Water & Wastewater Asia May/June 2019

MICA (P) No: 120/05/2018 • ISSN: 2010-233X • KDN: PPS 1501/11/2012(022878) • www.waterwastewaterasia.com • MAY/JUNE 2019

WASTEWATER NETWORKS: 

INCREASE OPERATIONAL 

RELIABILITY IN YOUR 

NETWORK 

MAXIMISED 

RELIABILITY 

GRUNDFOS 

iSOLUTIONS 

EASY 

OPERATION 

A SMART SOLUTION 

FOR YOU 

IMPROVED 

TOTEX 

Trademarks displayed in this material, including but not limited to Grundfos, the Grundfos logo and “be think innovate” are 

registered trademarks owned by The Grundfos Group. All rights reserved. © 2019 Grundfos Holding A/S, all rights reserved. 

INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS FOR WASTEWATER NETWORKS 

Grundfos iSOLUTIONS makes it easier to work with wastewater through optimised pump 

operation procedures, self-cleaning functions and by providing valuable operational 

insights for your systems. All of which results in lower TOTEX. Let us help you combine 

your pumps and pits with our controllers, monitoring solutions and service agreements, 

for more reliable and efficient operations in your pump network. 

Find out how Grundfos iSOLUTIONS can optimise your wastewater network with 

intelligence at grundfos.my/wastewater

spotlight 2019 

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL WATER WEEK 

INDUSTRIAL WATER SOLUTIONS 

6 – 7 JUN 

Sands Expo & 

 

Marina Bay Sands, 

Singapore 

BY-INVITATION ONLY 

SIWW Spotlight 2019 will gather large 

non-domestic water users and technology 

providers to discuss best practices towards 

reducing water, reclaiming used water and 

replacing fresh water. 

Held in partnership with the Ecosperity Week, 

Spotlight delegates get access to: 

 

 

 

Scan to view full list 

of speakers 

SPEAKERS 

GUEST OF HONOUR 

at the Ecosperity Conference 

MR MASAGOS ZULKIFLI 

Minister for the Environment 

and Water Resources, Singapore 

MR JAGADISH CV 

 

Systems on Silicon 

 

MR TAN CHENG GUAN 

Head Renewables and 

Environment Business, 

Sembcorp 

bit.ly/siww2019speakers 

MR MAGDI BATATO 

 

Head of Operations, Nestlé S.A. 

MR RICHARD PAMENTER 

 

Environment, Health, Safety & 

 

MR TOM WILLIAMS 

 

 

 

 

 

Scan here to find out more 

siww.com.sg 

siwwlinkedin 

@WaterWeekSg 

www.siww.com.sg 

Information is accurate as at 10 Apr 2019 

bit.ly/siww2019

WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA 

CONTENTS 

MAY / JUNE 2019 

Editor’s Note 

News 

SWA Newsletter 

Events Calendar 

Advertiser’s Index 

GRUNDFOS SPECIAL 

Wastewater management for a sustainable future 

Using water technology innovation to meet pressing water issues 

MYANMAR WATER PORTAL 

Working towards a resilient Yangon 

IN PERSON 

Dr Dhalla: “I would love to see more discoveries turned into actual products and processes.” 

Better early than too late 

Danfoss Pumps a show of strength at Water Philippines 

Solving the salt crisis in Indonesia 

FROM THE GROUND 

Goodbye to “drive-by” meter reading 

Safeguarding our world’s critical resources 

Protecting agriculture in Vietnam 

INSIGHT 

Hybrid Electronic and Hydraulic Valve Control – plant and network lifesavers! 

LACROIX Sofrel in Singapore: Building connections 

Energy neutrality for the whole water cycle & high-water effi ciency 

How IntelliSAW keeps plants healthy 

Using DoE to improve the evaluation of reverse osmosis membranes 

Wastewater, process safety and digitalisation 

OPINION 

Improvements in system and sensor technology ease the pain of change 

Flood resiliency: How can cities be prepared for an increasingly unpredictable future? 

SHOW PREVIEWS 

SHOW REVIEWS 

4 

6 

54 

63 

64 

12 

14 

17 

18 

20 

23 

24 

26 

29 

32 

35 

38 

40 

42 

45 

48 

50 

52 

58 

60 

14 18 

26 

29

EDITOR’S 

NOTE 

SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE 

That seems to be the topic everyone wants to talk about these days, and for good reason 

too. Climate change is a very real problem, with water sources depleted and water as 

a resource becoming more and more scarce. 

Take for instance Manila’s recent water crisis, the worst in recent history that saw the 

Philippines explore desalinaon as a possible soluon to the problem – this was a key 

focus at the recent Water Philippines exhibion (p. 62) held in Manila. 

NATALIE CHEW 

Assistant Editor 

LET'S CONNECT! 

 

@waterwastewaterasia 

Sustainability as a topic isn’t new, but increased awareness and coverage of the issue has 

led to more and more discussion regarding the importance of sustainable, zero-waste best 

pracces for the water and wastewater industry. 

Even as debate rages on about the effects of climate change and what can be done to 

migate these effects, it is heartening to see so many peers in the industry stepping up 

to advocate sustainable pracces, and making advances toward finding beer, more 

sustainable methods of treang wastewater. 

Singapore’s been doing a stellar job so far, in keeping up with zero-waste pracces. For 

instance, Phase Two of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (p. 8), which will eventually 

become an underground superhighway for Singapore’s used water management, and 

close the loop in the use (and re-use) of water for Singapore. 

It’s also doing its part on the sustainability front, unveiling a newly-refreshed campaign 

(p. 60) encouraging Singaporeans to do their part in praccing sustainable habits and 

managing their water consumpon. 

Reminding Singaporeans that the country’s water usage is expected to double by the year 

2060, Singaporean president Halimah Yacob urged everyone, “Water conservaon… has to 

be a sustained and collaborave effort. By not wasng water, we are also demonstrang 

a sense of responsibility to our environment, and contribung to our vision of becoming 

a zero-waste naon.” 

More countries are also coming on board to implement climate-smart strategies that 

balance economic success and financial growth with approaches to combat climate change. 

For example, Myanmar has been working with a coalion of Dutch water organisaons in 

the “Urban Water Logiscs for a Greater Yangon” (UWLY) programme to help the Yangon 

region achieve water resiliency (p. 17). 

In working towards achieving environmental sustainability and resiliency, one concern raised 

by the many has been towards the higher cost of equipment, which is understandable. 

However, what’s most important is that we consider what we’re working to achieve in the 

long run. Aer all, the significance of water is much, much more valuable than the money 

we spend in sustaining it as a resource. 

Water & Wastewater Asia 

is the official publication of the 

Singapore Water Association 

All rights reserved. Views of writers do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher and the Singapore Water Association. No part of this publication 

may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the Publisher and copyright owner. Whilst every care is taken to 

ensure accuracy of the information in this publication, the Publisher accepts no liability for damages caused by misinterpretation of information, expressed 

or implied, within the pages of the magazine. 

All advertisements are accepted on the understanding that the Advertiser is authorised to publish the contents of the advertisements, and in this respect, 

the Advertiser shall indemnify the Publisher against all claims or suits for libel, violation of right of privacy and copyright infringements. 

Water & Wastewater Asia is a controlled-circulation bi-monthly magazine. It is mailed free-of-charge to readers who meet a set of criteria. Paid subscription 

is available to those who do not fit our terms of control. Please refer to subscription form provided in the publication for more details. 

Printed by Times Printers Pte Ltd 

Water & Wastewater Asia • May / June 2019

6 | NEWS 

Tuas in Singapore wins Global Water Award as 

Desalination Plant of the Year 

SINGAPORE’S TUAS DESALINATION PLANT 

(TDP) – the first desalination plant that is 

owned and operated by PUB, Singapore’s 

National Water Agency, has won international 

recognition for its use of ecologically 

sustainable technologies in the treatment 

process. Barely a year after it was opened in 

June 2018, TDP was named Desalination Plant 

of the Year at the 2019 Global Water Awards, 

presented at the Global Water Summit in 

London, United Kingdom. 

The Global Water Awards (GWA), widely 

acknowledged as one of the most coveted 

awards, recognise the most important 

achievements in the international water 

industry which include improved operating 

performance, innovative technology adoption 

and sustainable financial models. The three 

other shortlisted nominees in the Desalination 

Plant of the Year category were namely, Barka 

4 IWP in Oman, Djerba in Tunisia, and Galalah 

in Egypt. 

TDP marks a major milestone in Singapore’s 

water sustainability journey. As Singapore’s 

third desalination plant, the S$217 million 

(US$153 million) facility is the country’s 

most technologically advanced plant, setting 

new industry benchmarks for its robust 

pre-treatment processes, reliance on clean 

energy, housed in a compact 3.5-hectare 

facility. 

inge GmbH was part of the TDP project as an ultrafiltration 

supplier for pre-treatment 

The Tuas Desalination Plant marks a major milestone in Singapore’s water sustainability journey 

USE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES 

TO OPTIMISE OPERATIONS, SPACE 

AND ENERGY 

TDP boasts of many firsts. It is the first plant in 

Singapore to combine Dissolved Air Flotation 

and Ultrafiltration, to reduce membrane 

fouling during the treatment of seawater. 

This ensures higher quality of sea water for 

the reverse osmosis process and reduces 

the cleaning frequency of the membranes 

to optimise cost and operating efficiencies. 

Another first for TDP is its pursuit of clean 

energy. To reduce its carbon footprint, more 

than half of TDP’s roof surface, or 7,000sqm, 

is covered with solar photovoltaic system. 

This generates some 1.4 million kWh of clean 

energy a year, equivalent to the energy needs 

of more than 300 four-room flats a year, to 

power part of the plant’s energy needs. 

