World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Centre for the Promotion of Environmental Planning and Applied Studies (PEPAS) : summary of 1984 activities

-- - - - - WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION WESTERN PACIFIC REGIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PROMOTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND APPLIED STUDIES (PEPAS) SUMMARY OF 1984 ACTIVITIES Printed and distributed by the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Centre for the Promotion of Environmental Planning and Applied Studies (PEPAS) P. O. Box 12550 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia August 1985 \ -- CONTENTS INTRODUCT ION •••• ' ••••..•••..•••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••.• 1 DIRECT NATIONAL TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES •••••••••••••• 2 GROUP EDUCATIONAL ACTIV ITIES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 2 - INFORMATION SERVICES •• ~ •••••.•.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 3 PROMOTION OF APPLIED ST~DIES .•.••••••••••••• :................. 4 PEPAS COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES •••••.••••••••• 4 - PEPAS COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, MALAYSIA (UPM) " .. ,,"" .~.""""""" ...... """"""""""""""" .. " .... ,, ...... """" .. ,, 5 UNEP/WHO GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEM (GEMS) PROJECTS. " " " " " " " " " .. " .... " .......... " " " .. " " " " .. " " " ............ " " ........ " " .. " " " " " " 6 - PEPAS DOCUMENTS AND PAPERS •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 7/8 SUMHARY OF 1983 PEPAS ACTIVITIES •••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•• 7/8 ANNEX 1 CURRENT PEPAS STAFF .••••••••••••••••••••••.••••••••• 9/10 - ANNEX 2 PEPAS TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES AT NAT lONAL LEVEL IN 1984 •••••••••••••••••••.••••••.• 11 ANNEX 3 LIST OF SELECTED PEPAS TECHNICAL REFERENCE DOCUMENTS ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 13 - - ... - - - SUMMARY OF 1984 PEPAS ACTIVITIES Introduction The WHO Western Pacific Regional Centre for the Promotion of Environmental Planning and Applied Studies (PEPAS) completed its sixth year of operation in 1984 with emphasis on support for major WHO environmental health programmes such as the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (IDWSSD) and diarrhoeal diseases control. During the year, the Centre continued to carry out its functions of providing technical cooperation services to Member States of the WHO Western Pacific Region to promote the development of national environmental policies and planning capabilities, education and training of environmental health manpower, exchange of environmental information emphasising human health and well-being, the development of national food safety programmes and food legislation, the formulation of protocols for food inspection and analysis, and the identification and adaptation of appropriate technology in the field of environmental health. Several changes took place over the year. One was the initiation of a project at PEPAS specifically to provide technical advisory services on IDWSSD activities in the Region. Through the additional resources provided by this project, a sanitary engineer has been assigned to PEPAS since February 1984 to provide technical cooperation services to Member States on subjects related to the IDWSSD. In addition, the post of PEPAS Air Quality Management Adviser was filled in February 1984 after being vacant for almost three years. The Environmental Planner staff member was reassigned to the Regional Office for the Americas in June leaving the post vacant for the rest of the year. A list of current PEPAS staff members (as at August 1985) is given in Annex 1. More efforts were applied to the development of a regional environmental information system and to the promotion of applied \ -2- studies. Following a visit to several institutions involved in the development and operation of information systems in Asia and Europe by the PEPAS Environmental Systems Engineer early in the year, the Centre has initiated a user-oriented information system development programme. For the promotion of applied _studies, the Centre started a joint study with the University of Agriculture, Malaysia on the simple hydrogen sulphide method for possible microbiological screening testing of rural drinking water supplies. Preparatory work was also undertaken to develop a simple water chemical test kit ~n collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Malaysia. l~ese are 1n addition to the Centre's involvement in rural water treatment. Direct national technical cooperation activities During 1984, PEPAS provided technical cooperation to a total of twenty four activities carried out in collaboration with national