Category: News

  • Determination of microplastics in pond water

    Determination of microplastics in pond water

    Microplastics in pond water – Study

    aDepartment of Environmental Studies, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara 390002, India
    bDepartment of Chemistry, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara 390002, India

    Abstract

    Plastics in the form of the fibers, fragments or beads, smaller than 5 mm in size, are of increasing concern. These are called as the microplastics.

    Microplastics is considered generalized pollutant that is present in practically all environmental compartments, especially in the marine and freshwater environment. Microplastics pollution has not been studied much for Indian aquatic systems like ponds in urban areas. In this study, we present the assessment of microplastics pollution in Vadodara’s Gotri pond water. Using standard method of density separation, we have isolated and characterized microplastics in water samples collected from the pond.

    The study shows for the first time presence of microplastics pollution in ponds in the city, with the amount ranging from 0.010 mg to 0.039 mg per liter. The isolated microplastics were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy, based on the identification of functional groups in the material.

    Outline

    1. Abstract
    2. Keywords
    3. 1. Introduction
    4. 2. Material and methodology
      • 2.1. Location of the pond under study
      • 2.2. Sample collection
      • 2.3. Reagents
      • 2.4. Instruments
      • 2.5. Sample preparation for microplastics determination
    5. 3. Results and discussion
      • 3.1. Microplastics shape
      • 3.2. Amount of microplastics in water sample
      • 3.3. Identification of the microplastics using FTIR spectroscopy
    6. 4. Conclusion
    7. Declaration of Competing Interest
    8. Acknowledgment
    9. Data availability
    10. References
  • Designed for women ? What’s needed next for cities

    Designed for women ? What’s needed next for cities

    ….. Increased water and sanitation for all

    According to the UN, one in four people do not have access to safe drinking water. Globally, women and girls bear the responsibility of water collection in eight out of 10 households, so are disproportionately affected.

    And one in three women do not have safe, inclusive toilets, which promotes gender-based violence and exclusion, particularly for elderly and disabled women who tend to avoid visiting areas without accessible public sanitation.

    City-planning that works for women’s health and well-being needs to focus on raising water and sanitation facilities, improving standards of healthcare and nutrition, and creating more safe, accessible and green environments, urges the UN.

    It is critical that we design our future cities — and redesign our existing ones — in a holistic way. The World Economic Forum has released a series of reports about “future-ready cities”, which details how to build inclusive environments for all.

    To tackle the many challenges women face in urban environments, it is vital that under-represented communities be given the opportunity to play a bigger part in making our cities better for everyone.

    Are cities made for women ?
    Are cities made for women ?
  • Designed for women ? What's needed next for cities

    Designed for women ? What's needed next for cities

    ….. Increased water and sanitation for all

    According to the UN, one in four people do not have access to safe drinking water. Globally, women and girls bear the responsibility of water collection in eight out of 10 households, so are disproportionately affected.

    And one in three women do not have safe, inclusive toilets, which promotes gender-based violence and exclusion, particularly for elderly and disabled women who tend to avoid visiting areas without accessible public sanitation.

    City-planning that works for women’s health and well-being needs to focus on raising water and sanitation facilities, improving standards of healthcare and nutrition, and creating more safe, accessible and green environments, urges the UN.

    It is critical that we design our future cities — and redesign our existing ones — in a holistic way. The World Economic Forum has released a series of reports about “future-ready cities”, which details how to build inclusive environments for all.

    To tackle the many challenges women face in urban environments, it is vital that under-represented communities be given the opportunity to play a bigger part in making our cities better for everyone.

    Are cities made for women ?
    Are cities made for women ?
  • Water crises management

    Water crises management

    Economics aspects of water crisis

    Abstract

    The growing risk of water crises, including drought, is one of the greatest challenges in the coming decades. Averting such crises will be especially daunting, given that they are just as much a failure of water management as they are a result of scarcity. A major shortcoming is the persistent underpricing of water.

