Asia Pacific's largest green business community | Sustainability and Environment | News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. Southeast Asian countries must develop solutions to deal with the increasing volumes of daily sewage and industrial waste water, experts have cautioned. “Along with rapid economic growth, we face a serious demand to enhance the capacity of sewage and waste water treatment, especially in urban areas,” said Toshio Nagase, senior representative at Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) Viet Nam office.
Experts yesterday gathered at a two-day conference held in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province to discuss waste water treatment solutions. According to the Ministry of Construction, the drainage systems in Vietnamese cities are used for multiple purposes, sewage, waste waste and rainwater. Moreover, the drainage system was built in several stages and does not have adequate capacity.
The situation has worsened under the impact of climate change. “There has been frequent flooding in HCM City and Ha Noi during heavy rains for years. “Flooding in many urban areas also affects hygiene,” he said. Water Thinking (August 31, 2011) The Peer Water Exchange manages diverse solutions and resources to fight the global water crisis.
(Illustration by Angus Greig) The facts on water point to a universally acknowledged crisis: More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water; 6,000 children under age 5 die every day from water-related diseases; half the world’s hospital beds are filled because of water-related diseases; and 2.7 billion people lack access to hygienic sanitation facilities that prevent contamination and provide dignity. There is no dearth of technological solutions to this tragedy. Yet successful projects to solve rural water problems require approaches other than technology—community organization, education, behavior change, ownership transfer, and long-term monitoring. These approaches, although necessary, create a complexity that has hampered our ability to take any solution to scale.
But the drinking water crisis can be solved. Vaccine Thinking differs from Water Thinking as follows: Asia Pacific's largest green business community | Sustainability and Environment | News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. Construction will finish by the end of 2015 on eight large hydropower zones, each comprising several hydroelectric plants and each producing tens of millions of kilowatts. By then, the national production of hydroelectricity will reach 910 billion kilowatt-hours, according to a report on xinhua.com. An authoritative source reveals that in the coming 12th Five-year Plan of Renewable Energy Resources, hydropower will be the most prioritized source of renewable energy.
During the 12th Five-year Plan period, China will begin construction on more than 60 key hydropower projects. Previously the market expectation predicted six major hydropower zones, but the goal has now increased to eight. Analysts say that the process of authorizing hydropower projects has accelerated since the beginning of this year. Over 60 hydropower projects to begin construction in five years The development of pumped-storage hydroelectric plants will accelerate. Asia Pacific's largest green business community | Sustainability and Environment | News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. Hydro Tasmania has denied it is in line to receive a carbon tax windfall amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. Tasmanian Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has said Australia’s largest renewable energy business could be $200 million a year better off once the carbon scheme begins next July. The state-owned power generator says it will not be that much.
Hydro’s CEO Roy Adair says the company may only receive $50 million. “We will have shall we say a far better picture in December when the legislation is enacted,” he said. Chairman David Crean says there is too much uncertainty to be suggesting a figure. But he has not blaming the Federal Government. “It’s a minority parliament, it’s been the most contentious issue federally.” Dr Crean says any tax windfall will depend how the price is passed through to Hydro. It will also depend on what the market pays and what the regulator does. “The regulator may not pass it through.” Asia Pacific's largest green business community | Sustainability and Environment | News, Opinion, Events, Press Releases, Jobs, Directory, Resources. A residents’ group on Eyre Peninsula says big mining plans for the region threaten its entire water supply. The group says modelling has been done which backs its concerns about extraction of water for open-cut iron ore mining in South Australia.
Milton Stevens from the Saving Our Sustainability group says SA Water already struggles to maintain local supplies from underground aquifers and mining could tip the region over the edge. “Mining is short-term, some mines only last 20 years, is it worth risking the sustainability of the water supply for the whole peninsula for some commercial interests and for overseas export into China?” He said. “The Chinese aren’t going to replace our water. They’re just going to thank you nicely for the oar and paddle off. Innovative, New Approach to Low-Head, Low-Flow Water Power. Clean Power Published on August 30th, 2011 | by Guest Contributor by John Saavedra of Look for the Power Interest and investment in low-head (vertical drop), low-flow hydro power peaked a century ago. This corresponds to the rise of interest in hydro turbines.
