Interactive map shows Africa’s clean water objective achievable by ’30

An interactive map, showing that the governments of 14 African nations were on course or within touching distance of reaching the historic mark of everyone in their countries having access to clean drinking water by 2030, was launched online. It was published by the international development charity WaterAid.

The map was released on the day that African water ministers and delegates arrived in Dakar, Senegal, for the African Water Week conference, for talks about whether they should back a proposed new global sustainable development goal for universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene by the year 2030.

WaterAid is lobbying with ministers and delegates at the conference for the outcome communiqué to include such a commitment.

Nelson Gomonda, WaterAid’s Pan-African Programme manager, said, “This map shows that a new water, sanitation and hygiene sustainable development goal that puts Africa on track to everyone having access to these essential services by 2030 is realistic and achievable.”

“Many African countries are already on course to achieve this historic milestone at the current rates of progress, and most others can get there with relatively modest improvements in levels of access,” he added.

“Ministers at the Africa Water Week conference should grasp this opportunity to set in motion a happier, healthier and more prosperous future for everyone on the continent,” Gomonda added.

The map was said to be the first online interactive data representation project produced with a predominantly African audience in mind, which is increasingly online and social media-savvy.

According to the International Telecommunications Union, around 177 million Africans are now Internet users, while over 50 million Africans have Facebook accounts.

The African Water Map showed that on average, about 28 million people are gaining access to water each year across Africa, but that if this increased by an extra 17 million people, that everyone everywhere across the continent would have access to clean water by 2030.

Currently over a third of the African population (325 million) lack access to clean drinking water, while over 70 per cent (approximately 643 million), go without basic sanitation.

A lack of access to these services costs Sub-Saharan Africa over $50 billion every year in healthcare costs and lost productivity, more than the continent receives in aid.

About 4,81,000 Africans die every year because of diarrhoea and diseases attributable to a lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene. A lack of access to these essential services is also understood have a substantial impact on the prevalence and mortality associated with pneumonia, and under-nutrition on the continent.

The UN has estimated that half the hospital beds in developing countries are filled with people suffering from diseases caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene.

To promote safe local products, Kerala’s government implementing HACCP

The Kerala government is implementing the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system with a mission to promote food products made in the southern state and improve its food safety standards.

With developing towns and urbanising villages, food safety faces a number of difficulties in Kerala. Food poisoning, the sale of unsafe food and heavy contamination were reported in many parts of the state.

HACCP will be implemented by a committee comprising 19 members, who would be selected from different departments of the government and work along with National Centre for HACCP Certification.

It would be represented by the state food safety commission, and the departments of industries and commerce, agriculture, animal husbandry and dairy development. The system would enable the government and food processing firms to avoid any quality issues in the process of food production.

An official from the industries and commerce department said, “The system would not only ensure finished product inspection, but also design measurements to reduce the risks in the process of food production, thus raising the state food processing sector’s standard to a global level.”

“As a production monitoring system, HACCP is expected to rewrite the structure of food production and standards in the states. As a tourist-friendly state, Kerala has lot of potential to promote its food and new food products,” he added.

“The government is optimised to exploit this opportunity, and would encourage the food processing industry in the state,” the official stated. S Sudarsanan, Kerala’s chief food safety officer, said, “HACCP deals with various factors that influence the quality of food materials produced.”

“The system would act as a preventive body and help food processing industries to increase their standards to a global level. With coordination and participation from the different departments of the government, food products made in the state would get a heavy push in the market,” he added.

Only adjudicating officers can impose fine on luxury hotels: Hoteliers

Hoteliers’ associations stated that only adjudicating officers could impose fines on luxury hotels, and stated that food safety officers (FSO) should also comply with the legal procedure while initiating action against errant hoteliers.

This highlights their unhappiness about being served closure notices by the latter (who have no legal right to do so), and has come in the wake of the introduction of more stringent regulations by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Food business operators (FBO) are expected to adhere to 30 safety, hygiene and sanitary guidelines, but they are finding it difficult to do so. Raids on luxury hotels by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that they weren’t meeting the norms either.

