Moncton, NB - Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission in partnership with United Nations-HABITAT have officially launched a new publication entitled “Global Atlas of Excreta, Wastewater Sludge, and Biosolids Management: Moving Forward the Sustainable and Welcome Uses of a Global Resource”.
To put the spotlight on sanitation, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. The goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to reduce by half the proportion of the 2.6 billion people without access to basic sanitation by 2015.
In order to advance the environmental agenda locally and globally, and in recognition of the fact that 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation, the GMSC in cooperation with UN-HABITAT created the Atlas, which was officially launched on September 8, 2008 at the IWA – World Water Congress in Vienna, Austria.
“It is my belief that this Atlas will make a major contribution in global efforts to treat wastewater and to manage the Sustainable Beneficial Uses of a Global Resource” said Dr. Graham Alabaster, Chief of the Water Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch of UN-HABITAT.
“The Atlas presents a clean picture of what’s happening with wastewater sludge and biosolids management in countries all around the world and we are very pleased to have participated in a leadership role to Move Forward the Global Environmental Agenda with this publication”, said Ronald J. LeBlanc, Chairman, of the GMSC.
Peter Mathews, the Chair of the Sustainable Organics Partnership of the United Kingdom, and a co-editor of the Global Atlas, along with Ronald J. LeBlanc and Roland Richard of the GMSC, comments as follows in a letter to the GMSC:
I am writing to you to express my pleasure and satisfaction with having worked with the Commission on ‘The Moncton Project ’.
The Commission has provided an excellent example of what it means to live and work in the ‘Global Village ’.
Amongst many needs and opportunities in the ‘Village ’, there are three which the Commission has provided exemplary leadership. These are – sharing knowledge and experience, caring for the environment, and managing waste- water.
The Atlas runs to 608 pages and chronicles excreta, wastewater sludge and biosolids management practices in 37 countries and regions throughout the world with reports on sanitation in 58 jurisdictions. They range from developing countries, with substantialportions of the population without access to modern plumbing or flush toilets, to developed countries with sophisticated treatment systems.
The idea for the creation of this Atlas originated at the global environmental IWA Biosolids Conference, Moving Forward Wastewater Biosolids Sustainability: Technical, Managerial, and Public Synergy” hosted by the GMSC in Moncton, in June 2007.
The preparation of this Atlas is the result of the dedicated efforts of a wide range of stakeholders from all regions of the globe. Their knowledge and expertise has been essential to the successful publication of this Atlas. Prepared by some of the world leading experts, the Atlas provides key insights and new thinking to mark the 2008 International Year of Sanitation.
“The environment is a never-ending issue and is everybody’s business. By paying proper attention to environmental issues, it assures that we have a healthy place to live and it also helps reinforce our area as an attractive, vibrant place in which to live, build or locate a business”, according to Mr. LeBlanc.
“The GMSC is also very proud to have officially opened in June its unique, leading edge composting facility making beneficial use of its compost products, which has been very well received by the public. Our system is considered as a leading example to others around the globe”, said Mr. LeBlanc.
The publication including a CD version of the publication is made available by the UN-HABITAT at no cost.
For more information contact: Roland P. Richard, P. Eng. Manager of Special Projects Greater Moncton Sewerage Commission Tel: 506-387-7977