INTERNATIONAL NEWS
PlayPump rejected by aid community
A technology once heralded as a creative solution to Africa’s drinking water problem is now under criticism from the international aid communi- ty. The PlayPump is fuelled by children playing on a roundabout that forces water into a tank. Several international aid organisa- tions, including WaterAid and UNICEF, have openly criticised the device, saying it is too expensive, difficult to repair, and unsustainable. Save the Children has come under fire in a report from the Mozambique government, which indicates that it failed to test the water quality of many of its 40 PlayPump sites. The charity’s media manager for Africa, Kathryn Rawe, said: “Due to a variety some technical failures and the fact that the pump mechanisms
simply got too hot in the African sun for children to use, those communi- ties with one exception, asked to have them replaced with traditional hand pumps.” The 39 Playpumps have now
been replaced with traditional hand pumps. WaterAid’s technical sup- port manager, Vincent Casey, said: “While it is a novel idea, there are cheaper and more sustainable ways of achieving the same aims. Cost, maintenance and the local availabili- ty of spare parts are key factors that must be considered. “Over the years WaterAid has
worked with technologies that are low cost, appropriate to local condi- tions and within the technical capac- ity of the benefiting community to operate and maintain.”
PlayPumps are unsustainable, say aid organisations Image: mediamolecule China resettlement criticised Westgarth wins Brazil contract
A report from the California-based campaign group International Rivers is critical of the resettlement policies of the Chinese authorities imple- menting the US$62B South-North Water Transfer Project. The scheme is the biggest engineering project in Chinese history and 330,000 people are being relocated for the expansion of the Danjiangkou reservoir. The report finds that while the gov- ernment has learned lessons from the experience with the Three Gorges Dam, serious problems remain. The levels of compensation and post- resettlement support have been sig- nificantly increased, but the budget is
still low. Further, while resettlement policies are more detailed than in the past and people are no longer moved out of their home provinces, affected people were not involved in prepar- ing the resettlement policies. Peter Bosshard, policy director of
International Rivers, said: “We com- mend the Chinese authorities for the improvements which they have adopted in their resettlement policies, and salute the courage of China’s dam-affected people who have helped to bring this progress about. We urge the government to carry out the measures recommended to avoid a deterioration of the situation.”
Emergency kit opts for HaloPure Water
treatment company
HaloSource, has signed an agree- ment with DelAgua, the UK water- testing organisation responsible for the development of an emergency response drinking water device. DelAgua produces the Oxfam DelAgua kit, developed in collabora- tion with the international NGO. The kit enables field workers to
VWS Westgarth, part of Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract by SBM Atlantia for their floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) unit to be installed in the Baleia Azul oil field off the coast of Brazil. The award is for the design, supply and delivery of a single lift module seawater sulphate reduction package (SRP) system with a capacity of
In brief
test water quality in remote and iso- lated locations. It is used by all major NGOs and aid agencies.
Oxfam DelAgua will use HaloSource’s HaloPure disinfection technology combined with its propri- etary pre-treatment biopolymers. HaloSource says this will enable DelAgua to further support emer- gency relief efforts.
Australia: Black & Veatch has recently been appointed to Barwon Water’s Technical Services Panel in Victoria, Australia. The panel consists of six engineering companies that will provide a range of services to Barwon Water for water, wastewater and recycled water treatment assignments until July 2013.
Bahrain: Bluewater Bio has signed a letter of intent with Bahrain’s Ministry of Works to undertake a US$19M upgrade to the secondary treatment stage at Tubli wastewater treatment plant. In order to implement its HYBACS process, two aeration tanks with air diffusers will be upgraded to treat 100,000m3/d of primary-treated effluent at the plant by January 2011.
September 2010 Water & Wastewater Treatment 11
20,060m3/day. The SRP is designed to remove sulphates and other divalent ions from injection water to enhance oil recovery using Dow Filmtec membranes. The removal of these ions reduces the tendency of barium sulphate and strontium sul- phate scale to form in the reservoir. The contract will be project managed and engineered in VWS Westgarth’s offices in East Kilbride, Scotland.
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