Amrik Singh, who heads the Navi Mumbai Hotel Owners’ Association, said that unscrupulous FSO threatened to close their establishments, but only adjudicating officers were authorised to take action.

Jose Mohan, state secretary, Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA), said, “We have welcomed the efforts of FSSAI to ensure the hygiene and quality of the foods, which is affected by a number of factors, including the presence of migrant workers.”

He added, “When hotels have been asked to comply with the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, why are FSO not following the legal procedures? They can only serve improvement notices.”

“They can down the shutters of an eatery or a luxury hotel only if it fails to improve its quality standards within 20-30 days from the date an improvement notice is served,” Mohan said.

“Only adjudicating officers can take action against us,” he reiterated, informing that Kerala did not have an adjudicating officer. Abdul Jaleel, the southern state’s assistant food safety commissioner, said the FSSAI norms were easy to implement.

“Hoteliers should follow them, and would not be asked to down shutters for silly reasons by FSO. But even they should ensure that all the norms are implemented.We would look into the matter of FSO taking action instead of adjudicating officers,” he added 

Farmers split over ban on chemical spray on apples Kuldeep Chauhan

The state government has cited the advisory issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for justifying a phase-wise ban on the overuse of “ethereal or chemical colour spray” on apple. But the ban has evoked a mixed response from farmers who cite lack of scientific data on the harmful effects of the use of chemical colour spray.

“The ban on ethereal spray, as it is popularly known among farmers, has confused apple farmers at a time when the season is just a month away,” said Rakesh Singha, a CPM leader and president of the Himachal Apple Growers Association. “When there is no scientific basis to justify the ban, the government is only playing to the gallery,” he said.

But there are other farmers who hail the ban. “The colour spray creates a glut in the market. Farmers resort to spray to hit the market early to fetch a good price. The spray impedes the natural process, and buyers, when take the fruit to southern markets, suffer heavy losses as the fruit rots by then and in turn, farmers do not get payments from them,” said Balbir Chajta, a grower from Jubbal.

Prakash Thakur, vice-chairperson, Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC), said the FSSAI had issued an advisory in May 2010, checking the misuse of “ethereal or colour sprays” on apples or other fruit as it was turning harmful in the long run.

“The government is only restricting its overdose, which is harmful for the fruit and consumers, in a phased-manner. The growers, who oppose it, have not asked Dr YS Parmar Horticultural University to suggest some less harmful sprays for the purpose,” he said.

Experts said some greedy contractors resort to a heavy dose of colour spray on apples to capture the early market to get maximum profit. “The spray overdose enhances the ripening of the fruit and result in a glut in the market. Consumers also get the fruit which is not of good quality," said Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar Horticultural University.

4 selling chewing tobacco mixed with ganja to students nabbed

A four-member gang was arrested in Chintadripet for making `mawa' (a form of chewing tobacco) laced with ganja and supplying it to school and college students on Monday .

The four men -Tiwari, 40, Sunil, 28, of Choolai, Parasuraman, 48, and Rohith, 20 of Mylapore -had rented a house in Nainiyappan street, Chintadripet, for the past six months, said police.

On a tip that the house was being frequented by school and college students, on the orders of commissioner S George, a special police team headed by deputy commissioner S Jayakumar raided the house.

They seized 25kg of mawa, 5kg of jardha (a kind of tobacco), 10kg of slaked lime, 600 packets of mawa and the grinder used to prepare the items worth about ` `4 lakh.

Police said the men brought the ingredients with them in trains from Assam and Bihar every month.

To escape police, they would travel in unreserved compartments and hop off the train before it reached Chennai Central railway station.

They made mawa by mix ing jardha, slaked lime, ganja and jaggery made from palm wine and chebula fruit.
They were supplying it to school and college students for `20 a packet.