    Poor water policies, governance and institutions perpetuate a vicious cycle of underpricing that increases the risk of water crisis
    Poor water policies, governance and institutions perpetuate a vicious cycle of underpricing that increases the risk of water crises. (Online version in colour.)

    The increasing environmental and social costs associated with freshwater scarcity are not routinely reflected in markets. Nor have we developed adequate policies and institutions to handle these costs. This creates perverse incentives that fail to balance water exttraction with supply, protect freshwater ecosystems and generate water-saving innovations. However, drought is proving to be a catalyst for governance and policy reform, and steps can be taken to overcome the underpricing of water. Several examples are explored to illustrate the economic challenge. They include removing the barriers to water markets and trading, reallocating subsidies for water supply and sanitation to expand delivery in developing countries and reforming environmentally harmful irrigation and agricultural policies.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The article also explains how ending underpricing can foster a comprehensive strategy for water-saving innovation that can ‘bend’ the global water use curve.

     

    Overcoming the search costs of linking and matching buyers with sellers to create a market for water is one important and large transaction cost (Area A). But to make this market work, there is likely to be an even larger investment expense for creating new supply infrastructure to convey water from sellers to buyers (Area B). Finally, the largest costs may be incurred from creating and enforcing contracts, separating land from water rights and obtaining regulatory permission through the legal system (Area C). The full transactions costs associated with creating such markets are therefore A + B + C.
    Overcoming the search costs of linking and matching buyers with sellers to create a market for water is one important and large transaction cost (Area A). But to make this market work, there is likely to be an even larger investment expense for creating new supply infrastructure to convey water from sellers to buyers (Area B). Finally, the largest costs may be incurred from creating and enforcing contracts, separating land from water rights and obtaining regulatory permission through the legal system (Area C). The full transactions costs associated with creating such markets are therefore A + B + C. Adapted from [11,19,30,34].

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    This article is part of the Royal Society Science+ meeting issue ‘Drought risk in the Anthropocene’.
    Publisher edit this study as a point of view maybe different than he believe.

    Research on PDF
    https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rsta.2021.0295

  • Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water & sanitation) in India

    Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water & sanitation) in India

    Transforming Lives through Localization

    Being the second-most populated country, India balances its huge water demand with limited resources. It sets an inspiring example for water and sanitation management through a catena of judicial decisions on the subject-matter and public participation on grass-root level.

    Independent studies notes that government plans and policies have contributed to an increased quality of life of the population. Amid prevailing economic and environmental stress, India remained committed to the spirit of leaving no one behind by improving safe drinking water and access to toilet facilities, particularly for women and rural communities. In this context, the research paper highlights Indian experiences of securing SDG 6 and outline crucial lessons from its implemented policies.

    The Indian localization approach demonstrates an impressive strategic model on SDGs. Application of the Indian SDG localized model secures enormous water demands, improves infrastructure, creates opportunities, and strengthens democratic ties.

    Further, the adoption of two of its prominent schemes, Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has significantly fulfilled the water and sanitation related needs of local communities. Provided that a large population belongs to poor and under-developed region, Indian experiences on achieving SDGs will play a substantial role in setting examples for other countries. Moreover, it suggests inclusive and structured water management policies beneficial for applying SDG 6 in other parts of the world.

    SDG6 – Why it matters – Siddharth Singh (India) – Complete
    https://www.uvu.edu/global/docs/wim22/sdg6/sdg6-singh.pdf

  • Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water & sanitation) in India

    Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water & sanitation) in India

    Transforming Lives through Localization

    Being the second-most populated country, India balances its huge water demand with limited resources. It sets an inspiring example for water and sanitation management through a catena of judicial decisions on the subject-matter and public participation on grass-root level.

    Independent studies notes that government plans and policies have contributed to an increased quality of life of the population. Amid prevailing economic and environmental stress, India remained committed to the spirit of leaving no one behind by improving safe drinking water and access to toilet facilities, particularly for women and rural communities. In this context, the research paper highlights Indian experiences of securing SDG 6 and outline crucial lessons from its implemented policies.

