical waste disposal. Another big concern is food safety. This has involved strengthening national programmes for ensuring safe food, educating food handlers and promoting safe practices in the food industry. In the past ten years, PEPAS has provided a total of 45 staff or consultants to undertake assignments in various areas of food safety, includ- ing legislation, inspection, laboratory seiVices, and the training of managers and employees of food seiVice estab- lishments. In addition, the centre has convened two regional working groups on food safety which drew up recom- mendations for improving the food safety programmes of member states and WHO. Currently, greater emphasis is being placed on improving food safety habits in the home, and on including food safety in primary health care programmes. Information programme Each year, PEPAS responds to an average of 60 requests from member countries for information about various environmental health subjects. In addi- tion, it has set up an information programme to prepare and distribute information handbooks to interested agencies. Its library has quite a wide range of material on environmental health, and on-line computer access to international data bases is also available. •