NEWS in brief
Global Highlights sector, gathering unprecedented support and featuring prominently in the international agenda.
Today, 32 Governments across the world have already signed up to the Campaign and committed to specific legal and policy measures to tackle marine plastic pollution. The length of their coastlines combined represents more than 40 % of the world total.
Over 10,700 individuals have signed up, volunteered and promoted actions to fight marine plastic litter around the world, through beach cleanups, responsible consumption initiatives and advocacy projects.
To spread its message, CleanSeas has kick started major institutional and private sector partnerships with the Volvo Ocean Race, the world’ s toughest sport competition, the World Associations of Zoos and Aquariums, gathering over 400 institutes around the world, and the Lonely Whale Foundation, a key advocate for the health of our oceans.
This is a great start, but there is so much more that we can do. Our goal is to have industrial plastics management improved, non-recoverable plastics phased out, and singleuse plastic significantly reduced by 2022. We can deliver only through the participation of supporters from all over the world.
We are all part of the problem; we can be all part of the solution.
Worker dies cleaning sewer pipeline at Mumbai’ s Sassoon Docks
A man died while cleaning a sewer pipeline at Sassoon Docks in Mumbai Port Trust( MbPT) on Tuesday. He was one of three workers who were in the process of cleaning the sewer pipeline when gas filled the chamber they were in. They all became unconscious and were rushed to St George Hospital. Sadly only two of them regained consciousness.
According to the Indian Express, locals have alleged that the death was due to negligence on the part of the contractor during the cleaning project. The publication quotes one, Krishna Pavle, a Shiv Sena coordinator who runs a fishing business at Sassoon Docks, as saying:
“ An art festival has been planned at the Docks next month, and since foreigners are expected, they are cleaning the area. However, no safety equipment like masks, gloves or coats were provided to the workers. While crores of rupees are sanctioned by the government for MbPT development, it is not being used to provide well-equipped machinery.”
The accident is being investigated by the authorities.
Sri Lanka issues RfP for desalination PPP at Hambantota
Sri Lanka Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade has issued a request for proposals( RfP) on a seawater desalination plant at Hambantota, in its Southern Province.
Sri Lanka is stepping up its desalination capacity with RfP for a publicprivate partnership project
The project is envisaged as a public-private partnership( PPP) contract with Sri Lanka’ s Board of Investment( BOI), which operates under the authority of the ministry.
The RfP calls for initial bids for investment, construction, and maintenance and operations over 50 years, of a 20,000 m3 / d seawater reverse osmosis plant, conveyance system, and associated works.
Two potential sites for intake have been identified near Hambantota Magampura Sea Port, about five kilometres from the proposed site of the plant. The area is connected to the national electricity grid with capacity of 5MVA.
A plot of 4.6 acres has been earmarked for the plant within Mirijjawila Export Processing Zone, whose current water demand is 2,000 m3 / d. Adjacent to the project site, about 15,000 acres is available to industry for development. At a pre-proposal meeting on 30 October 2017, BOI indicated that it will take 25 per cent of the produced water, and the developer will be required to find demand for the remaining capacity.
A rough guide to the cost of the project is $ 20 to $ 25 million.
The deadline for proposals is 15 January 2018. Source: desalination. biz
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • November- December 2017 11