The improved power output of the larger units dictated their priority over traditional stream and water wheels. There were 25,000 – 30,000 water wheels in use in England in the 1850’s, and 33,500 water wheels in use in Germany in 1925. Most are now rusted and broken, quaint relics of the Industrial Revolution, in both Europe and the USA. With our current energy needs, this should be revisited. Consider that the geographic features (high vertical drop and high flow rate) necessary for conventional hydro turbines are all well-known and surveyed in developed countries, and the number of potential new sites is small.
What if a “reverse oar,” or “fixed oar,” had a length of 100 – 200 ft, Consider this logical progression: Cap-and-Trade Program for Water Quality Gets a $1M Boost | Business. U.S. -based cap-and-trade programs seeking to monetize carbon emissions have encountered obstacles in this year of budget deficits and climate denial. In May, Governor Chris Christie noisily pulled New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), stating, "RGGI does nothing more than tax electricity, tax our citizens, tax our businesses, with no discernible or measurable impact upon our environment. " In response, RGGI stated that the ten-state collaborative "is delivering more than 700 million dollars in investments in the clean energy economy that are saving energy consumers money, making businesses more competitive and creating jobs throughout the region.
" At the time of Gov. Launched in 2009, EPRI's Ohio River Basin Water Quality Trading Project will consist of a voluntary cap-and-trade program involving eight states with access to the Ohio River Basin. This article originally appeared on SocialFunds.com and is reprinted with permission. Photo CC-licensed by Ian Sane. Refill water bottles for free at local businesses. A little guide to choosing the right reusable water bottle. Cooum desal plant to produce power, water | Eco-Business. In the backdrop of a severe power shortage in the state, Germany-based Traiton Global LLC has proposed a desalination plant on the Cooum river in the city, which could produce 600MW power and 75 million litres per day of clean water.
A project plan has been submitted to the state government which has invited company officials from Germany to discuss the project and costs. Government sources said a team from the company in Germany is likely to visit Chennai in the first week of August. The focus of this project is on producing clean water from Cooum and also on energy production. “The company has proposed to set up its unit at the mouth of Cooum River where it flows into the Bay of Bengal,” an official said. According to the technical specifications of the project, water from the polluted Cooum River would be stored in a large reservoir prior to purification and enhancement. Then the water would be pressurised and purified in several stages. The Challenges of Water Management within the Mining Industry | Eco-Business. Ultimately, the sustainability of the mining industry continues to hang in the balance, Mudd (2009).
Our planet is facing a real crisis in water resources. Climate change and population increases are changing the balance of supply and demand. According to predictions, by 2030 the world’s population will be over 8.1 billion. Since 1950, the need for water has trebled and it will double again by 2050. It is water management that is emerging as the pre-eminent sustainability issue within the Global Energy and Mining Resource Industries. With water being the most important resource in all mining and quarrying developments and operations; it can be used and abused. Water Management for Sustainable Mining In recent years there has been a renewed public debate surrounding the mining industry and its sustainability, due to strong public sentiment on environmental and social issues surrounding the mining industry globally, most specifically, in Australia: Tackling Water Pollution References.
Spike in water bills looms | Eco-Business. The state’s three water corporations have released their draft pricing plan for 2012 through to 2015. Each corporation is proposing a different annual target tariff rate for standard residential customers. Cradle Mountain Water is the highest at $978, Ben Lomond is proposing a rate of $949, while Southern Water wants to charge an average of $942 per customer. Households with both water and sewerage connected face a maximum increase of $100 a year, or 10 per cent of what they paid this year; whichever figure is greater. Customers who are already paying more than about $1,000 will not see any increase over the period. Andrew Kneebone from Cradle Mountain Water says the company needs to increase revenue. “We’re currently a fairly marginal business in terms of profitability and we also have a large challenge in front of us in terms of bringing infrastructure [like] pipes, pumps, treatment plants up to compliance standards,” he said.
Greenpeace's 'Dirty Water' Shows Benefits of Antagonistic Campaigns | Business. Greenpeace launched its campaign on toxic water discharges from the Chinese textile industry this month with a signature move: activists hanging signs and holding court at company locations. In this case, Greenpeace targeted Nike and Adidas with actions at company stores in Beijing, even though they are only two of more than a dozen companies Greenpeace found are linked to textile facilities that are polluting rivers in China. Like the cliche of only hurting the ones you love, Greenpeace say it's putting the spotlight on the bigger companies because of the positive potential they hold. "Nike and Adidas are the ones that can move the whole sector if they accept the challenge," said Martin Besieux, toxic campaigner for Greenpeace International. "We think they are the leaders to bring us to a toxic-free future.
