Purpose

Wastewater treatment is essential but the process and product must be geared to the planned end-use. Too often in the developing world, the current situation is either no treatment (sewage into river or groundwater) or full three stage wastewater processing that is energy intensive, expensive and complex to maintain. Affordable and do-able wastewater treatment is needed. For this reason, the Second Hashimoto Action Plan (HAP 11) proposed to include "action on wastewater to protect human health, economic development and ecosystems while also alleviating growing water scarcity in many regions."

Currently ESCAP is implementing a program aimed at promoting development of eco-efficient water infrastructure since 2008 with financial support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), covering several developing countries, in which wastewater treatment by innovative approaches is being promoted for rehabilitation of rivers. Concurrently, national dialogues have also been promoted in several of these countries on specific issues that are of priority focuses of the corresponding countries. For this reason, the National Workshop for Malaysia, which was originally planned by the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has now been upgraded to a higher level workshop at either sub-regional or regional level.

In this connection and on the basis of recent consultation at the regional level, a Regional Dialogue on Wastewater Management in Asia is jointly being organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (and other Malaysian Partners). A major driver of this regional dialogue is the recent initiative on Wastewater Revolution in Asia of the Secretariat of the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB). ADB is a key partner in the regional meeting.

Objectives

• To further develop regional support for wastewater management in the Asia- Pacific countries
• To foster the networks required on the development of wastewater management in the Asia-Pacific countries
• To support UNSGAB's recent initiative on Wastewater Revolution in Asia
• To link ESCAP's current program on sustainable development, green growth and eco-efficiency to HAP II, en-route to MCED-6 in Astana, Kazakhstan

Presentations

• Key Note Address on "Wastewater Revolution"
  Arjun Thapan, Special Senior Advisor for Infrastructure and Water, Office of the President, ADB (15 June; Opening Session)
• Experiences and Conceptual Approach for Ongoing Activities on Wastewater Management [ PDF ]
  Anand Chiplunkar, Principal Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist (15 June; Session 1: Experiences and Conceptual approaches to wastewater management in Asia)
• ADB's Experience on Wastewater Management in the People's Republic of China [ PDF ]
  Jingmin Huang, Urban Development Specialist (16 June; Session 3: New Technology and Development Strategies towards achieving wastewater management revolution in Asia)
• ADB Statement [ PDF ]
  Anand Chiplunkar (16 June; Session 4: Dialogue on the way forward)

Organizers

The meeting is being organized by ESCAP and in cooperation with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (and other Malaysian Partners).

Participants

Apart from participants from selected countries, experts from Members of the UN Waters group and other international organizations including the following: AIT, ADB, Korea Water Forum, GWP, WWC, JWF, UNSGAB are expected to attend.