AUICK News

CONTENTS

1. Associate City (AAC) News
2. International News

1. Associate City (AAC) News

North-western Bangladesh was hit by a severe cyclonic storm, SIDR, on 15 November, 2007. With wind speeds of 240 km per hour and storm surges, it claimed the lives of around 3,500 people, and caused huge loss of property. Fortunately for Chittagong, the cyclone just missed the city.

Chittagong itself experienced landslides during the heavy rainfall of the season on 11 June, 2007. Around 127 people were killed in the northern hilly wards of the city. Most of the low lying areas of the city were inundated by the tide as well as storm water, which caused considerable damage to property.

Six Chittagong NGOs marked International Right to Know Day, to 'ensure right to information to promote good governance'. Around the world, September 28 is celebrated as the International Right to Know Day to raise awareness about the right to information under the control of government institutions. The organizers observed that for reform initiatives to be effective, governments should enact a law ensuring the right to information as a precondition for empowerment of people and good governance (thedailystar.net).

In Weihai a series of activities were held to mark the 38th World Earth Day on April 22. The staff of Weihai Municipal Land and Resources Administration distributed information concerning environmental protection. World Earth Day is held on April 22 every year, with the intention of raising people’s awareness of environment protection (weihai.gov.cn).

Weihai will build 249 ecological civilized villages this year, according to the news from Weihai Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. At the beginning of this year, 152 villages were awarded the title of “Weihai Ecological Civilized Village” for the first time by Weihai Civilization Office, Weihai Agriculture Bureau and Weihai Environmental Protection Bureau.

In Chennai, a health campaign is underway to stop citizens smoking. 600 of the city’s rickshaw drivers are distributing anti-smoking pamphlets (indianngos.com).

Chennai Metrowater carried out pipeline work to take the water from Chembarambakkam treatment plant to the southern and central parts of the city through Porur. The 530-million liters per day capacity treatment plant at Chembarampakkam is also being built (hindu.com).

In Surabaya, the Japanese government will provide a grant worth US$85,288 or around Rp784 million to finance the renovation of badly damaged Sumur Welut III elementary school building.

The Surabaya stock exchange is to be combined with the Jakarta Stock Exchange, Indonesia's main stock bourse, to cut costs and provide more investment alternatives. The new bourse will be called the Indonesia Stock Exchange, according to a prospectus published in the Bisnis Indonesia newspaper, to boost trading in bonds after a decline in interest rates made it more attractive for companies to sell debt in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy (Bloomberg.com).

In Kuantan, school students have been encouraged to put on dramas in competitions on environmental protection, giving a twist to popular theater, as a platform to express their understanding of environmental protection and sustainability, and to develop more environmental consciousness (thestar.com.my).

Meanwhile, the Kuantan Municipal Council (MPK) has identified a 15ha spot as a new site to dispose of or recycle rubbish. The facility may cost in excess of RM 20 million, but 40% of the present waste could be recycled, and the equipment and technology used for recycling or compacting waste would be sourced locally. The Universiti Malaya arranged funding through a UN program on environment protection. The soil there can be developed as a public park in 10 years, and can be built upon in 20 years (thestar.com).

In Faisalabad, The City District Government Faisalabad has signed an agreement for the construction of 50 roads within 30 months, at a cost of Rs1 billion.

Also in the city, a 150-bed state-of-the-art cancer hospital will be constructed to provide complete diagnostic, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment and operation facilities for the patients.

To help dispose of 550 tons of solid waste every day, CDGF officials have outlined a Rs600 million project to improve solid waste management in the district. An awareness campaign is also to be launched to educate people regarding solid waste management (dawn.com).

In Olongapo, the local government has allocated some P9.3 million for its flood control projects to reduce floods in one of the city’s biggest barangay, Santa Rita, which is hit by high floods yearly. The floods damage properties and sometimes force residents to flee their homes for the evacuation sites. The money will go toward rehabilitation and construction of drainage systems, and construction of new roads.

Also in the city, the Olongapo City Disaster Management Office (OCDMO) successfully defended its title by winning the First Aid Regional Olympics held in Tarlac, for the second time. The 16-man RP team is composed of both the Olongapo City Disaster Management Office Rescue Team and Subic Bay Metropolitan rescue team, and will be heading for Singapore for the third Asean Regional Disaster Simulation Exercise (Manila Times).

Earlier in the year, Khon Kaen University hosted the International Symposium on Agricultural, Food and Biological Engineering and Post Harvest/Production Technology for researchers, academics, professionals and entrepreneurs/practitioners to disseminate new knowledge and technology.

Next year the city will host the 12th International Conference on Integrated Diffuse Pollution Management from 23-25 August, to deal with issues related to the deterioration of natural resources and environmental pollution caused by Globalization and rapid economic growth.

Danang celebrated World environment day, with the theme ‘Ice Melting - a hot issue’, on 5 June with communities around the world, as an event to promote awareness of environmental issues. The Danang Peoples Committee helped organize a meeting for 4000 young people, soldiers and students to mark the event.