" "You can't be everywhere at the same time," said Reiner Hengstmann, Puma's global director of environmental and social affairs. California groundwater management trickles up from local sources, Stanford study finds. Courtesy of the California Department of Water Resources In a typical year, California pumps about 30 percent of its water from wells. Much of the state's groundwater is used for agricultural irrigation. In a typical year, California gets about 30 percent of its water from groundwater wells.
Yet when it comes to managing this precious resource, the state of California relies on a mixed bag of more than 2,000 local water agencies with varying degrees of authority. Critics say that this decentralized system leaves the state vulnerable to overdraft, which occurs when water is pumped out faster than replacement water is absorbed. But according to a new report published by Stanford University's Program on Water in the West, a surprising number of local water districts are taking on the challenge of groundwater protection, even without state leadership. "The California legal framework for groundwater management is weak," Nelson said. Statewide survey Critical overdraft State vs. local Media Contact. Taking the marine sector from a roadmap to a superhighway - 14 Jul 2011 - Industry Voice: a blog from BusinessGreen.
From reading the Renewable Road Map published alongside the Government's Energy Market Reform White Paper (EMR) this week you would be forgiven for thinking that the marine industry in the UK was on a road to nowhere. While other low carbon technologies, such as offshore and onshore wind and biomass, have some healthy amounts of power attributed to them in 2020, marine has a just a solitary 1TWh. This is equivalent to one 50th of the electricity expected from offshore wind by 2020.
In engineering terms it is equivalent to some 300MW of commercially operational wave and tidal devices - or some 60 offshore wind turbines. Little more than a drop in the ocean. In reality, given the current state of play of the sector and the challenges ahead, the 1 TWh figure is about right. However, it illustrates the dilemma of roadmaps. If the end point had been a further decade out to 2030 the picture would be dramatically different for marine. So what is needed to make this happen?
Water facilities investment in China is to hit 77 bln USD in the next 5 years: expert | Eco-Business. The investment in water facilities in Chinese cities from 2011 to 2015 is estimated to be no less than 500 billion to 600 billion yuan (77.4 billion to 92.8 billion U.S. dollars), a senior expert from China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said here on Wednesday. Speaking at a business forum on the Chinese water market at the ongoing Singapore International Water Week, Shao Yisheng, vice dean of China Urban Planning and Design Institute, said China has about 4,000 water plants but the technologies used at most of the plants were not advanced.
The quality of the source water at less than half of these plants were up to the national standards, making it all the more challenge for the treatment, he added. The water pipe system calls for improvement, too, with over 6 billion cubic meters of water lost as a result of leaks. About 76.9 percent of the urban waste water was treated.
“To have a sustainable water system, we must save water and, at the same time, treate waste water. Water recycling helps recover nutrients too: water prize winner | Eco-Business. Used water ought to be viewed as a resource and not merely a nuisance to dispose of, says South African-born scientist James Barnard, this year’s Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Laureate. Delivering the Singapore Water Lecture yesterday afternoon, Dr Barnard said he sees water reclamation as a means not just to recover water, but also essential nutrients such as phosphorus. Recognised for inventing an environment-friendly and cost-effective method to treat used water using micro-organisms instead of chemicals, Dr Barnard received $300,000, an award certificate and a gold medallion from former premier Lee Kuan Yew at a banquet at the Ritz-Carlton last night.
Dr Barnard will use part of the prize money to set up an endowment for his alma mater Stellenbosch University because South Africa is ‘producing only 20 per cent of engineers needed in such a water-strapped country’. He will also donate part of the money to the University of Johannesburg and University of Texas at Austin. Shiyan City invests RMB 100 billion to clean up water supply | Eco-Business. Two China-invested hydropower dams to supply electricity later this year: Cambodian PM | Eco-Business. Siemens successfully concluded R&D project on low-energy seawater desalination: technology ready for full-scale testing | Eco-Business.