Environmental Management Measures for Overcoming the Formal-Informal Dichotomy (Theme Paper: Research Symposium AIT Conference Center, Pathumthani, Thailand 12 December 2008)

Disproportionate attention by the city authorities between formal and informal sectors has been such that, in most cases, environmental management measures are targeted at the formal sector activities, while environmental performance of informal sector is largely overlooked. There is no doubt that formal sector activities are the biggest polluters, and therefore the stringent EMMS are targeted at them. Although attitude of the city authorities towards informal sector activities have changed from prevention to toleration, not much EMMS have been targeted at them to improve their environmental performance. This condition ultimately leads to the degradation of urban environment, since the urban informal sectors are not well facilitated with suitable policies, strategies as well as infrastructure. EMMs that applied on the range of formal and informal sectors are thereby considered as one of the solutions which attempts to achieve better urban environment.
 
Interventions on both formal and informal sectors with respect to investments, housing, environmental impacts, welfare, transportation systems and construction business are thereby essential. One of the foremost efforts in facilitating formal and informal sectors are by providing suitable EMMs which equally serve formal and informal sectors to create appropriate coexistence of the range of activities spanning between formal and informal sectors. An action reserach project was undertaken to address such needs. This project was to research on the EMMs targeting the formal and informal activities in development sectors viz. Investment, housing, solid-waste and sanitation. The research was simultaneously undertaken in four South-East Asian Countries.
 
This research symposium is organized to present the preliminary findings for deliberations among the fellow researchers before presenting them to respective city authorities. It is expected thet the recommendations will lead to more informed actions in these cities.
 

Post Date : 05 Maret 2009