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IETC will soon launch a project that seeks to develop a mechanism for identifying environmentally sound technologies (ESTs), in particular, for water quality management in freshwater resources, and to facilitate their adoption and application with effectiveness on a continuing basis. The Mekong River Basin area will be the staging ground for this search and for two reasons: (1) The Mekong River Basin poses a challenge for environment and sustainable development. The environmental impacts of development tend to have an overarching influence on water quality. The massive infrastructure developments that are in progress and under consideration as well as major expansion of irrigated agriculture have serious potential to further degrade water quality of the Mekong River. And, (2) The politics of water pollution are significant in that downstream nations will require that effective measures be taken in upstream nations so as to ensure an equitable transfer of unpolluted water. A two-level consultation process will be carried out by IETC to assess the need for, and steps required to implement, a programme that will promote the use of ESTs for improvement of water quality in the Mekong River Basin. On 14-16 November 2000, the first level of the consultation process will be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with representatives of the six (6) riparian governments - Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and China - along with representatives of donor governments, international NGOs and organizations with offices in Cambodia. The Mekong River Basin Commission Secretariat (MRCS), which is based in Phnom Penh, is co-organizing this meeting with IETC. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between IETC and MRCS in this regard. The second level meeting will be held on 20 November at the ESCAP building in Bangkok. ESCAP kindly agreed to host this meeting, which will include other UN agencies, international organizations and NGOs that are present in Bangkok. It is envisaged that the Regional Consultation will result in the following: (1) A list of identified and recommended ESTs for water quality management in the Mekong River Basin; (2) An initial agreement with the representatives of the riparian governments to develop a mechanism to tap and utilize regional expertise, skills and resources to implement the recommended ESTs on a sustainable basis; and (3) A publication on the results of the Regional Consultation. This project is a collaborative undertaking with MRCS in Cambodia and UNEP's Regional Office in Asia Pacific (ROAP) in Thailand. |
