Bostwana: Tiffany’s target of protest for Bushmen’s right to water

Protestors outside Tiffany's store in London. Photo: Marc Cowan / Survival International

Supporters of tribal people’s rights demonstrated on 3 February 20010 outside Tiffany jewelry stores in London, Madrid, Paris, Berlin and San Francisco to protest the company’s support of Botswana government policies that provide water for wildlife but not for indigenous people on their ancestral lands. Demonstrators want Tiffany to stop all cooperation with the Botswana government until the Bushmen are allowed to exercise their right to water. The protests are being coordinated by Survival International; Bushman spokesman Jumanda Gakelebone stated: “Tiffany is supporting the government but ignoring the Bushmen. It should not be giving money to the government while we don’t have any water.”

In 2002 the government evicted the tribesmen from their land, which is part of a huge nature reserve. That action was overturned in 2006 by a High Court ruling that allows the Bushmen to remain, however the Botswana government has blocked the tribe’s access to their water borehole, forcing them to go outside of the reserve – a 500 km round trip – to get water.

The Bushmen were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and forbidden access to the water that has sustained them for centuries. In the mean time a tourist lodge with swimming pool, requiring new boreholes for water, has been built within the reserve.

Tiffany have told news agency Mmegi that “they remain as proud as ever in their funding of wildlife and other charity works in Botswana”. The Tiffany & Co. Foundation recently released US$ 500,000 towards the drilling and rehabilitation of 10 boreholes and pans in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) and a further four boreholes and pans in the nearby Khutse Game Reserve.

This grant is part of the Foundation larger programme to promote wildlife conservation as a source of sustainable economic development in Botswana. Together with the University of Pennsylvania, the Foundation is also building a facility for HIV/AIDS treatment at the Princess Marina Hospital in Botwana’s capital Gaborone.

On her first ever visit to Botswana, President of Tiffany Foundation Fernanda Kellog said: “I think water is precious. We are giving the wildlife the most precious thing, water. There is nothing more important we can do than help wildlife get water.”

Read more about Survivals’ campaign for the Botswsna Bushmen.

Source: Nancy Roberts, Care2.com, 04 Feb 2010 ; Survival, 03 Feb 2010 ; Mmegi Online, 05 Feb 2010

View EFeverde.com video of the protest outside the Tiffany store in London

Benin: cholera kills at least five, with scores infected

In Benin cholera has killed five people in the past two weeks in a rare dry-season outbreak.

Health officials detected the first cases of the diarrhoeal disease on 13 January 2010 in the town of Bonou – 90km east of the economic capital Cotonou – where 66 cases and four deaths were recorded up to 29 January 2010, according to the Health Ministry’s director of sanitation Laurent Assogba.

Three cases, one resulting in death, have also been recorded in Cotonou, he said.

Cholera generally spreads during the rainy season when flooding can contaminate water sources. The World Health Organization (WHO) says cholera in the dry season is uncommon but it does occur.

“Cholera is not transmitted only via water during heavy rains,” Aristide Roch Sossou of WHO-Benin told IRIN. “Foods [kept in unhygienic conditions] and dirty hands are also factors favouring cholera bacteria.”

He said studies are underway to identify the source and transmission mode of the bacteria in the latest outbreak.

“We have no evidence for the causes of cholera during dry season,” Geneva-based WHO cholera expert Claire-Lise Chaignat told IRIN. “It may well be that the vibrio germ is being introduced by contaminated people, or it could be present in boreholes.”

Benin’s Health Ministry is telling citizens to be extra vigilant. Anyone in and around Bonou with vomiting or diarrhoea “must go directly to a health centre”, Assogba said.

Health officials are also advising people to observe proper hygiene – including thoroughly washing hands and food.

In 2009 during the rainy season at least 70 people died of cholera in Benin, according to the Health Ministry.

