Features in the February 2004 edition of Water21
Global focus on sustainability: a series of articles examining some of the challenges the global water sector as it strives to ensure a sustainable future.
Sustainability: keeping the taps flowing
Bringing relevant stakeholders together to create a shared vision can help the water industry develop the long-term plans needed to ensure a sustainable future. In the first of a group of articles outlining some of the issues facing the industry, Gerald Jones looks at one such initiative in the UK and at how a similar approach could be taken elsewhere.
Alum recovery from water treatment works sludges
Recovering alum from the water treatment process can be problematic. Arup K SenGupta and Prakhar Prakash present a promising alternative membrane-based technique.
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Energy concerns: reducing the pressure
A critical factor in ensuring a sustainable future will surely be to secure world energy supplies and deal with associated greenhouse gas emissions. Paul Shepherd describes how sodium-sulphur batteries are being used to alleviate the pressure in Japanese wastewater plants.
Features
In the zone: pollution management for industrial estates
Modern thinking on managing industrial activity in urban areas embraces "industrial parks as ecosystems". Bill McCann looks at developments, including a revival of activity regarding this topic by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Use of Fenton's reagent to pretreat industrial wastewaters in Mexico
By Rosa Maria Ram'rez Zamora, Mar'a Teresa Orta de Vel'squez and Alfonso Durin Moreno.
Integrated urban action for Recife's slums
Better water supply and sanitation are core elements of a plan to improve conditions in slums around one of Brazil's major conurbations. Peter Reina reports on the project.
Colombia's small-scale private rapport
Colombia is turning to private sector operators to improve water and wastewater services in medium-sized and small municipalities. Peter Reina tracks the new development and the World Bank's role.
Niche work for desalination suppliers
Though modest in scale, build-own-operate projects for desalination plants keep appearing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Peter Reina reviews the market.
Hopes for a household solution
A WHO-backed global initiative aims in particular to reduce the incidence of diarrhoeal disease and death by promoting domestic water treatment and storage. Bill McCann looks at aims and progress.
A Unanimous Vote of confidence?
Use of ultraviolet light for the disinfection of water and wastewater is firmly established as an option for operators. Lis Stedman spoke with suppliers of the technology to hear their views on developments in this market.
Demonstrating seawater desalination feasibility
Southern California is suffering an acute water crisis. Nikolay Voutchkov looks at a feasibility study in Carlsbad that is proving the merits of desalination as an answer to the problem.
Building a basin basis for monitoring
Monitoring continues to be an area in which substantial improvements are needed. Lis Stedman looks at a recent motivation for European countries to address this issue - the EU Water Framework Directive, which requires a basin-level approach.
Environmental information: a bridge over troubled transboundary waters?
Transboundary river basin issues can be incredibly complex, and the gathering and dissemination of environmental information has typically played an important role in attempting to solve them. The editors of a new book on the subject, Sindre Langaas and Jos Timmerman, give their views.
Breaking the pollution and poverty cycle in African settlements
Pollution and poverty are often found together. Professor Kenneth Iwugo, Brian D'Arcy, Dr Ralph Heath and Professor Bob Andoh look at a new approach trialed in South Africa that could prove to be a practical solution.
Water Loss
Managing leakage by District Metered Areas: a practical approach
This article, by John Morrison, is the fifth in a special series of articles for Water21 by the IWA Water Loss Task Force. It highlights the work being undertaken by the DMA Manual team to produce an international manual to assist leakage practitioners implementing leakage control by district metered areas (DMAs) or 'sectorization'.
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Water Utility21
Whilst Geographic Information Systems are not yet widely used in regions such as the Middle East, the sewage authority of Abu Dhabi is currently assembling one to assist work in the rapidly expanding city. Paul Shepherd went to see how the project is progressing.
Potential for municipal sewerage systems in developing countries
The development of sewerage systems in the industrialised west can provide insights into how countries such as Thailand should move ahead with wastewater treatment. Kumar Mohit and Harvey Ludwig look at new moves.
Water Environment 21
Working with nature: the Great Swamp Effluent Management System
Natural forested wetlands are being utilised for wet weather backup disposal of reclaimed municipal effluent in South Carolina's Low Country. Robert Knight, Ron Clarke and Chris Petry report on how "ecological engineering" can buffer the impacts of development on sensitive coastal waters.
Research & Development
An interdisciplinary approach
Recent years have seen major advances in the use of biofilms in wastewater treatment. One of the editors of a recent IWA book on the subject, Stefan Wuertz, talks to Bill McCann about the importance of having an interdisciplinary perspective.
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Versatile grass takes awards
Two scientists from the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (NRM), Queensland, Australia, have obtained international awards for their work on Vetiver grass, the versatile Indian plant with exceptional ability to clean up agricultural effluents and absorb and remove many contaminants from wastewaters.
UK looks at future demand
A £2.5M (US$4.5M) UK research project will look at future water demands for up to the next 30 years in the light of assessed demographic trends and the projected estimate of four million new households, many of single occupancy.
Testing source tracking methods
Microbial source tracking (MST) was the focus of attention in the December 2003 Journal of Water and Health, with seven papers looking at various aspects of the subject.
Improving on coliforms
The known limitations of traditional coliform indicators in watershed management were the starting point for a US project to assess an alternative method using source-specific tracking indicators.
Watching the environment
A special December 2003 edition of Ambio was devoted entirely to papers presented under the Remote Sensing for the Environment (RESE) programme.