Climate change and population growth could lead to rise in floods and pollution
August 4, 2022, 12:45 pm

Climate change and population growth could lead to rise in floods and pollution

A UN spokesman said on Tuesday that the Ethiopia-Somalia drought has uprooted 845,000 people from their homes and killed more than 1.5 million head of livestock in Ethiopia alone (File photo: Pixabay)

A new research found that climate change and population growth are putting pressure on wastewater treatment works leading to the possibility of increased flooding and pollution.

Monitoring of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) at Southern Water and Thames Valley water companies has found changes in the environment and population are putting them under "extreme stress," the Anews reported, the DPA.

The study, published in Water Research, carried out with the University of Portsmouth found that incidents of flooding and pollution were believed to be linked to periods of higher rainfall intensity and extended dry periods.

The findings have helped the water companies use instrument data to respond to real-life stressors and respond to extreme weather events.

The report comes as Southern Water is about to impose a hosepipe ban following the recent heatwave and dry period with Thames Valley warning restrictions might also be needed in its area.

Kenya lost 62 elephants in 2021 within five months due to drought (File photo: Pixabay)

Lead author of the paper, Tim Holloway, from the university's school of civil engineering and surveying, said: "Improving asset and infrastructure resilience is a significant challenge for the water industry as operational disruptions caused by stressors become more common and difficult to predict.

"As we face significant political, social and environmental uncertainty, water companies and government agencies are forced to manage complex and dynamic changes in resilience to events outside of their control.

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"If we continue on the same path, it is extremely likely that we will experience more severe pollution events due to new and rapidly emerging stressors on wastewater systems.

"This could result in inland flooding, flood and storm damage in coastal areas, and damages to infrastructure."

Dr Gong Yang, process growth lead water quality at Southern Water, said: "This research puts forward a new tool to capitalise the advance of digital and sensing technologies.

"It aims to enable the operator to implement the best strategies in operating a sewer network or a treatment works based on live data so that the customers and environment are better protected from adverse impact of external environment such as climate change."

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Dr Ben Martin, lead research scientist at Thames Water, added: "At Thames Water we have reached the point where digital tools can leverage our performance and monitoring datasets to produce unprecedented operational benefits.

"We are now better able to cope with disruptions, predict and take proactive measures before asset failures, and create autonomous systems that ultimately improve the quality of water supplied to our natural environment."

Source: anews

UN committee slams France over school headscarf case Lebanon is the angriest country in the world, followed by Turkey and Armenia

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”