    The Indian localization approach demonstrates an impressive strategic model on SDGs. Application of the Indian SDG localized model secures enormous water demands, improves infrastructure, creates opportunities, and strengthens democratic ties.

    Further, the adoption of two of its prominent schemes, Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has significantly fulfilled the water and sanitation related needs of local communities. Provided that a large population belongs to poor and under-developed region, Indian experiences on achieving SDGs will play a substantial role in setting examples for other countries. Moreover, it suggests inclusive and structured water management policies beneficial for applying SDG 6 in other parts of the world.

    SDG6 – Why it matters – Siddharth Singh (India) – Complete
    https://www.uvu.edu/global/docs/wim22/sdg6/sdg6-singh.pdf

  • Rebuid Water economics and governance

    Rebuid Water economics and governance

    Transforming the Economics and Governance of Water

    Source : Project Syndicate

    Source : Circle of Blue

    The floods, droughts, heatwaves, and fires that are devastating many parts of the world underscore two fundamental facts. First, damage to freshwater supplies is increasingly straining human societies, especially the poor, with far-reaching implications for economic, social, and political stability. Second, the combined impact of today’s extreme conditions are unprecedented in human history, and are overwhelming policymakers’ ability to respond.

    In East Africa, a devastating four-year drought has destroyed millions of livelihoods and left more than 20 million people at risk of starvation. In Pakistan, recent flooding has submerged one-third of the country, killing at least 1,500 people so far and wiping out 45% of this year’s crops. In China, an unprecedented heatwave has caused acute water shortages in regions that account for one-third of the country’s rice production.

    Moreover, droughts and fires in the United States and Europe, and severe floods and droughts across India, have reduced global grain yields and food exports, highlighting the extent to which our food production depends on large, stable volumes of water. Add to this the impact of the war in Ukraine on grain and fertilizer supplies, and there is a substantial risk that today’s global food crisis will persist.

    For the first time in our history, human activities are jeopardizing water at its very source. Climate change and deforestation are reshaping the monsoon season, causing ice on the Tibetan plateau to melt, and affecting freshwater supplies to more than one billion people. Rising global temperatures are changing evaporation patterns and reducing moisture feedback from forests, disrupting downwind rainfall. And a destabilized global water cycle is itself aggravating climate change. For example, the depletion of water in the soil and forests is reducing their ability to sequester carbon.

    Water governance

    Water-use restrictions, power cuts, and other stopgap measures can no longer paper over the fact that our water governance and management systems are not suited for a world of radical environmental change. All our current arrangements rest on the assumption, now invalidated, that the water supply is relatively stable (within the bounds of natural variability), predictable, and manageable in localized ways. But the water crisis is global, and it can be solved only with transformational thinking and new governance.

    We must recognize that all our key environmental challenges are connected to water – whether there is too much or too little, or whether it is too polluted for human use. The task now is to understand the links between water, climate change, and biodiversity loss, and to properly define, value, and govern water as a global common good. Thinking about water in this way will allow us to mobilize collective action and design new rules that put equity and justice at the center of our response.

    For too long, most governments have either ignored market failures or responded to them with quick fixes, rather than mobilizing the public and private sectors around common ambitions. The public sector must see itself as a market shaper that works with all stakeholders in the water economy to create pathways for innovation and investment, ensure universal access to clean water and sanitation, and provide enough water for food, energy, and natural systems.

    A key lesson from past challenges that demanded systemic innovation is that a clearly defined mission is needed to organize our efforts. Mission-oriented policies allow governments to steer innovation and know-how directly toward meeting critical goals. When guided by an inclusive “common-good” approach, they are uniquely capable of delivering solutions to challenges that require tremendous levels of coordination and financing across many years. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and water crises are precisely such challenges.

    Mission-based strategies can help governments innovate with purpose, direction, and urgency. But to be effective, policymakers must heed the experience and wisdom of the ordinary citizens, communities, and innovators who know how to prosper in a world of water scarcity, higher temperatures, and altered coastline and river systems.

