SEAS IN ASIA, NORTH-WEST PACIFIC AND WEST AFRICA AT HIGHEST RISK FROM LAND-BASED POLLUTION

SEAS IN ASIA, NORTH-WEST PACIFIC AND WEST AFRICA

AT HIGHEST RISK FROM LAND-BASED POLLUTION

UNEP Calls on Governments to Back

Wastewater Emission Targets as Key Step to Cleaning Up Seas

AMSTERDAM/NAIROBI (UNEP), 3 October -- The coastal habitats, fisheries, marine wildlife and the people of the Asian, North-West Pacific and West African sea regions are the most threatened in the world from untreated sewage discharged into coastal waters.

A report, detailing the global threat to coastal populations and the environment from untreated sewage discharges, has been prepared by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in response to a target on sanitation agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

It will assist the UNEP Regional Seas Programmes in taking appropriate action to contribute to achieving the WSSD target.  This aims, by the year 2015, to halve the number of people that have no access to basic sanitation services.  Almost 40 per cent of the world population lives in coastal areas, less then

60 kilometres from the shoreline.

Studies show that over 800 million people, or 40 per cent of the unserved population in coastal countries, are living in the South Asian Seas region.  They have no access to basic sanitation services, putting them at high risk from sewage-related diseases and death.

It also means that the level of untreated domestic wastes being discharged into South Asia's coastal waters are likely to be the highest in the world, increasing the risk of shellfish contamination and the chance of toxic, algal blooms poisoning fish and wildlife.

Precious habitats, such as South Asia's coral reefs, are likely to be under increased stress as a result of the high levels of nutrients and suspended solids linked with the discharges.

The report, to be unveiled today, shows that the second most vulnerable region is the seas of East Asia.  Here, 515 million people, or 25 per cent of the un-served population in coastal countries, are without access to proper sanitation

services, followed by the seas of the North-West Pacific where 414 million people have no access to basic sanitation systems.

The sea areas with the highest provision of sewage treatment, and thus the lowest threat to the health of coastal waters, include the North-East Atlantic and the Arctic.  Here, only a few people are ranked as being without proper sanitation services.

Klaus Töpfer, UNEP's Executive Director, said:  "Lack of adequate sanitation has been emerging as one of the biggest threats to human health.  It is estimated that the global economic burden due to ill-health, disease and death related to the pollution of coastal waters is running at $16 billion a year.

"But this is also an environmental issue affecting the health of coastal waters, coastal wildlife and coastal habitats while impacting the livelihoods of fishermen and the tourist industry.  An urgent effort is needed to reduce the risks by harnessing the will and finances of governments, local authorities, affected communities, business and industry.  At the recently held WSSD, which closed on 4 September, nations agreed to halve the number of people without access to sanitation services by 2015 and back this up with increased funding", he said.

Wastewater Emission Targets Needed?

"This new study highlights the regions where our efforts are most urgently needed.  One way of doing this is to set realistic but ambitious wastewater emission targets (WET), echoing those that have been developed in many parts of the world for emissions of toxic chemicals and noxious gases from power stations and factories", added Mr. Töpfer.

"These, linked to a timetable when the targets should be met, will allow us to tackle this scourge once and for all so that current and future generations can have access to safe, healthy drinking water and enjoy coastal areas free from contaminated bathing waters and polluted natural resources", he said.

Cees van de Guchte, Senior Programme Officer responsible for the Strategic Action Plan on Municipal Wastewater of UNEP's Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA), which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, said:  "We have to consider wastewater emission targets as instruments for prioritization, resource allocation and progress reporting towards achieving the global targets agreed upon at the WSSD in Johannesburg.  One additional target, which we believe is do-able at the global level, is to have a minimum of 20 per cent of coastal cities implementing sustainable and environmentally sound water supply and wastewater treatment systems by 2012.  This can be met using alternative technological, infrastructure, managerial and financial approaches to traditional large-scale investments, paying due attention to operation and maintenance costs and to equitable water service pricing.

"The ultimate goal is to provide safe drinking water and proper sanitation to all the world's people by 2025.  Some experts estimate that this would cost $180 billion a year:  two to three times more than present investments in the water sector.  It may seem high, but the benefits in terms of disease reduction and dramatic environmental improvements to the coastal and marine environment are also high", he said.

The report notes that in many developing parts of the world, rising populations are overwhelming the increased levels of sanitation coverage and wastewater treatment.  For example in the South Asian Seas region, access to improved sanitation during the period 1990 to 2000 has benefited 220 million people.  But during that period the population grew by 222 million, leaving

825 million still without access to acceptable sanitation systems and thousands of miles of coastline vulnerable to pollution.  In the East African region, the numbers unserved even doubled over the last decade, to 19 million people having no access to basic sanitation.

Mr. Van de Guchte said that in some places wastewater treatment systems, mirroring those in place in Europe and the United States, might be needed.  However, numerous alternative, low-cost techniques also exist.  These include dry sanitation and natural sewage filtering systems, such as ponds, reed beds and mangrove swamps, and possibilities for re-use and refilling of groundwater reservoirs.

"This can give the environment a double-benefit:  many mangrove swamps and reed beds, important habitats for wildlife such as birds and fishes, are being cleared and drained for agriculture and other activities.  If more people are aware of their use as 'natural' wastewater treatment systems, then more will be conserved for their economic and health benefits as well as for their importance for nature and wildlife", he said.

For more information, please contact:  Eric Falt, Spokesperson and Director of the UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information, in Nairobi, on tel: +254-2-623292, e-mail: eric.falt@unep.org or Nick Nuttall, UNEP Head of Media, on tel: +254-2-623084, mobile: +254-733-632755, e-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org

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