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    Informal regulation of pollution in a developing country : empirical evidence from India
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2004) Kathuria, Vinish
    Recent policy discussions recognize the limitations of formal regulations to stem pollution in developing countries. As a result, there is growing interest in the potential of informal regulations to achieve environmental goals. In India, many polluting industries fall under the rubric of the unorganized sector. In such a context, localized pollution may be influenced by discussions and reports on pollution in the vernacular press. This study attempts to test the hypothesis that the press can act as an informal agent of pollution control. This hypothesis is tested using monthly water pollution data from four hotspots in the state of Gujarat, for the period 1996 to 2000. The results show that the press can function as an informal regulator if there is sustained interest in news about pollution. However, not all pollution agents are affected by pollution news. Press coverage appears to mainly influence industrial estates with a mix of small, medium and large industries.
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    Economic instruments for environmental regulation in Africa : an analysis of the efficacy of fuel taxation for pollution control in South Africa
    (Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy in Africa (CEEPA), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, ZA, 2009) Ziramba, Emmanuel; Kumo, Wolassa L.; Akinboade, Oludele
    Road transport is one of the most serious polluters in South Africa. The study investigates whether fuel pricing policy could be effective in lowering fuel consumption, hence lowering levels of pollution. It discusses the evolution of fuel taxation in South Africa with analysis of its distributional impact. As well, it examines gasoline demand models, assessing fuel demand elasticities. The efficiency of a carbon tax is indicated by emissions reduction. An additional environmental tax on the price of gasoline would take into account the damage to the environment. Currently gasoline taxes account for the cost of road construction and maintenance.
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    Prevalence and costs of childhood diarrhoea in the slums of Dhaka
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2009) Jahangir Alam, M.; Shyamsundar, Priya
    The study suggests that more focus on water storage and hand washing in media campaigns combined with more concerted efforts by the state to provide clean water to slum communities would greatly assist in controlling the incidence of childhood diarrhoea. Epidemics of diarrhoeal diseases and cholera mainly occur twice a year, coinciding with hot and humid summer months and during and after the monsoon floods. The paper identifies the risk and duration of child diarrhoea, its relationship to engineering, behavioural and socio-economic factors, and computes the economic costs to slum households.
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    Revisiting the need of improved stoves : estimating health, time and carbon benefits
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2009) Malla Thakuri, Min Bikram; Nepal, Mani
    Based on a survey of 400 households in Rasuwa district (Nepal) this study finds that stove improvements and a smoke hood can reduce the consumption of fuel, improve air quality and reduce the health costs burden of households. Such local interventions can also contribute to mitigating global green house gases through biomass burning. Findings show that the average indoor air pollution level in traditional stove user households is 15 times higher than the recommended safe level, which inevitably leads to higher health expenditures.
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    Air quality and cement production : examining the implications of point source pollution in Sri Lanka
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Bogahawatte, Cyril; Herath, Janaranjana
    Suspended particulate matter (SPM), dust, fumes and gases from cement production can result in a range of health effects to households living around factories. This study estimates the health costs associated with air pollution from a cement factory in the district of Puttalam in Sri Lanka. The study uses field data collected from 500 households living within a 3 km radius of the factory and measures seasonal air pollution to estimate dose-response functions and mitigation cost functions for different respiratory illnesses. The results indicate that the incidence of respiratory illness is about 14% amongst individuals who live in the vicinity of the cement factory. The study estimates that the expected annual welfare gain by reducing the SPM level by 50% is SLR 699 (US$ 7) per representative individual, while the annual welfare gain to all people living in the vicinity of the factory is SLR 2.96 million (US $ 29,600).
