‘Time for Solutions’ was the title of the sixth World Water Forum (WWF) in Marseilles. A programme the Netherlands heartily endorsed.
Not with quick fixes, but with sustainable, integrated solutions that take into account a region’s needs and circumstances and which merge multiple disciplines.
Sustainable water solutions are not always the cheapest, nor are they the most obvious. But they are the most effective.
Sharing the Dutch expertise
Sustainable water solutions are always high on the agenda in the Netherlands; on-going development of expertise as it is the key to safety and livability in a low-lying delta. At the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille it shared this expertise on:
water governance
integrated approach to water issues
the advantage of sustainable international partnerships
building with nature
sustainable innovations
Follow the news on the World Water Forum
During the World Water Forum this site published a series of news-items on the Dutch participation.
The average global water consumption has been 1.385 m3/y per capita over the period 1996-2005. This comes down to a average of almost 4000 liter per day. These figures were published in an article that appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) on February 13.
The authors of this article, Arjen Hoekstra and Mesfin Mekonnen of the University of Twente (the Netherlands) calculated the average water footprint, including not only the domestic water use, but also the use of fresh water for agricultural and industrial use.
Tenfold water use
Normally the figures on average water use per capita are published by water supply companies and refer mainly to domestic use only. Normally these figures do not top a daily use of 400 liters per capita, not even in highly industrialized countries. The new study by Hoekstra and Mekonnen shows that the actual water use is a tenfold.
The study reveals how different products and nations contribute to water consumption and pollution throughout the globe. The authors hope that the findings help governments to establish commodity production and consumption policies aimed at managing the planet’s finite freshwater supplies more effectively.
The water footprint (WF) is measure of the total volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services. The authors estimated the water footprint for an average citizen in each country, using three components:
blue – the volume of ground and surface water used
green – the volume of rainwater used
grey – the volume of freshwater polluted
Industrialized countries have water footprints in the range of 1.250–2.850 m3∕y per capita, whereas developing countries show a much larger range of 550– 3.800 m3∕y per capita.
Fast growing water stress in China
The water footprint of Chinese consumption is still relatively small and largely internal (90%), but given the country’s rapid growth and the growing water stress (particularly in North China), the country is likely to increasingly rely on water resources outside its territory, evidenced by China’s policy already today to buy or lease lands in Africa to secure their food supply.
With 92% the agricultural sector is by far the biggest freshwater consumer.
One-fifth for export
The study shows that about one-fifth of the global WF in the period 1996–2005 was not meant for domestic consumption but for export. The relatively large volume of international virtual water flows and the associated external water dependencies strengthen the argument to put the issue of water scarcity in a global context.
Need for sustainable water policy
For governments in water-scarce countries such as in North Africa and the Middle East, it is crucial to recognize the dependency on external water resources and to develop foreign and trade policies such that they ensure a sustainable and secure import of water-intensive commodities that cannot be grown domestically.
Some other remarkable figures for the average water footprint:
the global annual average was 9,987 Gm3/y (74% green = consumed rain water), 11% blue (= consumed surface & groundwater), 15% gray (= fresh water needed to assimilate pollution of surface & groundwater).
the global average consumer used 1,385 m3/y (in USA 2,842 m3/y and in China 1,071 m3/y)
consumption of cereal products gives the largest contribution to the water footprint (27%), followed by meat (22% and milk (7%)
“Not re-active but pro-active, that’s the way we have assisted the Flood Relief Operations Center in Bangkok”, recall Adri Verwey and Tjitte Nauta of the research and specialist consultancy institute Deltares for coastal areas and river basins.
Initially the two Dutch flood experts were asked by chief of operations for evacuation and flood prevention, minister Plodprasop, to advise him and his staff only.
But as the flood crises intensified late October and Bangkok came under serious threat, more Thai authorities were involved. Verwey and Nauta saw their advisory role expanded to more ministries and other authorities such as the Royal Irrigation Department and the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority.
Verwey was frequently asked to attend top level meetings with the army staff and prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Both flood experts look back on a very successful mission……
What has been your main role in the flood center?
“Right from the start we have worked with our Sobek hydrodynamic simulation model. It enabled us to predict the consequences of rising water levels around the city and possible dike breaches. The Sobek models had been used before in Thailand on earlier occasions of the floods.