agencies, research/teaching institutions and local governments ~n eight countries or areas of the Region. Such collaborative activities included the investigation of contamination of water supply systems, assessment of a national air quality monitoring programme, review of a national environmental policy, development and training of manpower for environmental pollution control and a review of the formulation of a national work plan on the control of toxic chemicals and hazardous substances. PEPAS staff members also made technical field visits to China, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam to examine the type and scope of technical cooperation which could be implemented in future. Several project possibilities were identified through these visits and some of these are currently being examined for possible follow-up. A complete list of cooperative activities is given in Annex 2. ~ose initiated but not completed in 1984 are not included in the list. Group educational activities In fulfillment of its function to develop environmental health manpower in Member States, PEPAS collaborated in the organization and conducting of seven national group educational activities held ... ... -3- 1n China, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. A list of these activities is included in Annex 2. About 400 participants attended these group educational activities which were largely oriented towards achieving the goals of the IDWSSD. In addition, PEPAS convened a Regional Workshop on Environmental Health Planning in Kuala Lumpur which was attended hy fourteen participants from eleven countries or areas of the Region. Three official observers and a number of unofficial observers from Malaysia also attended the workshop. The workshop reviewed principles and approaches in environmental health planning and provided a forum for participants to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of successful environmental planning approaches in order to gain insight into the conflicting issues in environmental planning and measures to resolve them. PEPAS also collaborated in the organization and conducting of two national courses on food sanitation in Palau. Eighteen managerial staff of restaurants, hotels and school kitchens participated in the course for managerial staff and 52 food handlers of similar food establishments participated in the course for food handlers which proved useful in increasing the understanding by participants of food sanitation and in motivating them to conduct further studies in that field. Information services As one of the functions of PEPAS is to serve as a regional information and reference centre in environmental health sciences and sanitary engineering, the Centre has continued to provide technical information services either in response to requests from institutions or individuals or through the distribution of technical publications prepared by WHO and some other United Nations agenc1es. In 1984, a programme development strategy was drawn up with the aim of intensifying the Centre's activities 1n its information service programm~ including a collaborative activity with the University of Agriculture. Malaysia. to develop an environmental information system. -4- A PEPAS staff member visited various agencies involved in information system development, especially related to community water supply and sanitation programmes, to examine the information management programmes currently being implemented and to discuss possible areas for future collaboration. Promotion of applied studies The emphasis in the promotion of applied studies in environmental health was on the development of. appropriate technology especially in relation to the IDWSSD programme. A joint study with the University of Agriculture, Malaysia on the various aspects of using the presence of hydrogen sulphide after appropriate incubation as a screening test of microbiological quality of drinking water was initiated in September. The method is simple, cheap and easy to use, dispenses with the need for an incubator and is especially suitable for rural areas ~n developing countries. Studies on the method in the Philippines and Solomon Islands have already given promising results. Preparatory work was initiated for a collaborative project with the Ministry of Health in Malaysia on the development of a simple field chemical test kit using locally manufactured reagents as well as the major, if not all, parts of the kit itself. The kit would use colorimetric methods in most cases and could be operated by personnel with a minimal amount of training. The results of these studies, if successful, could be of regional significance. PEPAS collaboration with international agencies PEPAS continued to maintain its relations with other international agencies involved in environmental health activities, e.g. the