As the most compact and most spaceefficient 

desalination plant in Singapore, 

TDP produces up to 30 million gallons a day 

of drinking water, equivalent to the water 

demand of about 200,000 households. 

“Seawater desalination has a starring role 

in Singapore’s water future. And PUB’s Tuas 

Desalination Plant provides a glimpse of 

just how exciting this future is. Jam-packed 

with the latest treatment technologies 

on a very small footprint, it is not just 

space-efficient, and also a fruition of PUB’s 

relentless R&D over the last few years. We 

are proud that the plant has been recognised 

by our peers, and even prouder that it is 

providing Singapore with high quality drinking 

water and enduring water security every 

day”, said Mr Ng Joo Hee, chief executive, 

PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency. 

“We’d like to congratulate this year’s Global 

Water Awards winners, who exemplify the 

kinds of positive change and disruption that 

will continue to drive the international water 

sector to greater heights in the coming 

years. Tuas Desalination Plant, the winner 

of the Desalination Plant of the Year, sets 

a new ecological benchmark and puts 

the PUB at the forefront of desalination 

plant development for decades to come in 

the region,” said Mr Christopher Gasson, 

publisher of Global Water Intelligence, 

which established the awards in 2006. 

Sharing TDP’s pride is inge GmbH, having been 

a part of the project as an ultrafiltration supplier 

for pre-treatment in order to prevent membrane 

fouling, thus helping to double the lifespan of 

RO membranes. This reference project in South 

East Asia reinforces inge GmbH’s firm belief that 

water treatment with In-to-Out ultrafiltration 

is a superbly reliable, cost-effective, and 

highly promising technology in many areas, 

especially in the field of drinking water. WWA 


NEWS | 7 


8 | NEWS 

Tunnelling works begin for DTSS Phase 2 

SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL WATER AGENCY PUB has started work 

on Phase 2 of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS2), which 

is what the agency refers to as an underground superhighway for 

Singapore’s used water management. 

The DTSS is an ambitious $10 billion infrastructure project that 

aims to enhance Singapore’s water sustainability by boosting the 

PUB’s capability to reclaim and reuse water in an endless cycle. 

The DTSS uses deep tunnels to convey used water entirely by gravity 

to three centralised treatment plants strategically located at coastal 

areas. The treated used water is then reclaimed and further purified 

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulfiki officiating the 

launch ceremony with fellow guests 

into ultra-clean, high-grade reclaimed water called 

Said PUB chief executive Ng Joo Hee, “The DTSS is Singapore’s 

NEWater, with excess effluent discharged 

very innovative way of collecting our wastewater 

to the sea in an environmentally 

on a national scale, in a safe, efficient and 

responsible manner. 

reliable way. Because of it, we are 

able to reuse and recycle water 

Officiating the launch 

endlessly.” 

ceremony was minister for 

the environment and water 

Phase 2 of the DTSS 

resources Masagos Zulfiki, 

superhighway will incorporate 

who said: “By conveying 

various advanced features, 

used water entirely via 

including Microbiologialgravity 

to centralised water 

Influenced Corrosion (MIC)- 

reclamation plants for treatment 

Resistant Concrete and High-Density 

A map showing what the used water 

and recycling into NEWater, every 

superhighway will look like once Polyethylene (HDPE) linings that will be 

drop of used water will be continually 

DTSS Phase 2 is completed used to prevent corrosion from bacteria and 

reused, closing our water loop. The risk of crosscontamination 

other micro-organisms from gaseous fumes in the 

between Singapore’s water catchments and used sewer environment. 

water system will also be minimised.” 

DTSS Phase 2 will also be the first project in Singapore to use air jumpers 

He added that once complete, the DTSS would be one of the largest to minimise the number of Odour Control Facilities (OCFs) as part of the 

integrated underground sewerage systems in the world. 

air flow management system. Installed at specific locations below ground 

along the tunnel alignment, the air jumpers help to push odorous air in 

DTSS Phase 1 was completed in 2008, and comprises of the North the tunnel further downstream to the OCF where the air will be treated. 

and Spur Tunnels, the associated link sewers, the Changi Waste 

Reclamation Plant (WRP) and outfall. DTSS Phase 2 will comprise Once Phase 2 is in place, the existing conventional WRPs and 

of the South Tunnel which will convey domestic used water, and the intermediate pumping stations will be progressively phased out, with 

Industrial Tunnel which will be used for non-domestic used water the implementation of the entire DTSS expected to result in a 50 per 

and associated link sewers. DTSS Phase 2 is expected to complete cent reduction in land taken up by used water infrastructure, from 300 

by 2025 and will extend the deep tunnel system to cover the western hectares to 150 hectares – almost the size of 214 football fields. 

part of Singapore. 

A total of 19 Tunnel Boring Machines 

All together, the completed DTSS will 

(TBMs) will be used for this project to 

streamline the used water network with 

dig depths of between 35 to 55 metres 

Changi WRP, Kranji WRP and Tuas WRP. 

below ground and seabed and create deep 

Used water will be conveyed to the future 

tunnels and link sewers ranging from three 

Tuas Nexus used water treatment and 

to six metres in diameter. WWA 

waste management facility for treatment 

and recycling, and when the plant is fully 

operational in 2027 it will be connected as 

part of Phase 2. 

Workers inspecting one 

of the TBMs that will be 

used for the project 


NEWS | 9 

Introducing an online communication platform in the 

water sector: Myanmar Water Portal 

MYANMAR WATER PORTAL is an independent 

online platform providing water-related news, 

reports and documents to all Myanmar water 

sector. It is accessible 24/7, supporting 

desktop and mobile devices. 

The portal is perfect for those seeking a 

compilation of news, articles, outcomes of 

the project, reports, documents and student 

thesis pieces related to Myanmar. 

Myanmar Water Portal will host over 100 

organisations in the following sections: 

Pages, which includes government agencies, 

private companies, universities, research 

institutes, NGOs, start-ups and independent 

experts which share an active interest to 

make water work for Myanmar: healthy 

rivers, safe coasts, prosperous ports, 

resilient cities and communities and clean 

water for all. 

News, which will contain investment news, 

experts’ interviews and opinions, talking 

about the specific topics and themes which 

could depict the water activities in Myanmar. 

Library, which stands for the category of 

reports and documents of projects and 

presentations and outcomes of the important 

workshops and seminars. 

Events, which will show comprehensive 

and extensive information, additionally 

concrete agendas, and public awareness 

announcements which prefer to communicate 

in the specific media. WWA 

SUEZ NWS Acquires Environmental Testing Laboratory Business of ALS in China 

SUEZ NWS and ALS Limited have recently 

completed a sale for the former to acquire 

100 per cent equity of ALS Analytical Testing 

(Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary ALS 

China to expand its business into the thirdparty 

environmental testing sector. This move 

will accelerate SUEZ NWS’ development of 

new solutions for customers, particularly 

in air quality monitoring and remediation 

services, watershed quality management 

and river remediation projects and the soil 

remediation industry. More importantly, 

the Group will fully leverage the synergies 

of all its other business units in China and 

provide local customers with higher quality 

environmental services. 

Upon completion of the acquisition, ALS 

China, which has laboratories in Beijing, 

Shanghai and Guangzhou, in addition to 

commercial shop fronts in Chongqing, 

Wuhan and Shijiazhuang, will be fully 

integrated into the Advanced Solutions Asia 

business unit. Additionally, over 180 ALS 

laboratory employees across China will be 

directly integrated into SUEZ Group’s global 

technology and R&D network. Interconnecting 

with the Group’s experts, as well as with 

researchers from around the world. 

Resources from over 200 analytical 

laboratories and 17 R&D centres will be 

shared, to scale-up its capabilities in three 

core areas – air quality, upstream water 

quality management and soil remediation. 

The Environmental Quality Monitoring (EQM) 

digital platforms developed by SUEZ will be 

introduced in the Chinese market through 

this company, supporting the smart city 

trend in China. 

The Group will continue to provide services 

to ALS China’s existing business customers 

in China including universities and colleges, 

government bodies, consulting firms, 

site investigation, risk assessment and 

remediation companies. In addition, the 

acquisition will bring extra value to the 

Group’s water and waste management 

as well as its Water Technologies and 

Solutions clients by offering comprehensive 

environmental assessment services as well as 

the evaluation of odours and volatile organic 

compounds. 

“The Chinese government’s efforts to improve 

the ecological environment in recent years 

have strengthened environmental and safety 

standards. We recognize how data obtained 

from analytical testing on the environment 

can positively impact human health. I am 

convinced that ALS China business portfolio 

is a great complement to SUEZ’s existing 

business in China. The synergies we foresee 

between the two businesses, as well as the 

opportunities to extend the value chain on 

an integrated platform to customers, are 

tremendous.” said Steve Clark, CEO of SUEZ 

Asia. WWA 


10 | NEWS 

LANXESS announces capacity expansion 

for corrosion inhibitor products 

SPECIALTY chemicals company LANXESS has 

successfully completed a de-bottlenecking 

project resulting in a 15 per cent increase in 

global production capacity of its Additin RC 

4xxx series of corrosion inhibition additives. 

The additional capacities are a result of 

process synergies identified and realised 

following LANXESS’ 2017 acquisition of 

Chemtura Corporation, which expanded 

its lubricant additives portfolio and global 

production network. 

“With LANXESS’ increased footprint from the 

Chemtura acquisition, we were able to unlock 

process synergies between our production 

sites in Mannheim, Germany and West Hill, 

Canada to increase output of our corrosion 

inhibitors products to meet market demand 

and further enhance our global production 

network,” said Martin Saewe, Head of the 

LANXESS’ de-bottlenecking project has resulted 

in a 15 per cent increase in global production 

capacity of its Additin RC 4xxx series of corrosion 

inhibition additives 

Lubricant Additives business line in LANXESS’ 

Additives (ADD) business unit. 