By using this data we could show the people in the flood center what to expect as the water levels increased. The model produced maps that made the flooding very visual and allowed the disaster experts at the center to anticipate on possible events and talk about measures to prevent new floods to happen.
When we arrived in mid-October, the center was mainly busy reacting to the floodings that had occurred. Due to our presences they were also able to prevent more damage to happen.”
What else did you do?
“Once we had the Sobek simulation operational, we focused on the dike inspections. We went out and found several dike sections that were weakened by piping. Seepage water was coming underneath the dike and destabilized the foundation. Piping is known as a very serious threat, causing a dike breach.
At one location the piping was very severe and we made a simulation in our Sobek-model. We showed this to the people at the flood center. After a consultation with the prime minister Yingluck, 1000 soldiers were ordered to immediately enforce this dike with sand bags.”
“Our simulation also showed that at the north side of the town, the flood defenses were not high enough and by inspecting the place it was discovered that water was already flowing in. We advised the operation center in a plan for a 6 km long dike made of big bags filled with sand.
After the dike inspections we turned our attention to the pumping stations and advised on the most efficient use of the available pump capacity to keep the inner city of Bangkok as dry as possible. ”
What do you advice the Thai government for preventing this to happen again?
“The Thai Government has some idea of the structural measures they need to take. They, however, should opt for an integrated water management plan that also includes the non-structural measures like institutional reform, flood forecasting and improved land use.
Such a plan should have a broader scope than flood related measures only and should include for instance urgent issues as coastal erosion and deteriorating water quality as well. The Thai government must make a clear choose between ‘quick & dirty’, following the usual ad hoc engineering approach, and a comprehensive long term approach.
Such a new approach would pave the way to a more safe and sustainable Thailand.”
Below are two reports from the Thai 3 TV station (spoken in Thai language – both videos have an interview with Adri Verwey in English)
More information
Deltares
Delft, the Netherlands
+31 88 335 82 73 www.deltares.nl
Adri Verwey, flood expert
+31 88 335 8325
or
Tjitte Nauta, Integrated water management specialist/regional manager SE Asia
+31 88 335 85 72
AMMAN – An initiative that seeks to increase the Kingdom’s green cover by utilising an “intelligent water incubator” that produces and captures water from the air through condensation and rain, will be launched soon in Jordan.
The initiative will be implemented by several local NGOs in partnership with Desert Tulip, a Dutch-Jordanian company, through the Ministry of Agriculture, according to Michael Schuring, general manager of the company.
“The idea is to help increase the green areas in Jordan and acquaint NGOs, farmers and concerned people with the new technique called Groasis waterboxx,” he said in an interview with The Jordan Times last week.
The campaign entails planting saplings in desert areas using the Groasis waterboxx, which was created by Dutch inventor Pieter Hoff.
The device is an “intelligent water battery” that produces and captures water from the air through condensation and rain. The condensation is caused by artificial stimulation and the water is captured without using energy, according to Schuring.
“The Groasis waterboxx makes it possible to plant trees, bushes or vegetables on rocks, on mountains, in gardens, in ashes of recently burned woods, eroded areas or deserts or any other place, without the help of irrigation with good planting results,” he added.
Several farmers in Jordan already using the technology have given positive feedback, Schuring noted.
Abduallah Khudruj, who used the device in his farm in Jerash, said the results were “promising”.
“For each sapling, I usually use more than 20 litres of water every 10 days, but after I used the device in my farm in Jerash, I used only 10 litres of water in 90 days to irrigate one sapling,” he told The Jordan Times on Sunday.
“This is a very good technique that will help farmers a lot. It definitely helps reduce water consumption. There is a water shortage in Jordan and inadequate rainfall… with this device farmers need not worry any more,” added Khudruj, who also owns farms in Amman and Mafraq.
“It is efficient, but our main reservation is about the price. It is a modern solution, but costly. The cheaper it is, the more farmers will use it,” he said, noting that it can help Jordan save water.
Several of these devices have been used in different parts of the Kingdom, according to Schuring, who noted that the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Jordan University of Science and Technology have already tested it and shown interest in using it in different parts of Jordan, he added.
“I am optimistic that it will help Jordan reduce water use and grow plants in desert areas,” he said, noting that the technology is used in over 25 countries, including Ecuador, the US, France, Spain, Morocco, Mongolia, India and Kenya.