Danang Chairman, Tran Van Minh, said he hoped residents would continue the city’s “Green–clean– beautiful” movement (danang.gov.vn), to become fully environmentally friendly by 2020, creating a harmonious relationship between the business and environmental sectors and pave the way for the city’s sustainable development in the future (Vietnam News). 

Also in the city, a new administrative Center is being built to house all municipal administrative units, and there are plans for a bridge over the Han River to replace two existing structures. The bridge will link the trading center, Danang airport and Tien Sa Port (Viet Nam News).

The city is also spending VND 134 billion (USD 8.37 million) on port facilities to serve the North American Market, expanding since diplomatic ties were re-established in 1995 (Viet Nam News).

Japanese Woman Offers US$90,000
to Help Build a School in Danang City

Through the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Danang People’s Committee, Mrs. Kaoru Sugano, a resident of Kobe, Japan, has given Danang US$ 90,000 to build the Hoa Mi Nursery School.

The total area of the school and its outdoor recreational facilities covers 1,870 m², and each classroom is fitted with a toilet/washroom, following the requests of Mrs. Sugano. Although being a key school of the Lien Chieu district, Hoa Mi kindergarten was previously built on a small patch of land, and its old building was in a state of disrepair. Moreover, neither the classrooms nor the play area met the demands of the pupils. Lack of funding to build a new school had gradually turned into an urgent problem over the course of the last few years.

Building the new Hoa Mi Nursery School is of huge significance for the education of the children who live in the area, and it will meet the needs of the increasing number of children of workers in Lien Chieu industrial zones.

Mr. Huynh Su, teacher and Head of the Lien Chieu Education and Training Bureau happily stated: “In the coming school-year 2007-2008, teachers and pupils of Hoa Mi Nursery School will be very pleased to have a new school. On this occassion, on behalf of Lien Chieu Education and Training Bureau, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Mrs. Kaoru Sugano for the funding that she has most generously provided. I also hope that there will be more and more kind–hearted donors coming to Danang to help us with other necessary construction projects to help the community” (Dan Tri.com.vn).

The new Hoa Mi Nursery School

To TOP

2. International News

In July, 2007, the State of World Population 2007 report was published by UNFPA. The report showed that between 2000 and 2030, the urban populations of both Asia and Africa are set to double. Asia’s urban population will increase from 1.36 billion to 2.64 billion, and that of Africa will increase from 294 million to 742 million. Asia’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR), at 2.36, is half that of Africa (4.71), but close to twice that of Europe (1.43). Life expectancy figures in Asia are at 66.7 and 70.7 for males and females respectively, while in Europe the figures are 70.1 and 78.4, and in North America, 75.4 and 80.8.

‘Clean up the world weekend”, 14-16 September, 2007, started by an Australian volunteer group in 1989, is now marked yearly in 120 countries, by 25 million volunteers organizing events to promote the improvement of everyone’s living environment (cleanuptheworld.org).

In Japan, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Hino Motors, The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Nippon Oil Corporation (NOC) have started a joint project to commercialize ‘bio hydrofined diesel’ (BHD), a renewable diesel fuel produced by hydrogenating vegetable oil feedstock. This could be a feasible fuel alternative in the future, and further tests will be carried out (greencarcongress.com).

Another alternative energy source is being utilized in the Thailand. The source is ‘biogas’, pig’s manure concentrated in a collector, with wastewater added, and the resulting methane gas piped into kitchens for cooking fuel. In the province of Baan Mae Korn, one biogas collector is functional, three are being built, and nine are planned for 2007-2008 (UNDP Asia).

In New York, all taxi cabs will be gas-electric hybrid cabs by 2012. Drivers could save up to $20 per shift. According to Reuters, 375 taxis are hybrid now, 1,000 more will be by October 2008, and the rest of New York’s 13,000 taxi cabs will be by 2012, removing 30,000 gasoline-powered cars from the streets (hybridcars.com).

One of many new mechanisms launched that can instantly purify water is the Lifesaver Bottle. With a mini-filtration system inside which removes bacteria, parasites and viruses, it can purify 6,000 liters before the filter needs changing. The bottle turns polluted water into drinking water within seconds (lifesaversystems.com).

World ocean day 2007 fell on 8 June. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and a group of 14 partner organizations celebrated the day by marking the fifth anniversary of the United Nations Atlas of the Oceans (oceansatlas.org) (un.org/news).

According to the Bangkok Post, the third report by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in Bangkok stated that global emissions must start declining by the year 2015 to prevent the world's temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrialized levels.

A report from the Asian Development Bank, Millennium Development Goals: Progress in Asia and the Pacific 2006, states that the region is on track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but calls for more progress. The report states that China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are ‘moving ahead - making good progress and with a latest status better than average for the region’, and that India is ‘Catching up - making progress but their latest status is below the region’s average’. ‘Falling further behind’ - scoring negatively on both progress and latest status indexes’ - are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.