Project Principles

Priority is placed on situations with a clear health risk and a defined population in the pathway of exposure to toxic pollution. Other projects may be supported where there are more general health risks and broad local support.

Clearly the responsible parties should remedy the problems wherever possible. However, proceeding with urgent interventions should not be held hostage to legal battles. In some cases, relevant parties may be persuaded to support clean-up without admitting liability.

Local institutions and groups are crucial in tackling priority problems and in achieving sustainability of pollution control efforts. Lack of experience and skills in technical aspects and in project management should be deliberately addressed through guided “action learning” in the initial phases of dealing with the problem. Ad-hoc stakeholder groups should be encouraged to coordinate or even integrate with existing institutions where this can bring stability and support for long-term efforts.

Pollution and health problems are often not clearly defined. Initial interventions are made on the basis of the best available information but flexibility must be maintained to respond to further data, often obtained during the implementation of initial works, which can require changes in the planned intervention. It is often impractical to expect to define the details of the necessary work before some site work is performed, particularly where soil contamination is involved. Monitoring in parallel with implementation may determine the extent of the work.

Health and pollution issues can be complex. A clear understanding of underlying issues and process is important to identifying the relevant approaches. However, simple and robust technology is often appropriate for first stage interventions, especially where the results are not sensitive to small variations.

Strong local ownership of a proposed intervention  demonstrated by a commitment of effort and resources is seen as confirmation that the problem is really a local priority, so external support can be justified.

Efforts to deal with the most urgent problems should be initiated even if the full long-term planning has not been finalized. Such steps typically revolve around stopping and/or containing the movement of pollutants. They should be accompanied by establishing the process and planning for the long-term. Necessary immediate interventions should not be delayed while details of the ultimate solution are being examined.

The benefits of clean-up must not be lost through recontamination or continuation of pollution. Control of any active sources of pollution must be an essential part of a remediation program.

Every project is based on these broad principles. For each project, the first stage includes the preparation of a ROAD MAP, which sets out the steps that need to be taken to achieve the initial goal of removing the most immediate risk. It also outlines the process for longer-term remediation, as needed. A key tool under the road map is the ACTION PLAN, which summarizes the  actions agreed to by each party, that are needed to achieve each step in the road map including: timing, responsibility for the action, and identification of resources available to achieve each action.

For larger and more complex projects, the Road Map sets out the initial steps of what may be a decades-long process of cleaning up a large site, preventing any further abuse and eventually returning the site to productive uses for the community and society.