Page 21 - AW SEPOCT 2019

PRESS RELEASE

Turning the tide on wastewater

management for a sustainable future

lobally, there has been widespread concern over time spent on construction and detailed planning, but
Gour dwindling water resources and key stakeholders also susceptibility to chemical corrosion and subsequent
ranging from the government to the public have been leakage over time. They also occupy a lot of space, which
focusing their energy on making use of what we have is an issue for the rapidly urbanising country.
efficiently and sustainably. This is done amidst our growing Industry players such as Grundfos are complementing
water demand driven by population growth, urbanisation, the government’s efforts by introducing new technologies
and industrialisation and food production practices. to address the country’s unique challenges in wastewater
However, we need to tackle our ongoing water crisis treatment. Given that pumping stations are central
more holistically and not simply just from a consumption to modern environmentally-friendly processes in
standpoint. As much as we take, we also give back – in wastewater treatment, the company recently launched
waste. With population growth and rapid urbanisation, the its prefabricated pumping station, which has been
volume of wastewater discharge has increased globally developed to optimise pumping station design and
and is now between 260-450 billion tonnes. operation, and reduce energy consumption.
Amidst this high volume of waste, there remains a gap With water movement and treatment processes being
between the world’s processing capacity and actual highly energy intensive, pumps alone account for 10 per
treatment. On average, high-income countries treat about cent of the global electricity consumption. Therefore,
70 per cent of their wastewater, while only 8 per cent is energy efficiency in wastewater processes is not only
treated in low-income countries. important for effective wastewater management but also
Wastewater, when handled improperly, can have plays a crucial role in driving sustainability and costs down.
adverse effects on the biological diversity of aquatic
ecosystems and disrupt the fundamental integrity of our DEVELOPING ADAPTABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
life support systems. This subsequently affects a wide range It is also important to ensure every component of the
of sectors, from urban development to food production sewage infrastructure is adaptable to the unique
and industry. challenges and needs of each location. This includes
Wastewater is also responsible for emitting toxic pumps, which play a vital role in moving wastewater.
greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. In For example, the Pulau Indah sewage treatment
fact, a recent global study found that concentrations of plant - one of the first in Malaysia to use a vacuum system
antibiotics in some of the world’s rivers exceed safe levels - was designed for a development project catering to a
by up to 300 times. population of 160,000. The innovative solution requires only
By 2030, the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) a single pump station to collect sewage from the entire
target 6.3 requires us to “halve the proportion of untreated development project, reducing overall costs. However,
wastewater and substantially increase recycling and safe to ensure success of the project, it was important to use
reuse globally.” infrastructure that could ensure efficiency under the
How can we tackle the challenge of wastewater difficult operating conditions of the mangrove swamp
management and ensure greater water security regionally overlain with sand.
and globally? The facility used a range of innovative pumps by
Grundfos throughout its operations. This included the
TAPPING INTO THE PRIVATE SECTOR’S EXPERTISE heavy-duty raw sewage pumps designed to operate
Firstly, effective management of wastewater calls for in difficult conditions with minimum downtime; sludge
aligned efforts from both the public and private sectors. recirculation pumps to recirculate wastewater from the
While governments shoulder the responsibility to ensure aerobic tank to the anoxic tank in an energy-efficient way;
water quality for citizens, industry players are also and durable SuperVortex pumps with their leak-proof and
responsible for introducing innovative solutions given their innovative features to handle sludge transfer.
expertise in the water sector. Similarly, every country and city will have its own
For example, in Malaysia, the country produces an set of geographic limitations and requirements, and
estimated 5.1 million cubic metres of sewage daily – the need infrastructure that is suited to operate efficiently
equivalent of 2,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools – within those parameters. It calls for the industry to review
sustainable wastewater management is one of Malaysia’s and strengthen the design of the entire wastewater
key focus areas for effective water governance. The infrastructure with new adaptable technologies.
government is planning to build 77 sewage treatment
plants nationwide by 2040 under the National Sewerage SMART MONITORING
Catchment Strategy. Lastly, the expansion of water systems will put greater
A key part of the wastewater management process is management challenges on operators and owners,
pumping stations that collect and transport wastewater. making it necessary to put in place advanced monitoring
However, traditional pumping stations are made of systems to control increasingly complex networks.
concrete casted on-site, which not only means greater For example, leakage from the pipe network can

Asian Water SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 19