    We must now recognize threats to the global freshwater system and translate our awareness into collective action. Because water scarcity will jeopardize all the other Sustainable Development Goals, it should solidify our collective determination to limit temperature increases to 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels (as specified in the Paris climate agreement), and to preserve the natural systems that ensure stable rainfall and runoff patterns.

    In tackling these global challenges, we must hardwire the principles of equity and justice into whatever new arrangements we devise. No community can thrive without a reliable supply of clean water. But safeguarding this global common good requires new policies and systems.

    Law and economics must both be reoriented to ensure universal access to clean drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, and to build more resilient and sustainable food systems. Incentives must change so that the private sector can do its part to provide access to technology and innovation to poor and rich countries alike. This will require long-term finance and novel mechanisms to regulate how the public and private sectors work together.

    The UN 2023 Water Conference – the first in almost 50 years – will be a pivotal moment for the international community to start mapping out a future that works for everyone. In preparing for it, we can take inspiration from Nicholas Stern, who rewrote the economics of climate change, and Partha Dasgupta, who rewrote the economics of biodiversity. As the four co-chairs of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, our goal is to transform the world’s understanding of the economics and governance of water, placing a much stronger emphasis on equity, justice, effectiveness, and democracy.

    We can still redefine our relationship with water and redesign our economies to value water as a global common good. But the window of opportunity is closing. To have a chance of avoiding climate catastrophe and adapting to unavoidable change, we must ensure a resilient water future for poor and rich societies alike.

    Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the economics of innovation and public value at University College London, is founding director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, chair of the World Health Organization’s Council on the Economics of Health For All, and a co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, is a former managing director at the World Bank, finance minister of Nigeria, board chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and African Union special envoy on COVID-19.

    Johan Rockström, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, is a co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water.

    Tharman Shanmugaratnam, senior minister in Singapore’s cabinet, is chair of the Group of Thirty and a co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water.

    Quentin Grafton, Joyeeta Gupta, and Aromar Revi, lead experts of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, contributed to this commentary.

     

  • 10 Smartest Cities In The World For 2020 – 175 cities ranked by IESE

    10 Smartest Cities In The World For 2020 – 175 cities ranked by IESE

    The Smartest Cities: Top Ten

    Samrt-cities-top-ten
    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    
    175 cities classified according to "smartitude" including 5 in France ....
    Check African and Asian cities.
    Africa top 5 smart cities
    
    
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    Asia Top 5 smart cities

    
    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    
    
    3 criteria in "Environmental Indicators for Waste and Water"
    Environmental Indicators smart cities
    Environmental Indicators smart cities

     

    
    

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Thanks to Courrier International (in French) which cites Forbes and the source PDF IESE Navarra (in English)
    
    The main source is IESE Cities in Motion Index (Navarra) >> see the 2022 world map
    i.e. IESE Business School Navarra (but the parent IESE is London)
    
    Interesting PDF because there are governance criteria  (governance word used 5 times in the intro of the study): rights, corruption, democracy ....
    Good reading (in English but Google Translate is still efficient)

     

    https://media.iese.edu/research/pdfs/ST-0542-E.pdf

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/iese/2020/07/08/these-are-the-10-smartest-cities-in-the-world-for-2020/?sh=701e8e3e12af

    https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/classement-quelles-sont-les-villes-les-plus-smart-du-monde (French)

    https://citiesinmotion.iese.edu/indicecim/

    https://asialyst.com/fr/2016/02/01/asie-des-villes-intelligentes-quelles-reponses-au-defi-urbain/ (French)

    https://waterforall.utilities.management/formation_dg/skills_know-how_md/

     

  • Webinar on Openstreetmap by Alexandre Duclaux – GIS expert for SUEZ Smart Solutions

    Webinar on Openstreetmap by Alexandre Duclaux – GIS expert for SUEZ Smart Solutions

    Tuesday 8 November
    9.30 to 10.30am (Paris time)

    Do you (really) know Openstreetmap?