Source: IRIN, 02 Feb 2010

Nigeria, Lagos: mini-waterworks handed over to communties

While commissioning the newly constructed two mini-waterworks at Magodo and Mende area of metropolitan Lagos last week, the state governor, Mr.Babatunde Fashola said eight of such mini-waterworks have been fully completed and on commissioning, they are capable of giving people of the state additional 30 million gallons of water daily.

According to the governor, the two mini-waterworks commissioned were part of the 15 such projects being undertaken by the state government to enable residents of Lagos get drinkable water on regular supply everyday. He said the completed eight among the 15 mini-waterworks will soon be handed over to the communities where they were sited.

The governor also said the new 15 mini water works in addition to providing 30 million gallons of water to the people of Lagos daily would also each come with five kilometer reticulation to aid the distribution of the water across the state.

On the government readiness and medium term plan of the for solving the problem of water supply in Lagos, Fashola said the Iju Waterworks and Adiyan water works with a capacity to produce 130 million gallons of water daily would be positioned for optimum production for the betterment of the people.

Explaining how this dream will easily become a reality, the governor noted that Lagos is building a 12.5 megawatt independent power station that would be dedicated to the two prominent water works in the state and promised that before June this year, the Independent power station would be commissioned.

On the remaining seven among the 15 mini-waterworks projects embarked on by the state government, Fashola explained that they were at different stages of completion adding that they were spread across the state with all of them scheduled for delivery in the next few weeks as part of the short term plan of providing water for the populace.

Describing commissioning of the two mini water works at Mende and Magodo as a fulfillment of his electoral promises to the people two and half years ago, the governor said the long term plan for getting required water for use by Lagosians was to build new massive waterworks through the Adiyan Phase 2 and Odomola in Epe, both in the outskirt of metropolitan Lagos.

While stressing that the plans form part of the water sector reforms of the government, he invited private investors to come forward and partner with the state by investing in the water sector just as it is done overseas.

He also said water supply is a major component of the State Government’s responsibility to sustain the environment, promote sustainability and provision of health care and prevent disease.

In his words: “While some people see this as a Millennium Development Goal (MDG) or a goal that has a particular date, we in our party (the Action Congress) see it as a Minimum Development Goal”.

Governor Fashola added: “A long time ago they told us that everything will happen in Year 2010, we are now in 2010, the miraculous year. The Action Congress (AC) believes that this are things that should not have a date but should be the primary function of any serious party that wants to form government in this country.”

Governor Fashola also expressed appreciation to the contractor which handled the mini water works at Magodo for donating a computer and laboratory science block to the school behind the water works without any prompting.

He described the conduct of the contractor as a commendable act of giving something back to the community by people who have prospered from their endeavours in the area. He appealed to the residents of the communities where the water works are located not to see the projects as government properties, but facilities they should be ready to defend, adding that the people should guide against vandalisation, cutting of pipe and making illegal connections.

Governor Fashola also implored residents to pay their water bills regularly noting that refusing to do so will deprive the water corporation of resources to keep the supply going, buy diesel and maintain the facility, which would ultimately be inimical to the ability of the facility to supply water to the people.

Source: Femi Akinola, Daily Trust / allAfrica.com, 02 Feb 2010

Uganda, Kiboga and Kasese: funding for small water projects

The Japanese government has donated about sh160m (US$ 61,000) to boost access to safe water in Kiboga. The money will be used to erect four water kiosks that will serve about 5,000 residents.

Fontes Foundation, a Norwegian-based charity organisation, has started operations in Uganda and plans to increase safe water coverage in districts under the Queen Elizabeth conservation area.

It has been involved in providing clean water to communities in Bushenyi and has implemented education programmes in Kanungu.

“Extending safe water to Katunguru in Kasese will cost sh167m. Our goal is to cover as many villages as possible,” said Lucrezia Koestler, the co-ordinator.

The charity is also promoting sanitation and hygiene and environment conservation.