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    Estimating health benefits when behaviors are endogenous : a case of indoor air pollution in rural Nepal
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Prasad Pant, Krishna
    A majority of rural households in developing countries still use solid fuels for cooking. Many studies show linkages between the indoor air pollution from solid fuels with respiratory health problems. These estimates, however, suffer from an endogeneity bias arising from the effects of health conditions on fuel choice. This study estimates the effects of indoor air pollution on respiratory health after adjusting for endogenous health behaviors. Our study, which includes measurements on indoor air pollution, is based on a detailed survey of 600 rural households from Syangja and Chitwan districts of Nepal. We employ instrumental variable probit regressions to find the effects of pollution-reducing interventions on chronic bronchitis, asthma and acute respiratory infections. The estimates with the instrumental variable approach are found to be larger than those that do not correct for endogeneity. Improved cook stoves and biogas are found to reduce respiratory diseases. We also estimate household shadow values for chronic bronchitis, asthma and acute respiratory infections using the cost of illness method. We estimate the annual reduction in health costs per intervention of stove to be Rs 1,217 and that of biogas to be Rs 647. The health benefits from improved stoves are many times higher than the cost while the health benefits from biogas plant are nearly equal to its cost. We, however, do not include other benefits of the interventions like energy efficiency, forest conservation and reduction in carbon emissions. The comparison between annual health benefits and costs shows that there is no clear reason for not buying the interventions.
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    Taxing the pollution : a case for reducing the environmental impacts of rubber production in Sri Lanka
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Edirisinghe, Jagath; Siriwardana, Susantha; Siriwardana, Sarath; Prasandith, Punsara
    Most firms that process rubber in Sri Lanka do not comply with national water pollution control standards. This study seeks to estimate a pollution tax that could motivate firms to meet these standards. The authors use data from 62 rubber producing firms in Sri Lanka over three years to estimate a marginal cost function for pollution abatement. They then estimate the taxes that would bring firms into compliance. The tax rate necessary for environmental compliance is 26 Sri Lankan rupees per 100 grams of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) per year. While the burden of a pollution tax on the average firm would be 8.6% of annual turnover, the tax burden varies with the size of the firm. The authors suggest that the use of such an economic instrument might motivate the Central Environmental Authority to monitor effluents more carefully and firms to make use of effluents.
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    Evaluating gains from de-eutrophication of the Dutch Canal in Sri Lanka : a cost benefit analysis
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2008) Rohitha, W.R.
    The Dutch canal wetland system in Sri Lanka is an important wetland area for shrimp farming and has become a promising foreign exchange earner. However, shrimp farming in the Dutch Canal is largely unplanned and un-coordinated with more than 1,300 farms working in an area of 3,750 hectares. The lack of controls has resulted in eutrophication of the lagoon system high enough to cause a decline not only in the shrimp industry’s output but also in the lagoon’s fish harvest. There is a plan to rehabilitate the Dutch Canal to its original water quality status at an estimated cost (in 1999) of LKR 180 million. In this study, we estimate the increase in shrimp productivity that is likely to occur if the Canal is cleaned. We find that the gains from reducing pollution in the Dutch Canal would far outweigh the cost of clean-up and the government could potentially recover the costs within two years.
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    Pesticide use in Nepal : understanding health costs from short-term exposure
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2007) Atreya, Kishor
    Occupational health, well researched in developed countries, remains neglected in developing countries. One issue of particular importance is the use of pesticides on farms, which can have both chronic and acute impacts on human health. This paper focuses on acute health impacts associated with pesticide exposure in rural Nepal. Based on data from 291 households, the study finds that the magnitude of exposure to insecticides and fungicides can significantly influence the occurrence of health symptoms. The predicted probability of falling sick from pesticiderelated symptoms is 133% higher among individuals who apply pesticides compared to individuals in the same household who are not directly exposed. Households bear an annual health cost of NPR 287 ($4) as a result of pesticide exposure. These costs vary with fungicide exposure. A ten percent increase in hours of exposure increases costs by about twenty-four percent. In aggregate, pesticide exposure contributes to a health burden of NPR 1,105,782 (US $ 15,797) per year in the study area. Although pesticide use in Nepal is low relative to many other countries in the world, this study, which is the first of its kind in Nepal, suggests that farmers and policy makers need to become aware of the health impacts of pesticide use as they continue to promote its use in Nepal.