“Water is everywhere in the air and this technique is about how to get rain out of the air. It can help grow trees in even the most arid areas, which can help increase the green cover in Jordan without using any water for irrigation,” he added.
The Groasis waterboxx was awarded the Dutch Bèta Dragons Science Award in 2008, and in 2010, it received the Green Tech Award from Popular Science, an American magazine with over three million readers, as well as the “Best of What’s New” award, according to its website.
This article was originally published on the website of Jordan Times on June 20, 2011.
Video (5 min.) of presentation during EU Life+ project Green Deserts’ Spain
(in Spanish with English subtitles)
For the latest results of this EU Life+ against erosion and desertification, see website: The Green Deserts.
More information
AquaProHolland/Groasis
The Netherlands www.groasis.com
+31 167 547 554
Around the city of Leeuwarden, in the north of the Netherlands, there are a number of sites where water firms can test their latest technology.
Any firm can bring in a pilot installation and conduct field tests at a water facility, e.g. a municipal waste water treatment plant, a drinking water production plant or a hospital.
These demonstration sites are an initiative by Dutch water technology research centre Wetsus, to give a boost to promising new water technology. There are now four such locations as well as plans for several more.
Promising new formula
“The idea is to give companies with new water technologies easy access to a water stream where they can carry out field tests”, Heleen Sombekke explains. She works at Wetsus in Leeuwarden. Sombekke is in charge of this promising new formula.
“I invite water technology firms from all over the world, to ‘plug in and play’.
Easily linked to specific water flows
“We provide the facilities, such as a solid floor, connection points with the host plant and the required permits. A company that wishes to carry out tests only needs to bring its water treatment installation, which can simply be linked up to a water flow”, says Sombekke. Wetsus wants to bridge the gap between lab tests and the construction of a first full scale installation.
Faster to market
Using the demo site can considerably reduce the time required for new water technology to go from laboratory to market. As an example Sombekke mentions the firm Aqua Explorer.
“This small company was able to make use of our facilities and deploy their test rig to carry out practical tests on the thickening of the membrane concentrate released from salt water. Soon after, the company already had its first customer, a Texan oil company.”
Desalination pilot plant at drinking water station Noardurgum.
Save the hassle
According to Sombekke, the demo sites are ideal for small businesses. “Large water technology firms can usually carry out field tests at plants belonging to their existing customers. SMEs do not have such relationships, which is why we set up this solution for them. Since all the basic facilities are present at the demo sites, we reduce costs and save them the hassle of requesting a licence.”
Short lines with research centre
Another important advantage of the demo sites is that they are all situated close to Leeuwarden, keeping short lines with research centre Wetsus. Sombekke: “This means that our scientists have easy access to the data provided by the field test and can adapt their further research to the results of the field tests. Alternatively, a water technology firm that encounters a problem can quickly turn to the Wetsus lab and staff for help.”
“The demo sites are open to everyone, also to foreign companies”, Sombekke assures.
More information
Heleen Sombekke, Wetsus
Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
+31 58 284 62 11 www.wetsus.nl
There is a maximum size and weight for a floating house. Beyond a certain limit a structure loses its buoyancy and simply sinks. The Dutch constructors of the company Dura Vermeer initiated the Eureka-project Floatec and together with a Spanish companies Acciona Infrastructures and Solintel, a stronger floating construction was developed, made of multiple layer modified polystyrene.
Experimentation on amphibian houses
The results of Floatec can be found all over Europe, but the Netherlands is the primary market for the solution developed within the project. ‘It had the full backing of the Dutch government’ says Edwin Blom, project leader at Dura Vermeer. ‘The authorities designated some areas of the country as preferred grounds for experimentation on amphibian houses’.
The project also benefited of a unique legal obligation existing in Netherlands: 7% to 12% of every construction site is to be dedicated to water storage, which makes floating houses also very convenient.
Beyond construction limits
So, how do you build a floating house? Edwin Blom describes it as a relatively easy construction process: The secret lies in the foundations of the building, made of multiple layers of light plastic foam supporting the concrete, allowing it to float the same way a boat would do. But the technology used until now has its limitations.
There is a maximum size and weight beyond which a structure loses its buoyancy and simply sinks. The engineers from Dura Vermeer had to look for a technological partner able to solve this problem, the key being in the use and development of the right type of material.