Andreas Koestler, the director, said they supplement the Government’s programmes of extending services to the people.

Source: New Vision, 03 Feb 2010 ; David Ssempijja, New Vision / allAfrica.com, 02 Feb 2010

Ghana: World Bank, AfDB initiative supports water sector

The World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) has initiated discussions with the managements of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) on how to find a comprehensive and sustainable solution to problem facing urban water supply in Ghana.

Mr. Ishac Diwan, World Bank Country Director said that the World Bank has moved from the stage of exploring the possibility of supporting the sector to actually starting the process towards finding a lasting solution to the problems facing the sector.

“We began a brainstorming session today, during which we identified specific areas where support will be needed to bring a more comprehensive solution to bear on the urban water sector,” he said.

Mr. Diwan, however, pointed out that the AfDB’s involvement is only at the exploratory stage.

He said at the brainstorming session, it emerged that the main challenges facing the sector are those of inadequate water production, obsolete transmission and distribution systems and huge losses being made due to leakages and piracy.

The World Bank in 2006 provided a grant of $150 million to the Government of Ghana under which AVRL was competitively awarded a five-year management contract to help reduce loses in potable water and water revenue by 25 per cent.

The AVRL contract will end in 2011, but the World Bank, by this new development, has indicated its continuous interest in supporting the sector in a more comprehensive manner.

Mr. Diwan proposed that in order to deal effectively with the challenges, there is the need to map out a plan that will address them in parallel by working on the expansion of the production capacity, rehabilitation of the distribution networks and collecting of the revenue at the same time.

He said the expansion of the water supply system have not been able to catch up with the fast moving residential and industrial development in the country.

Mr. Diwan said part of the problem is because the water production and supply plan of the country was last updated in 1990 and has outlived its usefulness.

After the brainstorming session, the management of GWCL and AVRL took the officials of the WB and AfDB on a familiarisation and fact finding tour of the Kpong Water Works.

Mr. Charles Brobbey, the Production Manager at the Kpong Station, told the delegation that even though the plant takes 53 million gallons of raw water a day, it produces 36 million gallons for both urban and rural Accra.

Meanwhile the Chinese Exim Bank has expressed readiness to invest over $200 million into the expansion of Kpong headwork’s and raise its production capacity by at least 40 million gallons over the next five years.

Source: GNA / Ghana Government. 18 Dec 2009

Zambia: State aware of urgent need for more investment in water sector’

Minsiter of Energy and Water Development Kenneth Konga says Government is aware of the urgent need for more investment in the water and sanitation sector and is committed to ensuring increased funding.

Mr Konga said this is evidenced by increased funding to the sector, citing the rise in funding in the national budget allocation from 2.7 percent in 2009 to five percent in 2010.

He said this at the inauguration of the re-appointed National Water and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) in Lusaka on Tuesday [29 December 2009].

“Funds have also been sourced from bilateral and multi-lateral partners to address the many challenges facing the sector,” he said.

[...] He said to ensure achievement of Millennium Development Goals by service providers, NWASCO has a challenge in monitoring the performance of the providers and ensuring that services are extended to more people, particularly in peri-urban areas.

The minister said Government is committed to ensuring that people have access to safe drinking water and ideal sanitation, saying this can only be achieved if service delivery is done in an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable manner.

He said tariffs are an area of concern and that Government wants to ensure that people pay a fair price for services they get.

“This must be in accordance with the quality of services being provided to avoid exploitation in view of the policy on commercialization of the services,” he said

Mr Konga said the water sector is one of the key areas to be given priority in the Sixth National Development Plan to be implemented in June 2010.

NWASCO chairperson Cosmas Musumali said the council realises that there is still a large number of people who do not have access to clean and safe drinking water.

He said substantial capitalisation is needed for more people in peri-urban areas to access clean and safe water.

Devolution Trust Fund (DTF) manager Sam Gong’a also said [...] that much more still needs to be done if any meaningful impact is to be felt.