“The global corrosion inhibitor market 

is growing and we have seen increasing 

demand for LANXESS specialty additives 

products due to their unique performance 

and technical advantages relative to other 

product offerings in the market,” Saewe adds. 

“While we are committed to supply security 

for our customers, we are also looking toward 

the future with new product developments 

in the pipeline to meet new performance 

requirements and stricter regulations.” 

LANXESS’ Additin Corrosion Inhibition (CI) 

product range includes calcium sulfonate, 

carboxylate, succinic acid, and phosphoric 

acid-based specialty products. They work by 

being adsorbed on the polar metal surface to 

form a water-repellent and protective film that 

protects against corrosion. Main applications 

include power transmission oils, industrial 

oils, metalworking fluids, anti-corrosion oils, 

and greases. 

The Additives (ADD) business unit is part of 

LANXESS’ Specialty Additives segment, which 

recorded sales of EUR 1.60 billion (SGD 2.50 

billion) in fiscal year 2017. WWA 

7 th Water Loss Asia held in Malaysia October 2019 

WATER LOSS ASIA (WLA) will be held 

alongside the Malaysia International Water 

Convention 2019 in Kuala Lumpur from 

1-3 October. Supported by the Ministry 

of Water, Land and Natural resources 

Association, WLA2019 aims to bridge 

the gap, engaging Government, Water 

Utilities, Industry and Research Institutes 

(quadruple helix partnership) to spotlight 

non-revenue water (NRW) challenges 

faced by Asian Utilities, encourage the 

sharing of country experiences, and learn 

how to achieve successful NRW reduction 

through embracing transformation. Discover 

how to secure the future, what the latest 

innovative technologies are, and many 

other knowledge sharing and networking 

opportunities throughout the event As the 

WLA rotates through cities and countries 

each event has an extra emphasis on issues 

of specific interest to the region. The 2019 

edition, taking place in Kuala Lumpur, 

will have key focus on NRW reduction for 

developing countries, disaster resilience and 

sustainability. Here is where NRW experts will 

meet, network, and share their experiences 

and explore the latest opportunities and 

technologies. 

In December 2018, the Government has 

approved an RM1.9 billion (SGD 625 

million) allocation for the implementation 

of non-revenue water (NRW) reduction 

programmes to assist operators in achieving 

the nationwide NRW target of 31 per cent by 

2020. The programmes were divided into 

two categories whereby the first category 

was for States with NRW exceeding 40 per 

cent and the second for States with NRW of 

less than 40 per cent. 

Three days of critical discussions into the 

future of sustainable water for developing 

countries, through thought-leadership 

permeated workshops, keynote speakers, 

technical tour and training sessions. 

Networking opportunities enables new 

insights and partnerships, showcasing new 

ideas and solutions to solve Asia’s water 

crisis, especially in Malaysia. WWA 


Drinking Water Disinfection for China 

Water Ten is leading the way towards 

a Beautiful China and, as the new 

national drinking water standards are 

implemented, atg UV Technology’s 

disinfection systems are playing 

an increasing role in treatment 

processes. Ultraviolet disinfection 

is a fast-expanding technology in 

China as the advantages of the green 

and environmentally friendly process 

Lighting the way 

towards a 

Beautiful China 

from 1 to over 6,000m 3 /h. In-house 

design and manufacture, accredited 

to IS0 9001:2015, ensures that atg 

UV Technology’s products meet 

the highest standards. They are 

also validated to conform to the 

latest Chinese regulations, WHO 

guidelines and USEPA and UVDGM 

test protocols. 

Engineering Expertise 

are becoming accepted. The process, which uses ultraviolet light in But standard products are only part of atg UV Technology’s offer. 

the 254nm UV-C range, is entirely chemical-free so, unlike chlorine What sets the company apart is its capability in engineered systems. 

and other chemical biocides, it is non-hazardous and creates no The disinfection system supplied to Irish Water to treat 10,000m 3 /h 

harmful by-products such as tri-halo methanes. Not only that, but of water from an open service reservoir in Dublin had to be fitted 

it is effective against a wide range of microbiological pollutants into very limited space to minimise construction costs. 

including chlorine-resistant organisms like Cryptosporidium and 

Giardia. 

The need for more efficient and innovative installation options 

is becoming a priority for both operators and M&E contractors 

Chemical Free Disinfection 

throughout the world. atg UV Technology has responded by offering 

atg UV Technology is a UK manufacturer with over forty years’ a range of standardised DfMA (Design for Manufacture & Assemble) 

experience in UV disinfection and over 6,000 installations worldwide, 

not only for municipal water but across a variety factory acceptance tested (FAT) prior to shipment, minimise time 

Solutions. These skid-mounted or containerised systems, which are 

of industries from oil and gas to pharmaceutical spent on site for installation and commissioning, improve lead times 

manufacturing. Their product range, which and reduce costs. This will make a major contribution as pressure 

includes both low pressure and medium mounts to meet infrastructure upgrades as the 13 th FYP proceeds. 

pressure lamp technologies, Whilst product quality is paramount, equally important is local 

covers flows support, and atg UV Technology has an agent network to provide 

training, technical support and servicing across China. 

ADVERTORIAL 

An 800-Watt low-pressure amalgam 

system hydraulically optimised outlet

12 | GRUNDFOS SPECIAL 

By Leong Chee Khuan, 

Area Managing Director for South Asia and 

General Manager for Grundfos Pumps Sdn Bhd 

With countries around the globe 

suffering from the impacts of 

water scarcity, it is at the top of 

every national agenda. 

Closer to home, nearly two billion people in 

the Asia Pacific region have poor or limited 

accessibility to water, and the number is 

expected to reach five billion by 2050. The 

crisis is exacerbated by the deteriorating 

quality of the water, with 90 per cent of the 

total wastewater generated in the region 

being mixed with the freshwater system 

without adequate treatment 1 . 

Amid the rapid industrialisation and 

urbanisation seen across the region, the 

existing water infrastructure is playing catchup 

in treating the increasing wastewater that 

comes with economic development. 

Preserving water quality and ensuring the 

water resources available are clean and 

safe to use is indispensable in our efforts 

to ensure water security. The lack of proper 

wastewater management intensifies the 

crisis and results in massive health costs. 

Proper drainage and disposal of wastewater 

is also crucial to protect the environment 

and combat extreme weather events such 

as floods through removal of rainwater. 

Therefore, wastewater management is also 

central to building a sustainable future. 

The impact of wastewater treatment on 

the ecosystem and human health makes 

wastewater infrastructure a crucial 

component of economic development and 

sustainability goals. 

Even as countries are developing projects in 

the wastewater sector, there is scope to do 

more to ramp up the region’s drive towards 

sustainability. Deploying innovative and 

adaptable solutions that enhance efficiency 

in wastewater management and optimise 

the treatment processes will be crucial in 

attaining these goals. 

TAPPING INTO THE PRIVATE 

SECTOR’S EXPERTISE 

Effective management of wastewater calls 

for aligned efforts from both the public and 

private sectors. While governments shoulder 

the responsibility to ensure water quality for 

citizens, industry players are also responsible 

for introducing innovative solutions 

given their expertise in the water sector. 

A case in point is Malaysia. With Malaysians 

currently producing an estimated 

5.1 million cubic metres of sewage daily 

– the equivalent of 2,000 Olympic-sized 

swimming pools 2 – sustainable wastewater 

management is one of Malaysia’s key focus 

areas for effective water governance. The 

government is planning to build 77 sewage 

treatment plants nationwide by 2040 under 

the National Sewerage Catchment Strategy. 

A key part of the wastewater management 

process is pumping stations that collect and 

transport wastewater. However, traditional 

pumping stations are made of concrete 

casted on-site, which not only means greater 

time spent on construction and detailed 

planning, but also susceptibility to chemical 

corrosion and subsequent leakage over time. 

They also occupy a lot of space, which is 

an issue for the rapidly urbanising country. 

Grundfos recently launched its prefabricated pumping station (PPS), which optimises pumping station 

design and operation - a vast improvement to traditional pumping stations 

Industry players such as Grundfos are 

complementing the government’s efforts by 

introducing new technologies to address the 

country’s unique challenges in wastewater 

treatment. Given that pumping stations are 

central to modern environmentally-friendly 

processes in wastewater treatment, the 

company recently launched its prefabricated 

pumping station, which has been developed 


GRUNDFOS SPECIAL | 13 

to optimise pumping station design and 

operation, and reduce energy consumption. 

With water movement and treatment 

processes being highly energy intensive, 

pumps alone account for 10 per cent of the 

global electricity consumption. Therefore, 

energy efficiency in wastewater processes is 

not only important for effective wastewater 

management but also plays a crucial role in 

driving sustainability. 

DEVELOPING ADAPTABLE 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

It is important to ensure every component 

of the sewage infrastructure is adaptable 

to the unique challenges and needs of each 

location. This includes pumps, which play a 

vital role in moving wastewater. 

For example, the Pulau Indah sewage 

treatment plant – one of the first in Malaysia 

to use a vacuum system – was designed for a 

development project catering to a population 

of 160,000. The innovative solution requires 

only a single pump station to collect sewage 

from the entire development project, 

reducing overall costs. However, to ensure 

success of the project, it was important 

to use infrastructure that could ensure 

efficiency under the difficult operating 

conditions of the mangrove swamp overlain 

with sand. 

The facility used a range of innovative pumps 

by Grundfos throughout its operations. 

This included the heavy-duty raw sewage 

pumps designed to operate in difficult 

conditions with minimum downtime; 

sludge recirculation pumps to recirculate 

wastewater from the aerobic tank to the 

anoxic tank in an energy-efficient way; 

and durable SuperVortex pumps with their 

leak-proof and innovative features to handle 

sludge transfer. 