International Reference Centre for Community Water Supply and Sanitation (IRC), the United Nations Environment Programme -. -. -. - - -. -. -. -. -5- (UNEP), the Environmental Coordinating Unit of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), by exchanging information or publications on activities of mutual interest and exploring areas in which future collaboration might be possible. A meeting was held in October between the UNDP Regional Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei and PEPAS staff at the PEPAS Centre to discuss the coordination of activities of mutual interest. A PEPAS staff member attended the Second Consultative Meeting on Research and Training Institutions in the South Pacific Region organized by SPREP and held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in January. The Third Meeting of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) organized by the UNEP Regional Seas Activity Centre and held in Genting Highlands, Malaysia in April was also attended by a PEPAS staff member. In August, a PEPAS staff member attended the Tenth WEDC Conference on Water and Sanitation in Asia and the Pacific held in Singapore. PEPAS staff collaborated with the Bureau of Food and Drugs, Ministry of Health, Philippines, to formulate a draft project proposal for the construction and equipment of the food and drug laboratories utilizing Japanese grant-in-aid under bilateral technical cooperation including the formulation of the yearly plan of the food safety programme (1985-1990). PEPAS collaboration with University of Agriculture, Malaysia (UPM) Being located in the University's campus, collaboration between PEPAS and the University is facilitated. PEPAS staff collaborated with the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies of the University to develop and present a '. -6- lecture ser1es on environmental information system-related subjects. Another activity carried out with this Faculty was 10 the field of simple water treatment methods for rural areas. The main interest is on pretreatment of raw water for slow sand filtration. As noted previously, the University is colla~orating in a joint study of a simple test for water quality using the presence of hydrogen sulphide bacteria as an indicator of microbiological contamination. The University library has started developing a joint environmental information system with PEPAS which will hopefully serve the needs of the University's academic staff and students as well as the needs of PEPAS. UNEP/WHO Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) Project~ The GEMS projects on a1r and water quality monitoring, food contamination monitoring and the pilot projects on assessment of human exposure to air pollutants and to pollutants through biological monitoring went on through the year with PEPAS coordinating these projects at the regional level. Three publications prepared for the GEMS water quality monitoring project by the Global Data Centre, namely the GEMS/Water Data Evaluation Report, GEMS/Water Data Summary 1979-1981, and the GEMS/Water Directory of Participating Institutions were distributed to participating agencies in the Region. A PEPAS staff member participated in a meeting to review the operation of the GEMS air quality monitoring project, which was held in London 1n June. During the year, WHO Headquarters published a booklet on the analysis of the 1973-1980 GEMS air quality monitoring data, copies of which have been distributed to participating agencies in the Region. -- -. -. -. -. - - -7/8- PEPAS documents and papers Twenty-four assignment reports, one regional workshop report and one technical document were produced by PEPAS during the year. A list of PEPAS technical documents produced up to December 1984 is given in Annex 3. A comprehensive list of technical papers and reports produced by PEPAS is available on request. Summary of 1983 PEPAS activities For the first time, a document was published to summar1ze the annual activities of PEPAS. It is anticipated that such a document will be produced on an annual basis and may be expanded into an annual report in the future. -- - - - - - - Mr Somnuek Unakul Technical staff (in alphabetical order) Mr B. Fisher Dr P. Guo Dr W. Kreisel Dr H. Nakamura Hr S. Yoshimotol (under recruitment) Administrative staff Hs V. Hay Programme support staff Ms Y. M. Tan -9/10- CURRENT PEPAS STAFF (as at August 1985) Director Decade Engineer ANNEX 1 Water Quality Management Adviser Air Quality Management Adviser Environmental Systems Engineer Food Hygiene and Safety Officer Environmental Planner Administrative Officer Special Assistant lpresently based in the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, Manila, Philippines '. .