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    Estimating the economic benefits of arsenic removal in India : a case study from West Bengal
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2007) Roy, Joyashree
    People living in almost fifty percent of the districts in West Bengal are exposed to arsenic contaminated water. This paper seeks to estimate the economic costs imposed by arsenic- related health problems. We use data from a primary survey of 473 households carried out in the districts of North 24 Parganas and Midnapore. We take into account household actions to either decrease the exposure of family members to unsafe water or to alleviate the health effects of consuming arsenic-contaminated water. This allows us to assess the benefits of arsenic- safe water by estimating a three equation system that includes averting actions, medical expenditures and a sickness function. We find that by reducing arsenic concentration to the safe limit of 50 mg/l, a representative household will benefit by Rs 297 ($7) per month. The current cost of supplying filtered piped water by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to households is Rs 127 ($3) per month per household. Thus, investing in safe drinking water is economically feasible and households are willing to pay for such investments if made aware of the effective gain in welfare. Poor households, who make- up the highest proportion of arsenic- affected households and incur the largest number of sick days, will be major beneficiaries of such investments.
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    Health impacts of diesel vehicle emissions : the case of Colombo
    (Department of Economics, University of Colombo, Colombo, LK, 2006) Chandrasiri, Sunil
    This study makes an attempt to assess the health effects of diesel vehicle exhaust emissions in Colombo and the costs of various pollution control interventions. As far as we are aware, this is one of very few studies which has taken into account the effect of both PM10 and PM2.5 in estimating the potential health damage of auto-diesel emissions. The study begins with an analysis of structural changes in vehicle population and auto-fuel consumption in Sri Lanka. This is followed by an assessment of ambient air quality levels in Colombo based on both sample observations and statistical estimation methodologies. The estimates reveal that diesel vehicles account for about 89 per cent of PM10 emissions in Colombo. The estimated health damage is in the region of Rs. 22 to 17 billion per annum based on high and low impact scenarios. Of the various pollution control measures, reduction of the price differential between petrol and diesel ranks as the most beneficial intervention followed by inspection and maintenance programs. In overall terms, policy-oriented pollution control options take priority over technical solutions in reducing potential health damage due to auto-diesel emissions.
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    Implementation of effluent taxes for Cambodian industry : an assessment of pollutant levies
    (Ministry of Environment of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, KH, 2006) Muong, Sideth
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    Valuation of urban air pollution : a case study of Kanpur city in India
    (SANDEE, Kathmandu, NP, 2006) Gupta, Usha
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    Managing pest resistance in fragmented farms : an analysis of the risk of Bt cotton in China and its zero refuge strategy and beyond
    (Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, US, 2006) Qiao, Fangbin; Huang, Jikun; Rozelle, Scott; Wilen, James
    The goal of this study is to discuss why China and perhaps other developing countries may not need a refuge policy for Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton. We describe in detail the different elements that a nation—especially a developing one—should be considering when deciding if a refuge policy is needed. Drawing on a review of scientific data, economic analysis of other cases and a simulation exercise using a bio-economic model that we have produced to examine this question, we show that in the case of Bt cotton in China, the approach of not requiring special cotton refuges is defensible.
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    Solid waste segregation and recycling in Metro Manila : household attitudes and behavior
    (EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2002) Nepomuceno, G.; Covar, R.
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    Controlling automotive air pollution : the case of Colombo city
    (EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 1999) IDRC. Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia; Chandrasiri, S.
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    Improving air quality in Chinese cities by substituting natural gas for coal : barriers and incentive policies
    (EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001) IDRC. Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia; Mao Xianqiang; Guo Xiurui
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    Backyard and commercial piggeries in the Philippines : environmental consequences and pollution control options
    (EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001-04) Catelo, A.O.; Dorado, M.A.; Agbisit, Elpidio
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    Economy - wide impact of integrated pest management in Indonesia
    (EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 2001-10) Resosudarmo, Budy P.
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    Economic analysis of salinity problems in the Mahaweli River System H Irrigation Scheme in Sri Lanka
    (EEPSEA, Singapore, SG, 1999) IDRC. Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia; Thiruchelvam, S.; Pathmarajah, S.