Similarly, every country and city will have 

its own set of geographic limitations and 

requirements, and need infrastructure 

that is suited to operate efficiently within 

those parameters. It calls for the industry 

Grundfos recently launched its prefabricated 

pumping station (PPS), which optimises 

pumping station design and operation - a vast 

improvement to traditional pumping stations 

to review and strengthen the design of the 

entire wastewater infrastructure with new 

adaptable technologies. 

LEVERAGING INTELLIGENT 

SOLUTIONS 

Innovation has found a new meaning with 

the onset of the digital era. Digitalisation 

has opened doors for effective wastewater 

management by enabling capabilities to 

optimise the whole system instead of looking 

at individual components in isolation. 

For pump manufacturers like Grundfos, 

the pursuit of digitalisation has meant 

incorporating intelligence into its products to 

make them more intuitive and connected, and 

thus perform more efficiently. Grundfos calls 

Under its iSolutions range, Grundfos’ latest SMART 

Digital XL DDA and DDE dosing pumps is able 

to dose in accurate measurements, which cuts 

out unnecessary chemical consumption while 

consistently reaching processing targets 

this iSolutions – a range of products with a 

focus on connectivity, intelligent monitoring 

and adjustment features, ensuring energy 

optimisation and high operational reliability 

throughout the wastewater network. 

Intelligent solutions can serve a range of 

functions in wastewater management, from 

monitoring to distribution to treatment. 

For instance, chemical dosing is a crucial 

component of removing effluents from 

wastewater and requires infrastructure 

sophisticated enough to handle the dayto-day 

fluctuations in the wastewater. 

Intelligent solutions can help with the 

accurate dosing of chemicals in treatment 

processes to reach process targets and 

ensure the process is safe and reliable. 

Under its iSolutions range, Grundfos’ latest 

SMART Digital XL DDA and DDE dosing pumps 

is able to dose in accurate measurements, 

which cuts out unnecessary chemical 

consumption while consistently reaching 

processing targets. Smart features such 

as FlowControl and AutoFlowAdapt ensure 

process reliability even with fluctuations 

in the system pressure. Such Industry 4.0 

technology leads to less waste and more 

efficiency. 

CONCLUSION 

Effective wastewater management is key 

to ensuring water security, and to building 

a sustainable future. Even as we grapple 

with compounding water challenges today, 

technology and digitalisation have equipped 

us with the capabilities needed to address 

these challenges. 

As governments across the globe ramp up 

their efforts to effectively manage wastewater, 

the water industry must lead the way with 

its unique expertise. To tip the scale in our 

favour, the private sector must invest heavily 

in innovation and be agile in the adoption of 

new technology. WWA 

1 http://www.uncrd.or.jp/content/documents/5782FINAL- 

Background%20paper-Prof.%20Visvanathan.pdf 

2 https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metronews/2017/09/16/turning-waste-into-wealth/ 



Using water technology 

innovation to meet pressing 

water issues 

As one of the leading pump manufacturers in the world, Grundfos is no stranger to 

technology and innovation. In fact, it’s one of the drivers. But what drives the company to 

ever-greater heights? 

Whenever pump manufacturers are mentioned, Grundfos is a name that will 

always come up; if not for its well-known commitment to sustainability, 

then for its cutting-edge pump technology. 

Renowned for its energy efficient pumps and smart pumping solutions across 

diverse segments, Grundfos has always been ahead of the curve — drawing 

from an extensive pool of resources to continue innovating even as demand 

for scarce water resources continues to grow, worsened by the burgeoning 

population and climate change. 

And with hundreds of engineers and technologists, Grundfos is ready to continue 

developing innovative, intelligent solutions to meet these urgent water needs that 

are not just critical, but are evolving as well. 

But to get a full understanding of the world’s water needs and the technology 

and innovation that is meeting it, Water & Wastewater Asia sat down with 

Dr Gao Xin, head of Innovation Hub, Grundfos Asia. 

INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY 

Over the last five to 10 years, innovation in the water industry has 

imbued it with an increased awareness of the water-energy nexus, 

with a focus on bringing up water production while reducing 

energy consumption. 

“Water and wastewater treatment has especially evolved in 

the past decade with advancements in membrane technology 

making it increasingly possible to recover valuable byproducts 

and water for reuse,” Dr Gao explained. 

But great paradigm shifts have been going on as well, 

and while the water industry has definitely seen progress 

in water treatment technologies, the coming five to 

Dr Gao Xin, 

Head of Innovation Hub, 

Grundfos Asia 


GRUNDFOS SPECIAL | 15 

Grundfos Demand Driven Distribution 



10 years will see innovation and technology 

go in a very different direction. 

While intelligent technology is already being 

used to conduct pre-emptive and predictive 

maintenance, according to Dr Gao, the pace 

will be really picking up over the coming five 

to 10 years, with pieces such as smart shower 

devices becoming a mainstay. 

“In the face of growing water demand amidst 

rapid urbanisation, we expect the water 

industry to greatly increase their adoption 

of intelligent technology in ‘smart cities.” 

Dr Gao continued. 

“Intelligent technology will play a key role 

in establishing interconnectivity across a 

city’s water management systems, applying 

advanced analytics to spot trends and 

patterns, as well as make predictions ranging 

from weather alerts to adapting water 

pressure based on reported water usage 

data.” 

ENDEAVOURS 

While there are increased efforts to control 

and remedy issues such as water pollution, 

regular monitoring of water sources is also 

vital — though access to the necessary 

technology may be limited in some parts of 

the world. 

But because water is such a vital part of 

infrastructure, the industry has made great 

strides in switching to newer technologies, 

though adoption remains slow and in Dr Gao’s 

opinion, companies need to do more to ensure 

they limit their impact on the environment as 

much as possible. 

“What companies need to realise is that 

while advanced intelligent technology can 

cost more upfront, the benefits in the long 

run will exceed the upfront investment,” 

Dr Gao elaborated. 

“As these innovations are further developed 

on a larger scale and with affordable 

distribution, cost will be less of a barrier, and 

it is valuable to establish strong cases through 

good quality pilot projects to demonstrate 

the innovative features to increase the 

acceptance level.” 

Water security is another critical issue the 

world is facing, with countries like Singapore 

focusing on alternative water sources such 

as water reuse and desalination, with Dr Gao 

predicting that water reuse will eventually be 

essential to meet global demand “especially 

when approaches like water use efficiency 

and consumption reductions are maximised.” 

NEW TECHNOLOGIES 

The rapid industrialisation the water 

industry is still undergoing has revealed an 

ever-widening gap in technology between 

countries, and, ever committed to their 

corporate social responsibility, Grundfos 

concentrated their efforts on closing the 

technological gap. 

“On top of that, the current wastewater 

treatment and management methods are 

highly energy-intensive as they undermine 

water movement and treatment throughout 

the production process,” added Dr Gao. 

To that end, the company developed BACMON, 

an intelligent, automatic microscope-based 

3D scanning optics for monitoring bacteria 

real-time in the field. The patented solution 

classifies all particles as bacteria or nonbacteria 

by automatically moving a digital 

microscope over a flow cell. 

Grundfos is also working together with 

PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, to 

innovate new solutions in water treatment, 

water quality monitoring, efficient pump 

solutions and digital water solutions. 

“During our partnership, we tested Cake 

Filtration, a new wastewater treatment 

concept that used sludge generated from the 

treatment process to filter the wastewater, 

with BACMON++, a solution that offers online 

monitoring of total bacteria concentration 

in near real-time, improving bacterial 

monitoring of the water network,” he said. 

“At the same time, we are working on 

innovative pump-based solutions to optimise 

the water treatment process for both cost 

saving and energy efficiency, especially on 

the membrane filtration process. We have 

successfully piloted the solutions in Europe 

and are looking forward to leveraging these 

experiences to solve water challenges in 

Singapore.” 

Moreover, with most of the operational cost of 

water coming from the energy needed to move 

the resource — pumps alone are responsible 

for a staggering 10 per cent of global 

electricity consumption — and other costs 

incurred from water lost during the process, 

such as through leakages in the system. 

“One key solution is Grundfos’ Demand Driven 

Distribution, an intelligent water management 

pumping solution that automatically adjusts 

water flow through the use of remote sensors 

and reduces excessive pressure in the water 

pipes, minimising energy used throughout the 

day and also limiting water leakages and losses 

to drives down costs,” Dr Gao continued. 

“To date, Demand Driven Distribution has 

helped countless cities address this issue, 

such as tackling extensive leakage issues 

for water authorities while ensuring minimal 

disruption to citizens.” 

THE FUTURE 

According to Dr Gao, digitisation is the call 

for future water technology developments, 

with digital solutions such as big data and 

analytics able to guide operations on-ground 

and even enabling autonomous operations 

in the future. 

“As systems get more and more complex, the 

water industry can benefit from data-based 

technology to ease decision-making,” he 

concluded. 

“Digitisation also provides an effective way 

to stimulate customer problems and test 

solutions at controllable costs. It paves 

the way for new business models that can 

balance both sustainability and profitable 

growth.” WWA 

All images are credited to Grundfos. 


MYANMAR WATER PORTAL | 17 

Working towards a Resilient Yangon, uncovering the 

water needs and challenges in Thaketa township 

Since October 2018 a coalition of Dutch 

water organisations has been working 

together in the ‘Urban Water Logistics 

for a Greater Yangon’ (UWLY) programme to 

support the Yangon Regional Government in 

Urban Water and Water Logistics Challenges. 

Set to run for three years as part of the Dutch 

government’s “Partners in Business” (PIB) 

programme, the UWLY programme’s first 

deliverable is to present a scoping study. 

The study should provide locally grounded, 

inspirational and practical insight into what 

a water-resilient Yangon could look like at a 

township level. Upon request of the Yangon 

Regional Government the selected township 

was Thaketa, located east from central and 

downtown Yangon. 