- - - -. - - -. - 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. -11- ANNEX 2 PEPAS TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES AT NATIONAL LEVEL IN 1984 Activity PEPAS STCI assignment on environmental impact assessment of coastal land reclamation, Republic of Korea Staff assignment to Papua New Guinea to discuss possible technical collaboration betwen PEPAS and concerned Government agencies Staff assignment on housing sanitation, Philippines National workshop on drinking water quality monitoring and surveillance, Philippines Staff assignment on air quality monitoring, Malaysia Pre-course visit for national training course on microbiological techniques for monitoring treatment of nightsoil, China National seminar on environmental planning, China Field visit on food safety inspection protocol and training courses on food sanitation for food handlers and managerial staff, the Republic of Palau. National seminar on industrial wastewater management, Republic of Korea Technical visit on Water Decade programme development, Republic of Korea STC assignment on review of environmental policy, Malaysia Date 9 January - 8 March 16-20 January 31 January - 30 March 11-28 March Intermittently from April to December 6-12 May 18 May - 2 June 28 May - 30 June 13 - 24 June 25 - 29 June 3 August - 17 September 1 STC; Short-term consultant , -12- Activity 12. Staff assignment on development and training of manpower for environmental pollution control (Phase 1), Republic of Korea 13. Review of food sanitation administration, legislation and laboratories, Philippines 14. Technical visit on Water Decade programme development, Viet Nam 15. STC/Staff assignment on the development of a national hazardous and toxic waste control work plan (Phase 1), Philippines 16. Staff assignment on drinking water contamination, Kiribati 17. Staff assignment on presentation of lectures at State-level course on drinking water quality surveillance, Seremban, Malaysia 18. Staff assignment on presentation of lectures at State-level course on drinking water quality surveillance, Kota Baru, Malaysia 19. Staff assignment on drawing up of the drafting instructions in respect of the draft food sanitation legislation, Papua New Guinea 20. National training course on drinking water quality monitoring and surveillance for the control of diarrhoeal diseases, China 21. National tra1n1ng course on micro- biological teChniques for monitoring treatment of nightsoil, China 22. Technical visit on programme development, China 23. STC assignment on legislation of noise control, Malaysia 24. Staff assignment on development and presentation of lecture series on environmental information system related subjects at the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies, University of Agriculture, Malaysia Date 23 August - 13 October 4 September-3 October 5 - 14 September 24 September - 5 October • 3 October - 7 November 15 - 17 October 27 - 31 October 25 October - 15 November 29 October - 2 November 9 - 24 November 9 - 18 November 28 November - 19 December Intermittently during 1983 and 1984 , -., -- - - - - -13- ANNEX 3 LIST OF SELECTED PEPAS TECHNICAL REFERENCE DOCUMENTSl 1. PEPAS INFORMATION DOCUMENT. Document describing various UNEP/WHO projects within the framework of the global environmental monitoring system (GEMS), 1980. 2. A REVIEW OF MEASUREMENT METHODS FOR ESTHIATING DIESEL SMOKE EMISSIONS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES, 1981. 3. PLANNING FOR CONTROL OF EMISS IONS FRO~I MOTOR VEHICLES, 1981. A collection of papers presented at the WHO(~EPAS)/UNEP Bi-regional Workshop on Planning for Control of Emissions from Hotor Vehicles held in Kuala Lumpur from 10 to 14 November 1980. 4. pRELIMINARY ASSESSNENT OF LAND-BASED SOURCES OF POLLUTION IN EAST ASIAN SEAS. Full report. Prepared by PEPAS for UNEP Regional Seas Programme, 1981. 5. pRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF LAND-BASED SOURCES OF POLLUTION IN EAST ASIAN SEAS. Summary Report. Prepared by PEPAS for UNEP Regional Seas Programme, 1981. 6. ~~NUAL ON AIR QUALITY MONITORING AND CONTROL, 1981. 7. INDUSTRIAL AND HAZARDOUS WASTE CONTROL, 1983. A collection of selected papers presented at the WHO Regional Seminar on Industrial and Hazardous Waste Control held in Kuala Lumpur from 4 to 8 October 1982. 8. FOOD SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICES IN THE WHO weSTERN PACIFIC REGION,_AlJGUST 19B3. 9. PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY LEAKAGE AND WASTAGE CONTROL. A collection of papers presented at the WHO Regional Workshop on Public Water Supply Leakage and Wastage Control held in Singapore from 12 to 17 December 1983. 10. NOISE CONTROL LEGISLATION AND POLICY IN COUNTRIES AND AREAS OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC, December 1984. Documents specially prepared for reference purposes or representing a collection of selected technical papers presented at regional/interregional group traininp activities.