Background
IGCC, in partnership with the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and the World
Bank, recently organized an international workshop on beach water quality in
Southeast Asia. The workshop, "Beach Water Quality and Tourism in Southeast
Asia: What Role for Public Information Programs?" was held in Penang,
Malaysia, and was supported by the University of California’s Pacific
Rim Research Program, the Ocean Foundation, and the World Bank. Participants
included government officials from Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand,
and Vietnam, regional experts from Hong Kong and India,
representatives from NGOs, the media, and the World Bank, and faculty from
USM and six campuses of the University of California.
The workshop objectives were to: assess
the impacts of beach water quality on public health and tourism in Southeast
Asia, review experience with public information programs on beach water quality
in other parts of the world, and evaluate the role that such programs could
play in protecting human health and promoting more sustainable, more profitable
recreation and tourism industries in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia is home
to some of the world’s best-known beach and island resorts, which have
helped make tourism the region’s fastest-growing industry. Coastal
water quality is emerging as an important determinant of the industry’s
future growth. Sewage and industrial effluents have degraded water quality
throughout
the region. At the same time, international tourists have become more aware
of the potential health risks they face when vacationing at beaches.
In North
America and Europe, concerns about coastal pollution have prompted government
agencies, tourism associations, and non-governmental organizations
to launch programs that inform beach users about water quality. Such programs
are now spreading to other parts of the world, including Asia. Many important
aspects of these programs have received surprisingly little consideration,
however, including their actual effectiveness in protecting human health,
their impacts on the recreation and tourism industries, and the feasibility
of implementing
them in less developed regions.
Agenda
Please click on the links below to view a presentation. Presentation will
open in a new window.
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Water
quality workshop participants take questions at a press conference
on the first day in Malaysia.
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Day 1, Parkroyal Hotel, Penang
Welcoming Remarks
Prof. Jeff Vincent (IGCC)
Dan Biller (World Bank)
Keynote
The Economic Costs of Beach Water Pollution
Prof. Michael Hanemann (UC Berkeley)
Press Conference
Session 1: Sanitation, Beaches, and Tourism in Asia
Water Quality and Sanitation
in Southeast Asia: Status and Challenges with a Focus on the Philippines
Jitendra Shah (World Bank)
Sewage Treatment in Malaysia
Hartini Ali (Indah Water Consortium)
Beach-Based Recreation and Tourism in Asia
Prof. G. Sivalingam (Monash University, Malaysia)
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A
polluted beach near the conference hotel.
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Session 2: Monitoring Beach Water Quality in Asia
Twenty Years of Monitoring and Managing Beach Water Quality in Hong
Kong
Cathie Kueh (Environment Protection Department, Hong Kong) See also Monitoring
and Managing Beach Water Quality in Hong Kong
Beach Monitoring in the Philippines
Vilma Cabading (Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippines)
Thailand's Rating System for Beaches
Eak-on Kaewkhao (Pollultion Control Department, Thailand)
Session 3: Beach Water Quality at Malaysian Islands
Significant Issues Relating to the Water Quality of Penang: A Case Study
Prof. Zulfigar Yasin (USM)
Beach Water Quality at Island Resorts in Malaysia
Dato’ Professor Zubir Din (USM)
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Day 2, Muka Head Marine Research Station, Penang
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Workshop
participants arriving at the Muka Head Marine Research Station.
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Introduction to the Muka Head
Research Station
Prof. Zulfigar Yasin (USM)
Session 4: Detecting Health Risks: The Science of Water Quality Monitoring
The Effectiveness of Fecal Indicator Bacteria as a Measure of Health Risk
Prof. Sunny Jiang (UC Irvine)
Issues and Approaches to Tracking and Monitoring Sources of Fecal Pollution
Prof. Patricia Holden (UC Santa Barbara)
Session 5: The Public Health Costs of Beach Pollution
Perceived and Actual Health Risks of Beach Water Pollution
Sunny Jiang (UC Irvine)
Estimating Health Costs for Illnesses Associated with Coastal Water Pollution
Linda Fernandez (UC Riverside)
The Public Health Costs of Beach Water Contamination
Linwood Pendleton (UCLA)
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Professor
Trish Holden (UC Santa Barbara) presenting at the workshop.
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Session 6: Public Information Programs in the Rest of the World
Blue Flag Certification
Carrie Dean (Blue Flag)
A Model Monitoring and Public Notification Program
James Alamillo (Heal the Bay, USA)
Beach Information, Ratings, and Certification
Jim Moriarty (Surfrider, USA)
Session 7: Beach Water Quality in Cambodia and Vietnam
Cambodia
Chim Kalyaney (Deputy Director, Dept. of Environment)
Vietnam
Tiem Nang Tinh (Dept. of Environment)
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Day 3: Parkroyal Hotel, Penang
Session 8: Economics of Information-Based Programs
Experience with Information as an Environmental Management Tool in Asia
E. Somanathan (Indian Statistical Institute)
Experience in Other Developing Countries
Dan Biller (World Bank)
Swim/Don’t Swim: When Do Beach Closures Make Sense?
Linwood Pendleton (UCLA)
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Working
Group 3 on Malaysia considers the benefits to their region of improving
beach water quality.
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Session 9: Working Groups
Participants were divided into
working groups according to region and asked to consider several
questions about strategies for improving beach water quality. See Session 11 for working
group reports.
Session 10: Media and the Politics of Environmental Disclosure in Asia
Legislation and Access to Environmental Information: A Regional Perspective
Sonia Randhawa (Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia)
Malaysian Chinese Newspapers and Environmental Reporting: Problems and Challenges
Ng Miew Luan (Sin Chew Daily)
A Convenient Deception: How EIAs Are Being Used
to ‘Green’ Projects
Hilary Chew (The Star)
Session 11: Reports by Working Groups
Working Group 1: Philippines and Vietnam
Working Group 2: Thailand and Cambodia
Working Group 3: Malaysia
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Beach
Water Quality and Tourism in Southeast Asia: What Role for Public Information
Programs?