PREPARATIONS FOR THE SCOPING 

OF YANGON AS WATER RESILIENT 

CITY 

As part of the scoping study, the team 

undertook several activities to gain a better 

understanding of the local water conditions 

in the Thaketa township. Several consultation 

sessions were held with the Yangon City 

and Regional Government and the Yangon 

City Development Committee (YCDC) to get 

a better understanding how the Thaketa 

township is governed, and what the local 

challenges are to ensure efficient water 

management. In addition to this, several 

preparatory consultations took place with 

local stakeholders in the township. 

Based on this initial analysis 

a field visit to Thaketa 

was planned. From 4 to 8 

March, eight experts from 

different organisations of the 

consortium visited Yangon to 

get a feel for the issues and 

opportunities. Representatives 

from the Dutch Embassy in 

Yangon, Witteveen+Bos, Royal 

HaskoningDHV, U Minds, Doh 

Eain, Resilience and The Water 

Agency visited the township 

for two days and presented 

Variation in how the water 

reaches the houses 

their initial observations afterwards. 

The objective of the trip was to perform 

an urban water needs assessment of local 

stakeholders in the Thaketa township. The 

aim was for the delegation to get a good 

understanding of the area, visit the township 

for observations and consultations with 

citizens, business owners, local authorities, 

etc. to serve as input for the Resilient Yangon 

Scoping Study. 

After initial introductions and prioritisation, 

the delegation had its first field day on March 

5, visiting several wards in the township. With 

great support and guidance of the YCDC 

Thaketa team and the local Ward officers, 

the delegations visited several locations 

where water issues were known to arise. 

In the afternoon the focus was on Ward 5, 

which is a ward that is isolated from the 

water pipeline network. It served as a great 

showcase for the experts to learn more on 

innovate ways of water supply. With the 

support of Ward 5 Officer U Tin Htun Aung a 

public consultation session was organised, 

inviting local inhabitants to share about their 

struggles and experiences with water in the 

ward. On the second field day there was a 

specific focus on Ward 7, walking through the 

ward and meeting with several inhabitants. 

Some observations from the field trip: 

Variation in the how the water reaches the 

houses 

The water supply in Thaketa was seen to be 

varied, and where ward 7 was 

well connected to the YCDC 

pipeline, ward 5 inhabitants 

were dependent on their own 

water supply. The coalition’s 

experts identified several ways 

of getting water to the homes: 

from the pipeline, the lake, the 

tubewell or through buying 

bottled water. 

THE STRUGGLE TO KEEP 

THE DRAINAGE CLEAN 

All over the wards small drainage 

canals exist that lead to main outlets in either 

the Bago river or the Panzundaung creek. 

Experts found that despite a waste collection 

system in place, many of the drainage canals 

are blocked. Both Ward officers shared their 

struggles to keep the canals free, having to 

perform manual maintenance at least three 

times in the year. Especially before the start 

of the rainy season there is a high urgency 

to clean up, as clogged drainage will lead to 

flooding of the streets. 

What was remarkable was that the team 

learned, through conversations with 

inhabitants, that there were variations in 

what people considered as flooding – flooding 

issues that the team felt would be areas of 

concern were not mentioned by the people 

they spoke to, and to the locals a flood was 

only when water stayed in the streets for 

multiple hours. 

The observations and initial analysis of the 

Field Trip were shared to the YCDC in a 

presentation on the final day of the Field Trip, 

also serving verification purposes. The next 

step in the Urban Water programme will be 

to deliver the Scoping Study. Based on the 

observations, consultations and findings of 

this visit, a scoping of Yangon as a Water 

Resilient City will be prepared together with 

ambitions and tangible objectives. 

The UWLY programme will be expected to 

organise a workshop in summer this year, for 

all stakeholders to present and discuss the 

way forward. WWA 

Drawing and photo credits to Flore Bijker. 


18 | IN PERSON 

Dr Dhalla: “I would love to see 

more discoveries turned into 

actual products and processes.” 

Singapore is and always has been considered a global powerhouse in water. 

According to Dr Adil Dhalla, Singapore is now taking strides towards developing 

herself as a leading centre for translation of key technologies in the water space 

and beyond. 

Dr Adil Dhalla is not a man one can 

overlook; seamlessly blending his 

intellect with a jovial and affable 

persona. Whenever one is around him, the 

topic will inevitably turn to membranes, a 

topic he is clearly very passionate about. 

in the area of membranes, separation and 

water, so clearly our next step should be to 

judiciously select those inventions which 

have the greatest techno-commercial 

viability, and translate them to higher scale,” 

he said. 

Dr Adil Dhalla 

Chair, Steering Committee of Singapore’s 

National Membrane Consortium, SG-MEM; 

Managing Director of Separation Technologies 

Applied Research and Translation (START) 

Centre; and Chief Operating Officer of NTU’s 

Nanyang Environment and Water Research 

Institute (NEWRI), Dr Dhalla has long seen 

membranes as critical enablers in the water 

technology space. 

A PASSION 

Dr Dhalla feels privileged to have had the 

opportunity to interact and collaborate with 

some of the best global talent in the water 

and membrane community since he came to 

Singapore in 2010 to lead General Electric 

(GE)’s Water Technology Centre. He brings 

more than 25 years of industrial experience, 

and focuses his passion on developing 

Singapore’s top notch membrane inventions 

into actual products and processes. 

“With our world class universities and 

institutes, we are known for our inventions 

“Our Singapore brand is justifiably trusted 

around the world, so we have to build on 

this hard-earned credibility by developing 

great commercially viable technologies. 

Our National R&D Plan for the current 

five year tranche (RIE 2020) has a sharp 

focus on value creation, and significant 

enablement of this goal through publicprivate 

partnerships. While we already have 

some good examples of our membrane 

technologies being adopted by industrial 

partners, there are many cases where the 

technologies are relatively early for industrial 

adoption, and need demonstration at a 

higher technology readiness level. This is 

what our Separation Technologies Applied 

Research and Translation (START) Centre is 

tasked with achieving.” 

START CENTRE 

This centre, supported by EDB and NTU, was 

launched in mid-2016 with the expressed 

intention of taking early stage membrane 

inventions, evaluating their techno- 


IN PERSON | 19 

commercial feasibility, and developing 

them from a lower technology readiness 

level (prototyping on lab scale) to pilot-scale 

plants, which can demonstrate feasibility in 

real life applications at scale. 

Once the techno-commercial feasibility 

has been analysed, the centre tests the 

manufacturability of these membranes at 

full industrial scale. Challenges include 

using industrial grade chemicals (instead 

of the lab grade chemicals which are used 

for small scale synthesis), and working on 

industrial scale equipment, with the inherent 

challenges of higher productivity, scale 

and speed of fabrication. This is certainly 

a critical step, but the final products are 

not generally individual membranes, but 

systems. 

Hence, the next step is to design large 

modular units into which these membranes 

are integrated, and to evaluate the 

performance of these modules for specific 

applications, on large-scale testing rigs. 

Once the modules have been tested, the 

next step is to design and build pilot 

plants incorporating these modules. These 

pilot plants would then typically be run in 

collaboration with an industrial off-take 

partner, at the end-user site to prove their 

commercial viability. 

“We are indeed privileged to have a unique 

national facility to enable these translational 

activities,” added Dr Dhalla. “In most 

instances, this kind of translational work is 

done directly by companies, and they are 

often too resource and time constrained to 

be able to take up promising inventions. The 

START Centre gives us a unique opportunity 

to bridge this gap, working with university 

and institutional inventors at one end, 

and industrial uptake partners at the 

other. I am confident we shall have many 

win-win scenarios, with inventors seeing 

their imagination translated into real-life 

products, and industry getting access to 

commercially viable technologies for key 

global needs.” 

HELPING ENABLE OUR FUTURE 

“We have a unique opportunity to support our 

start-ups, SMEs and large enterprises, and 

are already engaged with them on several 

projects,” said Dr Dhalla. “It was especially 

heartening to see one of our Singapore startups 

recently take an evaluation license for 

one of the technologies translated by START 

Centre, and we are working with them to 

build a pilot plant at the end-user site.” WWA 

Image credited to SG-MEM. 



BETTER 

EARLY 

THAN 

TOO 

LATE 

SUEZ first entered mainland China with its Treatment 

Infrastructure business in 1975. Now, SUEZ NWS 

has over 70 joint ventures with local partners, and is 

helping authorities and industries develop innovative 

solutions to address climate change and sustainable 

resource management. The company has built over 

260 water and wastewater treatment plants in Greater 

China, supplying drinking water to over 20 million 

people. 

By Wendy Wei 



At the recent IE Expo China, SUEZ introduced its 

AQUADVANCED ® solutions for Smart Network systems, 

Urban Drainage systems and Smart Energy management 

– Water & Wastewater Asia spoke to Steve Clark, chief executive 

officer of SUEZ Asia, and Jose Maria Paredes, senior vice president 

of advanced solutions at SUEZ Asia, to find out about the new 

technologies and business models on “going digital”. 

Q: SUEZ has a long history of ties with China. How has the 

development of the environmental sector in China, as well as 

China’s general business environment, changed over the past 

years? 

SC: The first big difference is that local partners are getting younger 

and more sophisticated. As operators, the local competition is 

increasing, and the local enterprises are showing more abundant and 

stronger skills. We need to keep the edge that we have, and integrate 

into local work. 

On the other hand, I have noticed that transparency has improved. 

When I first dealt with the domestic government officials, they 

emphasised more on the GDP growth of the economy, but now I see 

more people talk about how to solve the environmental protection 

problems in their development process. It further proves that 

environmental protection is not a stumbling block to GDP growth, 

but can actually develop simultaneously in the process. 