Gong’a expressed doubt that the MDG on sanitation would be achieved, with 60 per cent of the urban population still lacking access to proper sanitation.

Gong’a said the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO), through DTF, had embarked on a number of projects in 2009 aimed at improving water and sanitation service delivery across the country.

“Basically, we had about 10 projects which we embarked on this year, seven of which have been completed while we expect to complete the other three by next week (this week). We were unable to complete the remaining projects mainly due to land ownership problems at the sites we chose to develop,” he said.
Gong’a said the 10 projects have been carried out at a cost of K15 billion and would benefit about 20,000 residents.

He said an agreement was recently signed with the German Development Bank totalling three million euros (about K20 billion) which would assist in improving sanitation services.

Gong’a stressed that there was need for commercial utilities to use the availed funds prudently if the country was to improve its service delivery in the water and sanitation sector and realise its sector goals.

The members of the installed NWASCO are Cosmas Musumali from Health Service and Systems, Zambia Consumers Association, executive secretary Muyunda Ililonga, Zeles Zulu from the ministry of Local Government and Joe Simachela from Justice ministry.

Source: Rebecca Chileshe, Zambia Daily Mail, 30 Dec 2009 ; Times of Zambia / allAfrica.com, 30 Dec 2009 ; Florence Bupe, The Post, 30 Dec 2009

Tanzania: water and sewerage authority ranks high in corruption “List of Shame”

The Tanzanian water and sewerage authority ranks fifth in the corruption ‘List of Shame” published by the regional NGO Concern for Development Initiatives in Africa (ForDIA).

The report is the second comprehensive local study on corruption perception compiled by ForDIA.

The Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) is the most corrupt public institution according to the report, followed by the police, judiciary, and licensing and revenue, in second, third and fourth place respectively.

Speaking at the launch of the report [on 30 December 2009], ForDIA Tanzania Chapter Executive Director Mr Bubelwa Kaiza said the study carried out in 40 districts had shown that corruption levels were still “very high” and remained a major concern among Tanzanians.

Mr Kaiza said corruption perception had dropped by 3 per cent compared to the 2008 findings. [...] For every 100 people, 48 were affected by corruption. Fifty-one per cent of the respondents said they were affected in the earlier study.

Mr Kaiza said 41 per cent of the respondents pointed cited greed and selfishness as the leading causes of corrupt behaviour followed by low salaries (28 per cent) and poverty (17 per cent).

Other factors were weak civic competence (8 per cent), service fast-tracking (4.4 per cent), immorality (2 per cent), abuse of power (1 per cent) and response to foreign policy (0.1 per cent).

The study carried between March and July [2009], focused on service delivery by local government authorities in the 40 districts in 10 regions namely Mwanza, Tabora, Singida, Iringa, Arusha, Dodoma, Coast, Kigoma, Shinyanga and Ruvuma.

Mr Kaiza said the police, Judiciary, health, lands and housing and natural resources were the leading areas of bribery, in that order, at the grassroots level. Tanesco did not feature prominently here largely because most rural areas have yet to be connected to the national power grid.

He noted that corruption awareness among the public was as high as 90 per cent, implying that people frequently gave or received bribes.

The findings also suggest that law enforcement agencies are virtually non-existent at the village level, making it difficult for ordinary people to report corruption.

[...]

The report comes barely a month after Global perception Index (CPI) reported that Tanzania has slipped 24 places in the global corruption ranking over the last one year, reflecting the country’s faltering effort in the campaign against the vice.

The country dropped from position 102 in 2008, to 126 in the 2009 Global Corruption Perception Index (CPI), whose results were released [in November 2009] by the Berlin-based anti-graft agency, Transparency International (TI).

According to the findings of the respected anti-corruption watchdog, Tanzania posted its first worst performance in recent years in the annual ranking of the 180 countries surveyed worldwide.