    1. What is Openstreetmap?
    2. Who is behind Openstreetmap?
    3. Is Openstreetmap really free?
    4. What Openstreetmap for at SUEZ?
    5. Are water networks in Openstreetmap?

    During 1 hour, Alexandre Duclaux, Openstreetmap contributor will answer all your questions

    Send a message to opt@agroparistech.fr to receive the connection link – feel free to share the info

    See you there!

    Flyer_Openstreetmap

  • Desalination and water treatment by Hippolyte Ditona Tsumbu – OpT Alumni 2017-18

    Desalination and water treatment by Hippolyte Ditona Tsumbu – OpT Alumni 2017-18

    Water true-cost to manage social contestability? Users’ perceptions
    about community-managed water standpipes networks in Kinshasa,
    Democratic Republic of Congo

    Hippolyte Ditona Tsumbua,c,*, David Cammaertsa, Ignace Adantb, Françis Lelo Nzuzic, Jean-François Deliègea

    aUnité PeGire – Aquapôle, UR FOCUS – Université de Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium, Tel. +243824384260/+32465798787;
    email: hyppoliteditona@gmail.com (H.D. Tsumbu), Tel. +32494344492; email: davidcammaerts@gmail.com (D. Cammaerts),
    Tel. +3243662356; email: jfdeliege@uliege.be (J.-F. Deliège)
    bEarth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, Tel. +32010478706;
    email: ignace.adant@uclouvain.be (I. Adant)
    cÉcole Régionale d’Aménagement et de Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux, Université de Kinshasa, R.D. Congo,
    Tel. +2438189046324; email: lelonzuzi@yahoo.fr (F.L. Nzuzi)

    Received 14 January 2022; Accepted 25 May 2022

    ABSTRACT
    In suburban areas of African megalopolis, the development and commissioning of water production and distribution infrastructures fail to keep pace with unplanned urbanisation. Therefore,
    millions of households do not have access to safe tap water. In Democratic Republic of Congo, associations of users of drinking water standpipes networks (ASUREP) have emerged in the peripheral districts of major cities. They share the same operating principles of governance and participatory management organized in a reference model (the ASUREP model). It was designed as an alternative to governmental model to respond proactively to the criticisms that frequently target tap water producers and distributors, therefore reducing their exposition to social contestation.

    A rigorous evaluation of the impacts generated by the application of the ASUREP model is therefore particularly useful, for the Congolese society but also to shed light on other innovative alternatives. In the framework of this evaluation, we conducted in 2020 a survey of more than 1,000 households in the peri-urban areas of Kinshasa. In this paper we remind the key operating principles that should be applied by the managers of the ASUREP serving these households. We synthesize our observations about the difference between the reference model and its application when it comes to water pricing. We stress that most of the households served by the ASUREP do not master the water true-cost concept and that most of the respondents have a limited understanding of the determinants of the unit price of water. There is a form of contestant vigilance expressed by many households because the price of water is depicted as not transparent and is therefore likely considered as too high. In the peri-urban areas of Kinshasa, most users put up with this situation rather than lapsing into active protests and many of them do not use the communication channels provided for participatory governance. We discuss these results and conclude this evaluation step by identifying two avenues for future research related to the role of informal institutions in the management of social contestability and of full transparency on water production costs.

    Keywords: ASUREP; Alternative drinking water supply model; Water true-cost; Social contestability; Kinshasa

    * Corresponding author.
    Presented at the 9th International Conference on Water Resources in the Mediterranean Basin (WATMED9), 26–28 May 2021, Marrakech, Morocco 1944-3994/1944-3986 © 2022 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

    Full article above

    Desalination and water treatment_HDitona

  • How This Guy Cleaned a Lake !

    How This Guy Cleaned a Lake !

    Clean a lake: an organic solution

    Short and spectacular video on a sanitation technology for water places

    by Nas Daily (a palestinian influencer)

     

    Other sources:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marino_Morikawa

    Less spectacular, more “serious”

    www.dawsonenglishjournal.ca/article/environmentalist-marino-morikawa-a-dreamer-in-action-by-rosa-alicia-castillo/