The SUEZ booth at IE Expo China 

In terms of the business layout of SUEZ-WTS, we make use of 

both domestic and foreign markets. We produce water treatment 

equipment in Wuxi and export them to other markets, which leads 

to very fast growth for our business. To put that in figures, in 

2018, our revenue of SUEZ-WTS in Greater China has exceeded 

US $200 million. And this year it is growing even more. 

The emphasis on environmental protection is increasingly prominent 

in China, which is why we concentrated on drinking water when we 

first arrived, and are now arriving to the current wastewater and 

waste treatment. 20 years ago, the homogenisation in China was 

quite obvious – when foreign capital entered China to carry out 

operations, they focused on Shanghai and Beijing as the best choice 

for their location in terms of safety. Now environmental protection is 

more standardised throughout the country. 

Q: We know that SUEZ had a good year in 2018. How did the 

Chinese market and trends in industrial water treatment contribute 

to this? 

SC: China was a major contributor to this: when we bought GE water, 

which is now SUEZ-Water Technologies and Solutions (SUEZ-WTS), 

China represented 10 per cent business of SUEZ-WTS. SUEZ-WTS 

had a global growth of 6.7 per cent last year, while China doubled 

the digit growth rate in terms of revenue. 

Q: China is home to a large universe of chemical businesses, but 

different industrial parks have different waste service providers. 

Will SUEZ give some support to the smaller parks to improve their 

operational safety? 

SC: Absolutely yes. We don’t have a particular requirement on 

size. If you are referring to hazardous waste, up till now, we’ve 

concentrated mainly on incineration. Generally, there is a business 

model which would have to be 10,000 tons or above to make that 

possible. 

What the government and industry care most about is the ability to 

safely move hazardous waste around to collect, as well as subsequent 

transportation and management, and the different technologies 

needed. Indeed, we are currently providing services for them in 

one of the biggest chemical industry parks, namely the Shanghai 

Chemical Industry Park. But we also provide services in some fairly 

small parks as well. 



Q: When it comes to hazardous waste, what are the core 

management concepts and practice of safety operations to 

chemical waste? 

SC: In China, we have different contributor structures. For 

example, in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park, we adopt a 50/50 

joint venture. It is also 50/50 in Changzhou. Of course, there may 

be different business models in different regions. In Taixing, we will 

take a majority stake of 85 per cent. In other projects, we may be 

minority shareholders. However, in all of them, we appoint the general 

manager and provide technical knowledge for the facility. 

SUEZ has also signed an agreement with the environmental protection 

department to provide a full suite of operational and managerial 

expertise for government officials managing hazardous waste 

disposal facilities, which is targeted at meaningful collaboration. 

Through such global experience and concept outputting, we have 

also established strategic relationships with central ministries and 

local governments, as we hope that we are a trusted partner and 

not just a big operator to the Chinese government. 

SUEZ Asia CEO Steve Clark addressing questions at IE Expo China 

technologies and experience from other parts of the world. And now 

our new Business Unit, SUEZ-WTS, can graft on some very technical 

solutions that are added to our existing portfolio. 

That’s also why we bring digital AQUADVANCED ® solutions to China 

- it allows us to help some of our existing customers reduce costs 

and optimise the efficiency of the facilities, or reduce chemical and 

energy cost – therefore optimising the operation. 

According to Clark, China is placing “increasingly prominent” emphasis on 

environmental protection 

Q: Many Chinese environmental companies are turning to 

industrial wastewater as the municipal wastewater market 

becomes more saturated, which means tougher competition. How 

does SUEZ cope with this competition? 

SC: The municipal market is becoming very competitive, but we are 

not weaker than that of local environmental protection companies 

even though SUEZ is a foreign company. Many of our employees 

have been localised, and most of our engineering research and 

development is done in China. 

The industrial market is still big here, with more options, and more 

industrial parks are being constructed. In the field of industrial 

wastewater treatment, we are competitive because we can introduce 

Q: What’s the biggest challenge of promoting digital applications 

such as AQUADVANCED ® in China? 

JMP: The main challenge we are facing now is that maybe we arrived 

in this market a little bit early. Right now, China is mainly in the stage 

of rapid, high-cost expenditure and investment to develop large 

environmental protection projects, and to do this reliably. When it 

comes to assets, the performance of these projects may not be a 

major consideration in terms of cost savings. 

We believe that in the next few years, China will gradually move 

towards cost-effectiveness and performance optimisation. In the 

process, it’s going to open up huge opportunities, and we’ve been 

talking about these digital solutions as enabling tools to support 

our operational capabilities. Because we’re project operator and 

management of suppliers, we can enhance asset efficiency and 

reduce cost through digital tools and systems, but challenges may be 

relative to the demand of the market. Of course, we hope to gradually 

promote and guide the market toward our concept to reduce cost 

and increase efficiency. 

SC: Well, it’s better to be a little bit early than too late! 

WWA 



Danfoss Pumps a show of 

strength at Water Philippines 

The APP W 

HC pump 

DESALINATION was a hot topic at the 

recent Water Philippines expo, with Metro 

Manila hit by its worst water crisis in recent 

history – over 13 million people live in Metro 

Manila, and have been affected by the severe 

water shortage. During the crisis, Philippine 

president Rodrigo Duterte had expressed 

interest in Singapore’s experience with 

desalination, hoping the solution to the 

country’s water woes. 

DANFOSS’ ANSWER TO 

DESALINATION CONCERNS – 

HIGH-PRESSURE APP PUMPS 

Danfoss took the opportunity to showcase 

a plethora of solutions aimed at the 

desalination industry, including highpressure 

pumps, energy-recovery devices 

and AC drives. Tailored to Sea Water Reverse 

Osmosis (SWRO) applications, the APP 

pumps can be used in almost any SWRO 

application - land-based, offshore or marine. 

According to Vijay, the energy efficiency of 

Danfoss’ high-pressure pumps puts them 

head and shoulders above the rest of the 

competition. “This pump is specifically for 

desalination – this pump offers the most in 

energy efficiency compared to any other. It’s 

a piston pump, so compared to any other 

centrifugal pump like what you see in the 

market – the efficiency of a piston pump is 

about 90 per cent, and centrifugal pumps 

about 60-65 per cent.” 

“When you do the cost-price analysis, you’ll 

find that the payback period is normally 

about eight months in the Philippines.” 

“In a country like the Philippines where the 

energy cost is very high, using our pump 

could save them hundreds of thousands a 

year, depending on the size of the system, 

but we’re looking at saving one kilowatthour 

per cubic metre of water produced. 

In layman terms this means they’re saving 

about 200 US dollars per day, that kind of 

thing, for a small system. For bigger systems 

they have 2000 cubic metres, 5000 cubic 

metres… can you imagine the amount of 

savings they could get in a day?” 

Between the water crisis and Water 

Philippines, why look to desalination as 

a solution? According to Vijay, a likely 

explanation could lie in the decreasing cost 

of materials. “The membrane is the heart 

of the desalination RO system. And now 

the price is coming down, it can be done at 

a much lower cost compared to 10 or 15 

years ago, so that’s a trend now we see, a lot 

of small desalination plants are happening 

everywhere.” 

He added: “Seawater is a more reliable 

source now, and now you can get droughts 

out of nowhere. That’s a worrying trend, 

and you can’t control mother nature, but 

seawater’s always going to be there, that’s 

something that you can control and work 

around.” 

INTRODUCING THE APP W HC 

PUMP 

Although not showcased at the exhibition, 

Vijay took the chance to talk about the 

new Danfoss high-pressure pump for Zero 

Liquid Discharge (ZLD) and Minimal Liquid 

Discharge (MLD) industrial wastewater 

treatment. 

“The APP W HC is our latest model that we 

introduced to the market while working with 

our partners in China. 

We created this pump specifically for 

wastewater recycling when they need to 

operate at a very high pressure. So that 

can go up to 120 bars, it’s about the same 

capacity, same build, they look just about 

the same as the others, but it’s much higher 

pressure.” 

Danfoss ASEAN Region Sales Manager Vijay (second from left) standing with the rest of the 

Danfoss team at Water Philippines 2019. 

With over 50 installations in China, the 

APP W HC pump has debuted to positive 

response in China – but Vijay doubts that 

other regions will be so quick to embrace this 

new technology. “I think the ASEAN region 

is mostly still not very sensitive towards the 

need for wastewater recycling, and they’re 

still discharging wastewater out to the rivers 

and so on, there’s a lot of pollution, and the 

enforcement towards waste is not there. It 

won’t be until we see the trend of heavier 

enforcement towards waste discharge, and 

more recycling on the wastewater, then the 

pump will fit in nicely for the wastewater 

systems.” WWA 



Solving the salt crisis in Indonesia 

As the second longest coastline in the 

world, which stretches for more than 

50,000 km, Indonesia is surrounded 

by salt water. Yet, the country spends tens of 

millions of dollars each year to import salt. 

This is due to the fact that most salt production 

in Indonesia is low tech, which involves the 

evaporation of seawater in coastal ponds 

during the dry season. 

SOLVING THE PROBLEM 

In order to address the issue, Hyrec developed 

the Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis 

(OARO), a proprietary, membrane-based 

purification and concentration technology 

for salt production, brine concentration, 

water desalination, and industrial wastewater 

treatment. 

The Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis (OARO) process 

OARO is cost-effective and does not require 

special climatic conditions, expensive mining, 

packaging or storage. 

During the process, seawater is purified as 

calcium, magnesium and other impurities are 

removed prior to the concentration process. 

The purified brine then goes through the 

Hyrec system where brine is concentrated up 

to the saturation point. 

The saturated brine enters the crystalliser 

where water evaporates and salt crystals 

grow. The raw salt is then further processed 

such as through washing, drying, sifting 

and grading, if necessary and depending on 

requirements 

The Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis (OARO) is a proprietary, membrane-based purification 

and concentration technology for salt production, brine concentration, water desalination, and 

industrial wastewater treatment 

In February last year, Hyrec completed its 

basic research and development, and proved 

its OARO concept with a pilot. 