However, with the exception of Rwanda, Tanzania did better in the region, ranking higher than Kenya (146) and Uganda (130) in the global index. Kenya improved by one position, while Uganda dropped four places.

Rwanda, which was ranked the same as Tanzania in 2008, is now considered the least corrupt country in the East Africa, coming in at an impressive 89th place.

For more on corruption on Tanzania go the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre.

Source: The Citizen / allAfrica.com, 31 Dec 2009

Nigeria: Dutch court to try Shell for oil spills

A Dutch court has said it has jurisdiction over a case of alleged oil spills brought against Royal Dutch Shell’s subsidiary in Nigeria by four Nigerian farmers and Friends of the Earth, a court spokeswoman told ANP-Reuters.

“The court has decided that it is competent, so we will be handling the case,” said the spokeswoman.

“The facts are connected and for reasons of efficiency the cases against Shell and Shell Nigeria will be handled jointly.”

This case, brought by four Nigerian victims of Shell oil spills from three Nigerian villages, in conjunction with Friends of the Earth Netherlands, began on December 3, 2009, in the court at The Hague.

This is the first time in history that a Dutch company has been brought to trial before a Dutch court for damages abroad.

The four farmers and fishermen who lost their livelihoods after oil leaking from Shell pipelines spilled over their fields and fishing ponds, are claiming compensation.

Reports contained in “remember saro-wiwa” website indicate that the victims subpoenaed both Shell’s subsidiary in Nigeria and Shell’s Dutch headquarters, alleging that as “the result of the company’s negligence, agricultural lands have been devastated, drinking water polluted, fish ponds made unusable and the environment and health of local people harmed”.

Shell denied all responsibility and insisted that the Dutch court has no jurisdiction over its Nigerian subsidiary.
At a hearing at The Hague earlier this month, Shell disputed the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the case and argued that such a case should be handled by a Nigerian court.

The oil major also said it could not be held accountable for the oil leaks as they were caused by sabotage.
At Shell’s request, the court had to address the issue of jurisdiction first by ruling on whether Shell Nigeria can be called to account before the Dutch court, before considering whether Shell parent company is liable for the pollution in Nigeria.

However, with yesterday’s court ruling that it has jurisdiction, the issue of whether Shell Nigeria can be called to account before the Dutch court has been laid to rest.

The court said that in order to handle the case properly, both Shell and its Nigerian unit should be heard.
It also said that “it is not unusual” in the Dutch jurisprudence to rule on events that happened outside the Netherlands.

Shell said it was disappointed with the court’s ruling.

“We are disappointed by the court ruling,” a Shell spokesman told Dow Jones Newswires.

“There are good arguments on which the court could have concluded it lacks jurisdiction. This [case] is a pure Nigerian matter,” he added.

The trial will continue in February 2010.

According to the court spokeswoman, Shell will be able to enter a statement of reply to the claims on February 10.

But Friends of the Earth Netherlands expressed delight at the ruling.

“Now we can start the real lawsuit about whether Shell is responsible and how much they have to do to compensate the damage,” a spokeswoman for the environmental group said.

Speaking on behalf of the victims in Nigeria, Chima Williams, Counsel of Enviro-nmental Rights Action (ERA), was quoted by “remember saro-wiwa” website as saying that: “These people have tried in many ways to get Shell to clean up the mess, but they have got nowhere. Now, as a last resort, they are trying to obtain justice in the Netherlands.”

The ruling which could set a legal precedent for multinationals in the Netherlands, is “an initial victory for all Nigerians that have been fighting for years for a cleaner habitat and justice”, Friends of the Earth Netherlands said in a statement.

The case was also a matter of principle for Friends of the Earth Netherlands.

“In many countries, including Nigeria, the legal system is inadequate, and it is thus crucial that a company can also be brought to trial elsewhere,” the environmentalist group said.

Read a related story about the case in the Guardian.

