'Tap the power of used water': Singapore International Water Week

That will lead to reduced pollution and better sanitation: UN panel chief
Victoria Vaughan, Straits Times 24 Jun 09;

CLOSE to one in two people in Asia - 1.8 billion people - does not have proper sanitation, making diarrhoea the top health problem for children because they are forced to drink polluted water.

The situation can improve only through political will, public education and open discussion on the unpalatable subject of sanitation, said Holland's Crown Prince Willem-Alexander at the Singapore International Water Week yesterday.

'It is a very private matter and public discussion about toilets, sewage systems and personal hygiene can be challenging, said the prince, who chairs the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation.

In South-east Asia, 13 million tonnes of untreated faeces are released into inland water sources each year, along with 122 million cu m of urine and 11 billion cu m of grey water (water used in washing).

To improve the situation, his board, for example, has set up 'Water Operators Partnerships' to help public utilities providers connect and share experiences and knowledge on a non-profit basis.

A UN Millennium Development Goal is to halve, by 2015, the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Studies have found that while the world is on track to meet the drinking water target, based on current data, it will miss the sanitation target by more than 700 million people.

Noting that less than 5 per cent of consumed water is recycled, he said: 'The 95 per cent that is not recycled represents a tremendous opportunity to reduce pollution while simultaneously reclaiming the precious resources of water.'

Singapore is one of the best examples in the world where waste water is already being recycled on a large scale, he added during his speech at the ministerial plenary session attended by ministers and delegates from around the world.

'The fact that Singapore talks about used water instead of waste water is already a very important part of the perception that it is used and therefore reusable, - it's not waste,' he told The Straits Times later.

The Republic has an important role to play in helping other countries develop infrastructure capabilities, particularly for water treatment technology, said General Joginder Singh, governor of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in India. 'What countries like India have to learn from you is not to waste even a drop of water.'

Touching on the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said: 'Increasing access to clean water and sanitation is key to improving public health and hygiene, a basic yet vital aspect of keeping pandemics at bay.'

He stressed that countries should include infrastructure development in their packages, despite the financial downturn.

In fact, such infrastructure could even lead to profits.

According to the latest Joint Monitoring Programme report, conducted by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children's Fund, every dollar invested in sanitation yields a return of nine dollars.

Said Prince Willem-Alexander: 'So, in this era of global financial insecurity, sanitation technology and infrastructure is one of the most reliable long-term investment opportunities around.'

He pointed out that safe sanitation provides human health, dignity and development beyond value.

Mr Fehied Fahad Al Shareef, governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation, a utilities company based in Saudi Arabia, said: 'Many international experts agree that perhaps in the future, wars will be fought over water.'

The bad stuff in drinking water
Straits Times Forum 24 Jun 09;

CONTAMINATES that can be found in drinking water:

MICRO-ORGANISMS

# Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium, found in human and animal faecal waste - causes gastrointestinal illnesses such as diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps.

# Legionella, found in water and which multiplies in heating systems - causes Legionnaire's Disease, a type of pneumonia.

# Chlorite, a by-product of drinking-water disinfection - causes anaemia and can affect the nervous system in infants and young children.

# Chlorine, added to water to control microbes - causes eye or nose irritation and stomach discomfort.

INORGANIC CHEMICALS

# Arsenic, from natural deposits and in the run-offs from orchards and glass and electronics production wastes - causes skin damage or problems with the circulatory systems and may increase the risk of getting cancer.

# Copper, from corrosion of household plumbing systems and natural deposits - short-term exposure causes gastrointestinal distress and long-term exposure causes liver or kidney damage.

# Fluoride, a water additive which promotes strong teeth, can also enter drinking water from erosion of natural deposits and discharge from fertiliser and aluminium factories - it can cause bone disease (pain and tenderness of the bones) and children may get mottled teeth.

New technology can now detect substances like personal care products, pesticides and explosives, say experts from independent product safety certification organisation, Underwriters Laboratories.

SOURCE: U.S. ENVIRONMENT

PROTECTION AGENCY

Global facts on water access
Straits Times 24 Jun 09;

# More than 1 billion people lack adequate access to clean water and are vulnerable to many health hazards and diseases.

# Up to 5 million children die every year due to either shortage of water or polluted water; approximately one child dies every 5 seconds.

# Over 80 per cent of diseases in Third World countries originate from the consumption of polluted water.

# Each day, the gap between the world's demand and the supply of clean water is widening.

The United Nations and the World Bank expect this figure to triple over the next 20 years.

# In Asia, some 1.8 billion people have poor access to sanitation; worldwide, about 70 per cent of people lack proper sanitation.

# In South-east Asia, 13 million tonnes of untreated faeces are released to inland water sources every year, in addition to 122 million cu m of urine and 11 billion cu m of grey water.

# Less than 5 per cent of consumed water is recycled.

Hyflux inks tech pacts with ABB, Dutch group
Teh Shi Ning, Business Times 24 Jun 09;

HYFLUX has signed two agreements for technology collaboration - one with Swiss engineering company ABB, and the second, with the Dutch Technology Foundation.

Both agreements were inked yesterday, on the sidelines of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW).

The first is with Zurich-based ABB, which has clinched a deal worth S$40 million from Hyflux to provide power to a seawater desalination plant in Algeria.

The two companies said their MOU on technology will enhance their existing collaboration, as ABB's energy efficient technologies and solutions can help increase the energy and operational efficiency of Hyflux's water processing plants.

Hyflux's second agreement, with the Dutch Technology Foundation (STW), will be to jointly fund a 3 million euros (S$6.1 million) partnership research programme on advanced membrane separation technologies.

This programme is expected to last two to four years, and aims to spur cooperation between the Netherlands' academic researchers and the industry, with Hyflux helping to commercialise technological advances.

In fact, one product of several years of collaboration between Hyflux and Dutch researchers, is Ino- Cep, a second-generation hollow fibre ceramic membrane which Hyflux also launched yesterday.

The membrane can withstand high temperatures and extreme pH conditions, and can thus be applied to a wide range of industries and processes, such as the treatment and recycling of laundry water, as well as separating emulsified oily water.

It is one of 16 new products and technologies which water companies will be launching globally, at SIWW 2009.

Another example of a product slated to be launched at the Water Expo's Innovation Corner, is a new anti-clog impeller technology for wastewater pumps by ITT Corporation, which also bought the largest exhibition space among individual company exhibitors, at this year's tradeshow.

In addition to the global product launches, 13 other new innovations will stage regional product launches at the Water Week.