The pilot is now operational in Urla, Turkey, 

and produces six tonnes of salt and 220 m 3 

of desalinated water each day. 

In fact, Hyrec has been operating a nearby 

commercial size plant with a feed capacity of 

7.35 m 3 /h since February 2018 too. 

And the company is planning to commercialise 

its technology this year with industrialscale 

projects with partners from the USA, 

Indonesia, Kuwait, Japan, India, and Germany. 

“We are planning to be in a fully commercial 

stage by the end of 2019,” said Günseli 

Mendi, business development specialist of 

Hyrec. WWA 


FROM THE GROUND | 25 


26 | FROM THE GROUND 

By Brian Harwood, Eastern Region Manager, Metrology for Mueller Systems 

Utilities relying on older “drive-by” Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) are upgrading to next-generation 

“smart grid” Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems that provide enhanced networked 

communications and control. 

Manually connecting and 

disconnecting water service for 

transient residents has been a 

long-time administrative hassle for the 

Charlotte County Utilities (CCU) in Florida, 

but far costlier and more labourintensive 

have been the utility’s 

year-round water meter inspection 

visits collecting on-site water usage 

billing data from almost 60,000 

Charlotte County residential and 

commercial locations. 

Until a few years ago, Charlotte County 

collected water usage data the old-fashioned 

way: CCU employees walking house-tohouse 

to collect meter readings. To cut 

costs and improve meter-reading efficiency, 

CCU launched a multimillion-dollar pilot 

programme to replace a quarter of their 

15-year-old manual water meters with 

Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) meters. 

Equipped with short-range radio transmitters, 

the AMR meters enable “drive-by” data 

collection using vehicles equipped with 

specialised radio receivers to collect water 

usage data. Charlotte County’s experiment 

with AMR meters worked well — for a while. 

ADVANCED METERING 

INFRASTRUCTURE — AMI 

“The radios built into those AMR 

meters consistently failed after 

a few years in service, but our 

meter vendor only offered a 

one-year warranty on those 

A Mi-Node AMI Meter 

units,” said Joan Brown, Charlotte County 

Utilities business services manager. “Rather 

than replace those defective AMR meters at 

a cost of millions of dollars, we decided to 

replace all our 58,000 water meters with new 

AMI-based water metering technology from 

Mueller Systems.” 

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) 

systems are next-generation “smart grid” 

technologies that provide enhanced 

networked communications and control 

between residential and commercial 

metering devices, and utility or municipal 

data management systems. Unlike read-only 

AMR (automatic meter reading) devices, 

AMI technology enables continuously 

available two-way communications between 

the network and metering devices, enabling 

accurate measurement and collection of 

detailed usage and billing information, 

demand-response capabilities, customer 

alerts and notifications, remote serviceconnections 

and disconnections, and 

more. 

Charlotte County Utilities engaged 

IoT-based AMI networks provider Mueller 

Systems for a pilot project evaluating their 

Mi.Net ® AMI data-gathering system designed 

specifically for water utilities. Wirelessly 

linking meters, distribution sensors, and 



Mueller’s Mi-Net System provides a comprehensive overview of an entire water distribution system by allowing multiple devices to work in tandem, collecting 

actionable data to address concerns 

control devices for real-time access, the 

Mi.Net system uses specialised transceivers 

on metering devices to gather and pass 

wireless data to area data-hub collectors 

that aggregate and upload metering data 

to water utility servers or hosted servers for 

data processing. 

AMI ADVANTAGES AND BENEFITS 

A successful 2012 pilot project replacing 

troublesome older water meters with new 

AMI water meters in a test area convinced 

the CCU to dramatically accelerate their 

timetable for a system-wide AMI meter 

changeover. Instead of the original 10-year 

transition plan, CCU decided to replace 

all 58,000 water meters within Charlotte 

County with the new Mi.Net network — in 

five years. 

“Charlotte County quickly realised the many 

benefits of moving to a network-based 

AMI system,” said Cory Sides, national 

account manager for Mueller Systems. 

“AMI systems enable utilities to receive 

continuous real-time usage data that 

allows early detection of water leaks, 

unusual usage patterns, and evidence of 

meter tampering. Cutting labour and vehicle 

costs, decreasing water losses, and reducing 

billing errors helps lower water rates 

for both utilities and ratepayers, and 

enhances overall customer service and 

satisfaction.” 

The Mi.Net system’s command-and-control 

functionality and wireless connectivity 

enables flexible scalability for accommodating 

system growth and adding future capabilities. 

The system’s real-time connectivity and 

two-way communications will enable 

enhanced services and features to 

be delivered through an online “customer 

portal” that will allow Charlotte County’s 

users to monitor and compare water usage 

and billing history in the future. 

AMI NETWORK OPERATIONS 

CENTRE (NOC) 

Halloween-to-Easter “snowbirds” and other 

seasonal residents and visitors to sunny 

Charlotte County also receive the special 

AMI remote-connect/disconnect water 

meters, easing the hassle of frequent on-site 

visits required with the older water meters. 

The AMI system has also provisioned a 

special “district management” feature that 

enables the utility to identify mysterious 

water losses within a certain geographical 

area by installing AMI water meters at 

different points within the water distribution 

system. 

“Another big advantage of AMI technology 

is seamless integration with largescale 

advanced leak-detection and pipe 

assessment platforms,” said Sides. “The 

Mi.Net system enables utilities to add 

advanced capabilities as their needs evolve, 

and deploy new technologies that generate 



additional revenue streams as they become 

available. It’s a true ‘smart cities’ approach 

that helps utilities and municipalities to 

reduce costs, boost efficiencies, integrate 

services, and create a flexible data-collection 

infrastructure to meet the demands of the 

future.” 

Striving to achieve operational selfsufficiency, 

CCU assigns staff members 

to be cross-trained “champions” of thirdparty 

systems and technologies vital 

to utility operations, including the new 

AMI system and components. Mueller 

Systems maintains a specialised network 

operations centre (NOC) staffed by 

technicians who monitor and maintain 

multiple AMI networks for client utilities 

and municipalities across North America to 

ensure peak operational efficiency. 

Charlotte County plans to monitor and 

maintain their AMI network with their 

own NOC in the future, and a designated 

CCU staffer is collaborating with Mueller 

Systems NOC technicians to become capable 

of troubleshooting and rectifying system 

problems as they occur. 

99 PER CENT METER-READING 

SUCCESS RATE 

Enjoying a 99 per cent meter-reading 

success rate with their AMI system, Charlotte 

County’s internal auditing indicates the 

read-accuracy of their new AMI meters 

has resulted in an average revenue gain 

of $400,000 per year. Charlotte County 

estimates savings over costs of the new 

AMI system to achieve $2 million by the 

seventh year of their 10-year plan, and 

$3.6 million in Year 10 — a capital 

improvement project success story 

delivering a measurable return on 

investment. 

“Our relationship with Mueller Systems 

is a true long-term partnership, which is 

important to us because this relatively new 

AMI technology is going to continue to 

evolve,” said Brown. WWA 

Mueller Systems Network Operations Center 



The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals have 

shined new light on steps that must be taken to safeguard 

our world’s critical resources. Addressing everything that 

impacts the health and economic growth of communities, 

the SDGs embed sustainability in the global consciousness 

and offer nations a roadmap for tackling the key challenges 

of our time. 

By Cindy Wallis-Lage, President, Black & Veatch 



As we celebrate World Water Day 2019, 

we can’t help but focus on SDG No. 

6: Ensuring safe and plentiful water, 

along with the sustainable means to treat 

that supply for everyone – regardless of their 

place in the developed or developing world. 

SDG No. 6 is either directly or indirectly linked 

to all other SDGs. 

As outlined in a review of the goal’s progress, 

water scarcity, flooding and lack of proper 

wastewater management hinder social and 

economic development. Increasing water 

efficiency and improving water management 

are critical in the effort to balance competing 

and growing water demands from various 

sectors and users. 

The question, from many different angles, is, 

how do we do it? 

■ How does a highly water-stressed country 

like Singapore ensure water sustainability? 

■ How do we prevent flooding in Hong Kong, 

a megacity often strained to protect its 

urban density from inundation? 

■ How do we create resilient systems to 

protect U.S. coastal residents from storm 

surge and high tides? 

■ Howa can we efficiently capitalize on the 

renewable resource opportunities present 

in wastewater? 

The problems – and solutions – are as varied 

as the geographies where they occur and the 

communities they serve. 

REUSE: THE ULTIMATE 

SUSTAINABILITY TOOL 

In Singapore where water catchment areas 

are limited due to lack of land space, its 

National Water Agency, PUB, undertakes the 

responsibility to collect every drop of rain 

water, reuse water endlessly and desalinate 

seawater. 

Its Four National Taps are namely, local 

catchment water, imported water, high-grade 

reclaimed water known as NEWater and 

desalinated water. 

Water demand in Singapore is currently 

about 430 mgd. By 2060, its total water 

demand is projected to double. NEWater and 

desalination are integral to Singapore’s water 

strategy to meet future water demand. 

To ensure water sustainability, PUB has been 

strengthening its water reuse capabilities. 

Today, it has five water reclamation facilities. 

The NEWater plants allow used water, which 

would otherwise be lost to the sea, to be 

treated and reused as process water by 

local industry. Its three-stage process is one 

of the most efficient ways to recycle used 

water, and has a recovery rate of 75 per cent, 

although the goal is a sustainable 90 per 

cent rate. NEWater production also requires 

significantly less energy than seawater 

desalination. 