Outright market leader
The leading partner in the Eureka Floatec project, Dura Vermeer, is a Dutch company specializing in building homes in a country where many would consider buying a houseboat. It is currently employing some 3000 people in The Netherlands. Over the last 12 years, this company has become an outright leader in a market that barely existed before – that of floating buildings.
With some revolutionary achievements under its belt, such as the Rotterdam floating exhibition pavilion, a greenhouse built on water, or the amphibious village in Maasbommel, all located in Netherlands, it has a strong record of daring architectural projects.
Read the full article on the Floatec-project on the Eureka website www.eurekanetwork.org
More information:Edwin Blom
Dura Vermeer
Hoofddorp, the Netherlands
+31 23 752 84 00
e.blom@duravermeer.nl www.duravermeer.nl
Host country the Netherlands will have its largest pavilion to date at the 2011 edition of the Aquatech Amsterdam trade show. It is sure to be a central meeting point for everyone looking to become more familiar with the Netherlands water sector. Twenty-five prominent Dutch water technology companies will be present at the pavilion. In addition, a specially equipped lounge will be set up to receive visiting delegations and other guests for an introduction to the latest developments in the Dutch water sector, from monitoring to water governance. Aquatech Amsterdam 2011 takes place from November 1st till 4th.
Networking with Dutch water experts
The Netherlands has specialised knowledge and expertise in the field of water technology and civil engineering. Its flood control techniques and high-quality water treatment with advanced technologies are rightly famous worldwide. Visitors to the Holland Business Pavilion at Aquatech Amsterdam can find more information about this at individual company stands and they are invited to network with Dutch water managers.
Dutch pearls
The Holland Business Pavilion will host more than 25 individual stands of Dutch water technology companies. Most of them are smaller enterprises with cutting-edge products who wish to expand their contacts in the international water market.
Water governance and water resource management
Delegations from abroad will be received in the middle of the pavilion. And this does not only apply to delegations coming to visit Aquatech Amsterdam itself – the trade show will be part of the International Water Week Amsterdam (IWW) for the first time this year, meaning it will be accompanied by a very broad offer of conferences, workshops, excursions and networking events.
The Dutch Pavilion will be organised by Aqua Nederland, the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP), VLM and the Water Alliance.
Other highlights
More hightlights at the International Water Week in Amsterdam are:
- combined IWW-conferences AquaIndustry, AquaInnovation and AquaTerra
- annual Dutch National Delta conference
- Industrial Leader Forum – debate about future industrial water supply
- Integrated Aqua Solutions – show case of world famous water projects
- many excursions to outstanding water projects
- Dutch & world pipe-fitting championships
More information on the Holland Pavilion at Aquatech
c/o Netherlands Water Partnership
The Hague, the Netherlands
+31 70 304 37 00 www.nwp.nl
Out of a population of 16.5 million, the Netherlands boasts around 2,000 companies active in the field of water, employing some 80,000 people. The immense expertise present in the country and its rich history in water management give the Netherlands a strong foundation and a leading edge in helping with efforts pertaining to improving the access to, and quality of, clean water across the globe.
Eight innovative technologies from Delft University
At the recent international Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies (LET2011), held in Amsterdam in June 2011, leading representatives from both academia and industry presented the latest developments in the field of water purification technologies. Leading Dutch university, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) stole the show somewhat with its presentation of eight innovative technologies for water purification. These are detailed here below.
Capturing CO2 during waste water treatment
TU Delft has developed a method of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) during wastewater treatment which provides a possible alternative to underground CO2 sequestration. In addition, the university is involved in projects carried out in Hong Kong that test the viability of using seawater for flushing toilets. This technology will not only facilitate phosphate recovery but generate a more efficient and integrated system for large-scale facilities such as airports.
Separate cellulose from toilet paper
The private company, Waternet, has partnered with TU Delft to embark on a project to test the effectiveness of treating wastewater in order to separate cellulose from toilet paper. Toilet paper in most regions of the world is discharged together with wastewater to a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Removing toilet paper by utilising sieves is technically possible and a number of large-scale applications are known, in combination with a methane bioreactor or as an alternative for pre-settlement tanks. Preliminary research performed by Waternet gives clear indication that no significant degradation in the sewer systems takes place. In addition to recovering raw materials, this innovation will optimise the entire wastewater-purification process.