Source: Ejiofor Alike, This Day, 31 Dec 2009

Watch the Friends of the Earth Netherlands video “The people of Nigeria versus Shell”

Nigeria: stakeholders call for adoption of CLTS

There are new calls for the adoption of the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach by all the 36 States and the FCT [Federal Capital Territory] for the promotion of sanitation and attainment of the MDG target for Sanitation in Nigeria.

A recent workshop [called for] the establishment of a CLTS Technical Advisory Committee drawn from the National Task Group on Sanitation, States and LGAs [Local Government Areas] for further development of the approach to respond to the peculiar challenges of Nigeria. The communiqué said that strengthening the capacities of WASHCOM [Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committees] and natural leaders identified to support their communities to ODF (Open Defecation Free) status and also facilitate CLTS in neighboring communities has the potential of supporting the scaling up of CLTS in Nigeria.

The communiqué further said that there must be harmonized monitoring tools for CLTS at all levels to enhance information and experience sharing, adoption of the Draft Guidelines for Certification of Open Defecation Free (ODF) and Total Sanitation Community by all states and the FCT as minimum benchmark for the Certification process of Communities, ensuring the involvement of all relevant stakeholders like Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and NYSC [National Youth Service Corps] in the implementation of CLTS in Nigeria; as demonstrated in Osun State where the involvement of the NYSC assisted in successfully scaling up CLTS in the State as well as accentuate evidence-based advocacy at all levels of Government for political will and support.

Lastly, the communiqué said that UNICEF must intensify liaison with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDG Office) to advocate for MDG funds for scaling up CLTS in Nigeria as well as develop capacity building of the National Water Resource Institute to organize regular and customized short courses on CLTS towards building a critical mass of practitioners for scaling up CLTS in the country.

Read more about CLTS in Nigeria

Source: Benjamin Auta, Daily Trust / allAfrica.com, 30 Dec 2009

30 December 2009

Southern Africa: Water Centres of Excellence Initiative finally takes off

A project to boost water resources in southern Africa, first announced in 2003, held its first executive meeting [in November 2009].

The Water Centres of Excellence Initiative, started by New Partnerships for Development in Africa (NEPAD) [read the original strategic plan] , aims to promote cooperation and knowledge transfer among water research institutions to secure adequate clean water and manage resources for national and regional development.

It was established after the first African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology in 2003 but an expansion of the centres is only now under discussion.

Centres of water excellence are already operational in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia, and other Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries will be invited to become partners if they have water research programmes.

The first meeting of the committee — held in Stellenbosch, Cape Town on 13 November [2009] — discussed plans for the next three years. They include providing bursaries for staff and postgraduate students to build capacity at water centres, and technology and knowledge transfer at workshops and conferences.

Prof Eugene Cloete

“We want to see improved resource management and policy formulation,” said Eugene Cloete, chair of the executive committee and dean of the faculty of science at Stellenbosch University, which is coordinating the project. High-quality water sources in rural and urban areas and the use of water purification technology are key aims.

“The focus is on people and strengthening networks through disseminating research results and not on funding specific research topics,” he said.

Daniel Nkhuwa, a water expert at the University of Zambia, said the region has some people qualified to deal with water issues, especially groundwater which until now has been neglected.

But he said that there is a need for more training at water centres.

“Some institutions and infrastructure need updating, but funding still remains very low in most of our countries,” Nkhuwa told SciDev.Net, adding that improving knowledge will need more funding for education.

Murray Biedler, programme administrator for the Africa Caribbean Pacific–European Union (ACP-EU) Water Facility, told SciDev.Net that the European Commission (EC) has approved around US$2 million of funding for the network, which will be implemented in 2010 under the EC’s Joint Research Commission.

He said: “From a donor point of view, one development we would hope to see (after three years) is more than one network established in Africa, and then at least the beginnings of South–South collaboration and exchange between networks.”

Source: Munyaradzi Makoni, SciDev.Net, 29 Dec 2009