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MOU signed
for Tirupur Water Supply Project, Tamil Nadu, India.
India�s first private integrated water and sewerage project, promoted by
the New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited (NTADCL) of Tamil Nadu,
India, has been initiated by an memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed
recently in Chennai between NTADCL and the partners of the Mahindra-Bechtel
Consortium. The MOU was signed during the Indo-U.S. Business Council
Meetings held in Chennai on January 20-21 in the presence of Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister Dr. Karunanidhi and the U.S. Ambassador to India Mr. Richard
Celeste.
US-AEP�s Technology Representative in Chennai, Sundaresan Subramanian,
has been tracking this infrastructure project since the onset. "The project
is expected to provide tremendous business opportunities for suppliers of
environmental products and services," he said. The consortium comprises
Mahindra Realty and Infrastructure Developers Ltd., a subsidiary of Mahindra
and Mahindra Ltd., Bechtel Enterprises Inc., and United Utilities
International of the U.K. NTADCL selected the consortium on the basis of
international competitive bidding process. The project has a planned capital
outlay of $330 million. It aims to supply 185 million liters of water per
day. The project will build a 55 km long pipeline from the river Cauvery,
about 350 km of water distribution network, raw water and sewerage treatment
plants, pumping stations, and conveyance facilities. The project will also
involve a 30-year BOT (build-operate-transfer) concession for water supply
and municipal sewage collection, primarily serving some 1,000 textile units
in Tirupur and adjacent rural areas.
Asia's
mayor's conference introduces new action plan.
The Mayor's Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit, a three-day conference and
technological exhibition in Honolulu, Hawaii, January 31-February 3, 1999,
was opened by keynote speaker Peter Kimm, executive director of US-AEP, one
of the co-sponsors of the event. Mr. Kimm detailed the environmental
problems associated with Asian urbanization, and US-AEP�s plans for engaging
in Asian urban issues. "Given the rapid urbanization that Asia faces," Mr.
Kimm said, "Asian cities now have the opportunity to be world leaders in
transforming the urbanization process and redefining the benchmark of what
we think of as the best cities." One of the major outcomes of the conference
was a Mayor�s Action Plan that made recommendations on finding solutions to
the environmental challenges facing urban areas across the Asia-Pacific
region. As Mr. Kimm said in his keynote address, "Our vision for urban
transformation is based upon encouraging fundamental changes in the way that
cities do business." For the full speech, visit our website at
https://www.usaep.org/speech/speech.htm.
Upcoming
Policy Forum to highlight P2.
On February 9, The Policy Group will host a "P2 Legislative Policy
Briefing." National Pollution Prevention Roundtable�s Deputy Director Warren
Weinstein and Ted MacDonald from EPA's Office of International Activities
will provide an overview of recent P2-policy training courses conducted in
Latin America. The briefing will cover how regulatory and non-regulatory
policy tools can be used to promote pollution prevention. This 12:00 p.m.
brown bag lunch session will be held on the 7th floor of 1720 I St. NW.
Seminar and
conference tackle waste in Philippines.
A seminar organized by the Water Environment Association of the
Philippines (WEAP) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF), "Wastewater
Treatment Process Design and Equipment Selection" on January 18-19,
attracted 80 practicing engineers and environmental managers. Mr. Al Goodman
of AWG Associates, Inc. led the seminar which highlighted technical insights
on the various types of wastewater treatment processes, equipment, and
system components. The seminar was funded by the National Association of
State Development Agencies (NASDA).
Another important forum in the Philippines was the Third Philippine
International Toxic and Hazardous Waste Congress, held January 27-28 in
Manila. The focus of the congress was on the practical applications of
treatment, remediation (soil and water), minimization of toxic and hazardous
wastes, and cleaner production initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. It
likewise aimed to provide the participants with the approaches to effective
management of toxic and hazardous wastes in light of the prevailing Asian
financial crisis. US-AEP had an exhibit booth at the congress, displaying
materials on clean technologies and green pages and answering questions
involving U.S. technologies.
Follow up
on trade mission shows success.
Following up on some Arizona companies that participated in a Council of
State Governments (CSG)-sponsored trade mission to the Philippines last
August (reported in the 8/24/98 Update) has shown that the eight
companies have either made sales, started relationships with local
companies, or are in the process of submitting proposals for projects. Among
the most immediately successful were FM Mark Electronics and Zeta
Corporation. FM Mark Electronics made sales of over $14,000 while in the
Philippines and has pending sales of over $25,000. Zeta Corporation has not
only made sales but created three new positions at the company partially
attributable to the mission. Dr. Mike Pitts of Zeta indicated that he found
the meeting with the Semiconductor Electronics Industry Foundation (SEFI)
particularly rewarding. Several companies have returned to the Philippines
since the initial trade mission to further develop ties with local companies
and governmental agencies.
US-AEP/Korea recognized for trade lead success.
On January 26, the staff of the US-AEP/Korea office each received a
Certificate of Appreciation signed by Peter Kimm, executive director of
US-AEP, and Dolly Harrod, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department
of Commerce, in recognition for obtaining 1,000 environmental trade leads
for U.S. exporters. The certificates were awarded to the staff by the U.S.
Ambassador to Korea. The US-AEP/ Korea office was opened in 1993, and during
its five-year presence has played a significant role in getting U.S.
environmental technologies, services, and equipment recognized in the Korean
environmental sectors. US-AEP/Korea expects another successful year in 1999
and we send them our congratulations.
Study tour
to examine environmental benefits of industrial estates.
In an on-going effort to promote environmental planning and development
of industrial estates, US-AEP has planned an invitation-only workshop for
senior policy-makers in Tagaytay, Philippines, March 3-5. Workshop attendees
will have an opportunity to share their policy and planning experiences and
document case studies. Following the workshop, an Asian delegation will
present these cases and conclusions at Future 500's Industrial Ecology IV
conference in San Jose, California, April 31-May 2. This conference will be
one stop along a U.S. industrial estates study tour led by the Environmental
Exchange Program (EEP), which will run April 26-May 7. For more information,
please contact Jennifer Crawford at Tel. 202-326-7717 or Mary Wong at Tel.
202-326-7716. The Policy Group has posted its newest article, "Developing
Industrial Estates in Asia-Pacific Region: Is There Room for the
Environment?" to the US-AEP website:
https://www.usaep.org/policy/paper9.htm. |