Worms minimizing sewage sludge
In collaboration with TU Delft, SR Technologies has developed and expanded research investigating the use of worms to minimise sewage sludge. A field trial at the treatment plant Wetterskip Fryslan in Wolverhampton shows how worms not only break down the sludge, but also provide improved sludge fermentation. The combination of degradation and fermentation provides a robust and above-all sustainable process, which is suitable for addition to different types of treatment plants.
Phosphate removal with bio-nanotechnology
In the field of water purification technology, BiAqua, a TU Delft spin-off company, has developed a bio-nanotechnology process that selectively removes phosphates from water, thereby preventing microbial growth. This will do away with the necessary dosage of toxic chemicals, as the technology employs bio-based material, as opposed to chemical and other materials. Another such project, this time in collaboration with Oasen, involves the biological removal of iron and ammonium from drinking water.
Sewer mining with forward osmosis
KWR Watercycle Research Institute, Waternet, Triqua and HTI have, together with TU Delft, developed an innovative project to produce high quality water from sewage by combining wastewater treatment processes so as to optimise the energy recovery process. This is achieved by producing renewable energy from the organic content contained in sewage. The Sewer Mining concept is aimed at producing high quality water from sewage by means of Forward Osmosis (FO) in combination with a re-concentration system. The innovative Sewer Mining Concept enables high quality water production whilst reducing the energy consumed by current installations. This system could culminate in an economical, environmental and technological breakthrough.
Aerobe granular biomassa
On the last day of the conference, an excursion to the first Aerobe Korrelslib reactor in Epe was organised for participants. The reactor, developed by TU Delft and built by engineering consultants DHV, in collaboration with Dutch water boards, is being hailed as the water purification system of the future. This is because the purification system requires only 30 percent of the physical area taken up by the existing facility, which delivers savings in energy and costs of around 20-25 percent.
More information:
TU Delft
Section Sanitary engineering
+31 15 2783347 www.citg.tudelft.nl/en/
Advanced Real-Time Control (RTC) of hydraulic structures is one of most cost-effective non-structural measures for improving the performance of complex and interconnected river and canal systems such as the delta of the rivers Rhine and Meuse in The Netherlands. Exploiting synergies of integrated control of hydraulic structures in combination with predictions about future system states enable so-called predictive control. The technique enables a holistic consideration of control objectives such as flood mitigation, cost-effective pumping, or optimized hydropower generation.
Software for control of hydraulic structures
According to Dirk Schwanenberg, project leader of the Flood Control 2015 programme, predictive control has been the focus of several projects conducted by Deltates and HKV and other partners, in recent years. This resulted in the development of the ‘RTC-Tools’ software, an Open Source package for reactive and predictive control of hydraulic structures.
Split up points of rivers and flood detention basins
Within the FC2015 programma, the software was applied to the control of the bifurcation points of River Rhine. More recently, the software has been used for controlling flood detention basins of the two Dutch water boards during recent flood events. For another water board pump schedules are controlled in an optimum way, where the main objectives are flood mitigation and pump costs.
Next generation software
Within the new modular design of Deltares’ next generation software, RTC-Tools will replace existing real-time control functionality in modelling packages such as SOBEK. Furthermore, the software has been applied successfully to international consultancy projects.
Modelling upper Rhine
Examples include the modeling of the upper Rhine between Basel and Maxau with sophisticated reactive control policies and decision-support on the management of the Salto Grande hydropower plant at Rio Uruguay, on the border of Argentina and Uruguay.
More information:
Flood Control 2015
info@floodcontrol2015.com
+31 88-3357446 www.floodcontrol2015.com
The new South Africa-Netherlands Water Network website – www.waternetwork.co.za – is an interactive tool to strengthen cooperation and increase knowledge exchange between the Dutch and South African Water sectors. It is a platform for dialogue which gives stakeholders the possibillity to showcase their offerings to multiple interested parties in order to bring effective and efficient solutions to water & sanitation issues.
The website provides access to news, specific information about the water sector in the Netherlands and South Africa and it facilitates networking, exchange of information and the opportunity to build partnerships. To enjoy all the advantages of this interactive Water Network, you are invited to share your knowledge and experiences on this website.
The Water Network is a cooperation between the Water Institute of South-Africa (WISA) and the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP). The Water Network was launched at the WISA conference in Durban April 2010.
