PUVeP News

Report from the International Conference on Sustainable Sanitation

Following is the travel report by Aggie Student Michael Z. Nuesca, who presented his special problem study "Effect of Vermciomposting on the Presence of Helminth Ova in Human Faeces" at the “International Conference on Sustainable Sanitation – Eco-Cities and Villages” in Dongsheng, Erdos, Inner Mongolia, China from August 26-31, 2007.

"I was thinking: just share. Share what you know. I don’t have to know everything. Just share what you know. I was in an international flight on my way to Hong Kong and in several days, I would be presenting my research on vermicomposting to an international delegation of doctors, professors and government officials. I had mix feelings thinking about it. I don’t know if I’d be nervous or be excited considering that this trip could surely offer many first for me. First on the list is that it was my first time to be out of the Philippine archipelago. Second was this huge plane with my own TV in my seat. The list goes on...

Not several months ago, all I cared about when I made the study was completing my thesis requirement. I realize now I was blessed when I took the chance and grabbed the opportunity allowed by Dr. Robert J. Holmer to do a study in partnership with the Peri-Urban Vegetable Project regarding vermicomposting in relation to ecological sanitation impacts, although at the time, I didn’t fully appreciate the subject quite yet. In fact, even, it was only in the conference I realized how big a deal ecological sanitation is. I mean, it was only then that I recognized that many big thinkers, agriculturists, community leaders and organizers from different countries have engaged in the pursuit of developing and focused on this field of study. The government of China and in fact the district that sponsored the event is so serious with their ecological sanitation programme, for example, that they established a fully functional town model that is compliant with ecological sanitation guidelines. The conference was essentially a consortium of researches and update reports of the status and application of eco sanitation programmes in different countries.

The international conference on sustainable sanitation was held in Dongsheng which is actually an urban district in the Erdos Plateau in Inner Mongolia of northern China. There were more than a two hundred participants from different Asian, African and European nations, many of whom hardly spoke English. Translators were frequently employed in the presentations and seminars so that all participants could understand each other.

The presentation of research studies and reports were done on a three-day period. Because the topics under discussion varied and there were numerous studies, the reporting was categorized and was done in designated rooms and schedule. Pretty much, it was the participant’s choice which room to go into and whose presentation to see depending on the preferred topic. I was able to attend to presentations of update reports in India, a discussion of public acceptability of sanitation programmes, among others.

I was scheduled to present on the third day so I had time to observe and see other presentations and generally get the feel of it and prepare myself so by the time I was to present, the tension had pretty much dissipated. The environment was actually very warm and made one feel comfortable with sharing one’s ideas. There were fifteen people who came in when I presented my study, several of whom came up to me after the presentation to congratulate and give appreciation. When I went outside, there was this African leader who asked me when I would be presenting because he was interested in the study. When I told him, I was finished; he asked me if I could do it again one more time. He was of course kidding but I realized many people there wanted to see because they were wondering what this kid would be bringing to the table. I was the only teenager there. Most of the people there had doctorate degrees or were project and government leaders.

After the presentation of studies, we spent almost two days touring the treatment facilities and the Sweden-China Erdos Eco town project in Dongsheng. Erdos is actually a model town built in partnership with a private construction company under the EcoSanRes programme which involved the development of a new town with five-storey residential buildings, a nursery school and commercial centre. The now inhabited city is testament that it is possible to build and operate an urban community with sustainable approaches to sanitation, water use, solid water management and infrastructure. For example, all toilet systems of the buildings were specially made where the urine stored in these buildings are collected under ground brick and cement tanks and subsequently used in local agriculture. Faeces, composted and sanitized with house hold in the onsite eco-station for reuse as soil improvement.

The organizers of the event really did a masterful job. The trip was fully paid by the organizers and we had superb accommodations in Dongsheng. Of course, there were unexpected things that came up along the trip like an unexpected flight delay in Beijing which led me to be a part of a protest done by the mostly Chinese passengers who were delayed with me. One Chinese lady suddenly stood on a chair and shouted things and the passengers shouted in response. Even though, I can’t understand them, I joined in also but later on I realized I had to find somebody who spoke English. Fortunately, I heard several Indian guys who were talking about Dongsheng so I approached them and found out they were professors who were presenters themselves. We were housed on a hotel in Beijing for a night.

When we arrived in Dongsheng, we were welcomed by a horde of lady dancers dressed in red dresses. There were lined like a platoon in an open field. I thought then, this could be grand. And it was. We were housed on the first-class hotel in Dongsheng, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, where I had a big room complete with the amenities for myself. The food was also fabulous. For starters, the menu was not folded boards but a book! My first meal there, I shared tables with Mr. Ian Caldwell, one of the organizers. He explained that real Chinese eating required that you have fast hands because the food would go around and it won’t stop for you. You would have to get something as they pass by and after several minutes, they replaced the food in the table with different meals. While eating, we were also entertained by musical presentations and on the opening and closing dinners, a special dance drama was presented complete with costumes and all. It was grand.

More importantly, the people that came there were great. Even though they were accomplished researchers or seasoned leaders, they take time to listen and mingle with you. They were also very generous with their advices and insights as well as offers of scholarship, trips, etc. One professor said I should come by his home at Brazil if I happen to be in Rio de Janeiro. Another offered support for masteral studies. One advice which I was fortunate to hear was from a project leader of an Ecosan program, Professor Taj. He said, once I go back to my home place, if I want to do something for the environment, a project or whatever, not to think that it is too small, too localized to make an impact because all things in the world are related no matter how small. Promoting sanitation in our localities through small-scale efforts affects the bigger community eventually. In his words, “act locally but think globally”.

I think that is the essence of the sharing of ideas and experiences that we did in the conference. We all want a better place to live in but we need a concerted effort to achieve our goals and these efforts could only guided by the sharing of prior experiences and learned mistakes and useful recommendations that is gathered from multi-sectoral, multi-cultural sources. In some way, even though I may have been the only undergraduate there, and certainly the youngest, I am glad I shared..."

Back 12.09.2007.