Doctors say chewing tobacco increases risk of cancer of the mouth, liver, cervix, stomach, prostate and lung. Other side effects include rapid heartbeat, low blood pressure and worsening of asthma.

“Their customers were mainly students and construction workers who buy in bulk and supply it to their co-workers. Their business grew mostly through word of mouth,“ said an investigating officer.

Police arrested them for selling banned substances and remanded them in judicial custody .

City corpn-food dept relation turns sour over ripe mangoes

If mangoes ripened using chemicals isn't bad enough, two government agencies mandated to prevent such health hazards are now fighting with each other over procedures and powers.

At loggerheads are Chennai Corporation and the state food safety department. The food safety commissioner recently wrote to the commissioner of municipal administration, urging the city corporation not to interfere with the department's work.
While food safety officials say they are entitled to conduct raids under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the corporation's health department officials argue that they are in charge of maintaining hygiene of food products.

TOI has a copy of a letter sent by food safety commissioner Kumar Jayant to the commissioner of municipal administration, saying local bodies giving food licences is in contravention to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It would have been good if the two agencies were vying with each other to make our food safer, but the results don't indicate that: Cancer-causing calcium carbide continues to be used by mango traders in the city. The latest incident to miff the food safety department is the corporation's health department seizing 1.5 tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes from Kodambakkam on Monday . The reason: The food safety department was not kept in the loop.

“The civic body doesn't have any right to seize food items after the Food Safety Act came into force. But the corporation has been seizing food items despite a letter from our department to the municipal administration department to regulate such un authorised acts,“ said an official. The corporation has been seizing artificially ripened mangoes, rotten meat, and some banned tobacco products.

The civic body's health department says its officers have to step in since the food safety department doesn't have the resources to conduct raids. “We have the rights to check sanitary and hygienic conditions at eateries. We cannot ignore other food items when we receive a complaint from people,“ said an official.

Consumer activists say the two agencies should be working in tandem. “There should be a combined drive to curb the sale of low quality food products. There is rampant sale of artificially ripened mangoes across the city .
But food safety department checks only at Koyambedu and T Nagar,“ said V S Suresh, a consumer activist.

Food safety department officials confide that there is shortage of hands to conduct inspections.

Old food found at World Cup team hotels

RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian consumer defense agency said it's found past-expiration foodin the hotels where national soccer teams from Italy and England will stay during the World Cup.

The Rio de Janeiro state agency said on its website late Monday that the inspections were part of an effort to enforce food safety codes ahead of next month's tournament.

At the Hotel Portobello where Italy will stay, inspectors discovered 55 pounds (25 kilograms) of pasta, shrimp, salmon and margarine kept past itsexpiration date. Inspectors there tossed another 53 pounds (24 kilograms) of food because there was no visible safe date on its label.

Team England will stay at the Royal Tulip Hotel. A search there turned up 4.5 pounds (2 kilograms) of butter, Parma ham and salmon too old for consumption.

The agency also said both hotels didn't provide condoms for sale at cost, nor information about sexually transmitted diseases, as required by law.

Both hotels have 15 days to make official explanations to the government agency. Only then would any fines be levied.

There was some good news for soccer teams in the raids. The agency said that inspectors found no problems at the Hotel Caesar Park, where Holland's squad will be based.

Food Safety Week Observance Begins

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday said that there would be nocompromise with regard to safety of food being served in restaurants and the safety of fruits/ vegetables sold in the state.

“Traders who do not give importance to the healthof people will be taken to task.

“The help of other businessmen will be sought to bring these traders to the limelight,” he said while inaugurating the Food Safety Week here.

Stating that funds were not an issue with regard to food safety, Chandy said that thegovernment had provided enough staff and funds to the Food Safety Department. Meanwhile, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said that food safety offices would be started in all the Assembly constituencies.

Food safety activities will be intensified in coordination with the MLAs, local bodies and other people’s representatives.

Mayor K Chandrika, District Collector Biju Prabhakar, Food Safety Commissioner K Anil Kumar and Joint Food Safety Commissioner D Sivakumar were present.