PIONEERING FLOOD CONTROL 

Happy Valley, located in the Wan Chai District 

of Hong Kong, is a cultural, economic and 

entertainment center. Despite its metropolitan 

development, the area is prone to flooding 

as it is located at low-lying ground near the 

Victoria Harbor. The Happy Valley Racecourse, 

one of Hong Kong’s most popular attractions, 

was submerged under nearly three feet of 

stormwater during a severe rainfall event 

in 2008. 

Instead of throwing more drains at the 

problematic spots, leaders understood such 

a strategy would not effectively reduce 

flooding risks because the downstream drains 

adjacent to the sea would have already been 

submerged by seawater at high tide, thus 

reducing the flood protection efficiency. 

Engineers set out to implement a pioneering 

underground storage scheme, comprising a 

large underground tank to store stormwater 

runoff for reduction of flooding risk during 

severe rainfall events. The strategy included 

an integrated 1D network, 2D overland flow 

and 3D computational fluid dynamics models. 

There is also a network of sensors capturing 

tidal level in Victoria Harbor and water levels 

at several strategic locations, including 

the storage tank and the upstream and 

downstream of the drainage culvert. 

During heavy rain, water level rises and 

SCADA sensors would trigger the adjustable 

weir system in which excess runoff would 

enter the storage tank. After the rainfall event 

when the water level in the culvert drops, the 

adjustable weirs would be lowered to drain 

out part of the stored stormwater to the 

downstream drainage network by gravity. The 

remaining stormwater in the tank will then be 

drained out by pumping. 

The solution prevents serious disruption 

to the nearby racecourse and recreational 

grounds, as well as to traffic along the 

surrounding roads. 

Happy Valley Underground Stormwater 

Storage Scheme (HVUSSS) was awarded the 

2018 Dai Yu Science & Technology Medal of 

the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society 

for outstanding achievement in the areas of 

innovation and technology development. The 

project also won the 2017 Hong Kong Awards 

for Industries: Innovation and Creativity 

Grand Award. 

‘A STORMY REALITY’ 

From the Atlantic seaboard to the Gulf Coast, 

images of a bucolic ocean lifestyle hide a 

stormy reality. Take Charleston, S.C., for 

instance: Perched on a harbor inlet of the 

Atlantic Ocean, locals enjoy the temperate 

conditions common to southern climes, 

yet they wrestle with the wet-weather 

consequences of life by the sea. 

Statistics revealed by city leaders recently 

showed that by 2040, Charleston’s water 

conveyance systems will be impacted by 

elevated waters on 180 days of each year — a 

stark data point for an exposed city already 

coping with a rising sea. Respecting and 

understanding the threat, city leaders began 

a massive large-diameter tunneling project to 

increase stormwater management capacity. 



In Houston, where Hurricane Harvey besieged 

residents in 2017, officials announced a 

feasibility study to determine whether a largescale 

tunneling system could help it cope with 

future storms. 

More broadly, some U.S. cities which had once 

tacked strategic resilience planning onto the 

job description for broader managerial roles 

are now devoting new positions to resilience 

alone that are focused on water supply and 

management. In South Florida, multiple 

jurisdictions have begun appointing “Chief 

Resilience Officers” to take leadership roles 

in managing long-term resilience-focused 

water infrastructure strategy. 

The city of Miami, Miami Beach, Broward 

County, Miami-Dade County and Palm Beach 

County all have CROs. After Superstorm 

Sandy battered New York City in 2012, the city 

created the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and 

Resiliency, which has aggressively pursued 

projects aimed at shielding Manhattan from 

the effects of major storms and climate 

change. 

PRESERVING QUALITY OF LIFE 

The safe disposal of municipal wastewater 

is vital to preserving the environment and 

protecting the health of communities. As 

previously discussed, wastewater can be 

treated and safely reused for potable and 

non-potable applications. But are there other 

ways in which we can turn wastewater from a 

“waste” into a valuable, renewable, resource? 

Yorkshire Water is one of many UK water 

utilities making investments to unlock 

wastewater’s power generation potential. At 

Knostrop Wastewater Treatment Works, in 

the northern city of Leeds, Yorkshire Water is 

spending £72 million on an upgrade project 

that will enable the works to meet 55 per cent 

of its own electricity needs — equivalent of 

providing power to 8,000 homes — through 

advanced wastewater treatment. 

Sludge, a bi-product of the sewage treatment 

process, is the main source of biogas. At 

Knostrop a new state-of the-art sludge 

treatment and anaerobic digestion facility are 

at the heart of the drive to unlock what the 

utility refers to as, “poo-power.” 

The new treatment process will have other 

environmental benefits, in addition to 

generating renewable energy. The site’s 

carbon emissions will be reduced by 

15 per cent, and 94 per cent of Leeds’ 

sewage sludge will be safely recycled. 

Looking ahead, the design of the new 

treatment process has used the limited 

space available efficiently to allow for future 

expansion. In the present, the efficient 

design also ensures that the operation and 

maintenance of the new equipment is not 

compromised. This has been enabled, in 

part, by the innovative use of new digital 

technologies to create intelligent piping and 

instrumentation diagrams - iP&IDs. Knostrop 

is one of the first water projects to benefit 

from iP&IDs. 

THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF 

SUSTAINABILITY 

Securing our water supply is a high calling 

on its own, but what happens when we draw 

new connections? 

Let’s start at the intersection of water and 

energy: Black & Veatch recently began 

exploring the feasibility of large-scale 

implementation of floating solar farms at 

Hong Kong’s 17 impounding reservoirs 

under a feasibility study being carried out for 

the Water Supplies Department of the Hong 

Kong SAR. In addition to generating power 

from renewable resources, engineers are 

studying whether large-scale floating 

solar farms could help Hong Kong reduce 

water loss and improve water quality by 

suppressing algae growth. Preliminary results 

indicate water loss through evaporation from 

the surface area covered by floating 

solar farms can be reduced by as much 

as 70 per cent, a critical benefit in water 

scarce regions relying on surface water 

reservoirs. 

Water can return the favor: A 2018 report by 

the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

(NREL) concluded that solar projects placed 

at reservoirs in the United States would have 

the potential to meet as much as 10 per cent 

of the nation’s energy supply while saving 

millions of acres of land. 

Thinking holistically — how water, power and 

all resources are connected — can unlock a 

wealth of engineering innovation, provided 

we are open to the possibilities. 

ACCOUNTING FOR THE HUMAN 

ELEMENT 

The water industry is at a turning point. 

Utilities recognise the power in making their 

operations more efficient, through strategies 

that maximize data, manage assets and more 

effectively engage with customers — all while 

doing more with less. A new water economy 

is encouraging modern tools and efficient 

technologies to address old problems of 

resource and cost. 

But something else is stirring. 

The human element, which has always been 

at the centre of the engineering solutions 

that safeguard our water supply, is coming 

into even sharper focus. Solutions account 

not just for the hard work of moving and 

treating water itself, but also for human 

impact and benefit. How do these solutions 

integrate, supplement — and whenever 

possible, complement — our communities 

and way of life? 

That is the mandate of World Water Day, and 

indeed, every day. WWA 

Cindy Wallis-Lage is President of Black & Veatch’s 

water business, leading the company’s efforts to 

address billions of dollars in water infrastructure 

needs around the world. Wallis-Lage joined the 

company in 1986 and has provided leadership and 

project expertise to more than 100 municipal and 

industrial facilities throughout North America, South 

America, the United Kingdom, Asia Pacific and India. 

Wallis-Lage joined the Black & Veatch Board of 

Directors in 2012. A licensed professional engineer, 

she earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering 

from Kansas State University in 1985 and her Master 

of Science in Environmental Health Engineering from 

the University of Kansas. 



In 2017, Vietnam achieved exports of US$36.5 billion for agricultural products. And in 2018, the country 

in southern Asia aimed at a 3.05 per cent growth to reach an export figure of up to US$40.5 billion. 

These figures illustrate the highly impressive transition of Vietnam — from being a country 

plagued by famine to one of the world’s largest exporters of foodstuffs. 

The transformation began in the 1980s when Vietnam underwent a drastic change 

from being an importer to an exporter. As a result of trade liberalisation and 

agricultural reforms, the value of agricultural exports rose significantly. 

Today, Vietnam is the top exporter worldwide for black peppercorns 

and cashew nuts. In addition, the country ranks among the top 

10 exporters for coffee, coconuts, rice, rubber, sweet potatoes, and tea. 

AN INDUSTRY UNDER THREAT FROM CLIMATE 

CHANGE 

In view of this, agriculture is not just an important part 

of the GDP, but also continues to be one of the most 

important employers in the country. However, the 

industry is confronted time and time again with 

adverse weather conditions. With a total 

annual precipitation of 640 billion cubic 

metres, Vietnam is one of the rainiest 

countries on earth, but this rainfall 

is not always distributed ideally 

over time and regions. 75 to 

85 per cent of this 

volume falls within 

four to five 

months during 

the monsoon 

period, and mainly in 

the northern part of the 

country. The southeasterly 

monsoon occurring during this 

period brings severe weather every 

year — heavy and incessant rain, which 

results in rivers and streams bursting their 

banks regularly and causing flooding. 

In 2008, flooding in Vietnam cost hundreds of 

lives. The capital, Hanoi, where 20 people died in the 

floodwaters or after being struck by lightning, was also 

particularly badly hit. In addition to the lives lost, the severe 

weather resulted in a shortage of drinking water and basic 

foodstuffs. The heavy rainfall in 2013 too, saw more than 30 lives 

lost and over 100,000 houses flooded. In October and November 2016, 

Vietnam was struck by a total of three exceptionally heavy storms. Once more, 

flooding claimed 40 victims and again destroyed 100,000 houses as well as 

1300 hectares of paddy fields. The figures for 2017 were similar. 

With Vietnam experiencing heavy rainfall land 

serious flooding, ANDRITZ shows how its 

concrete volute pumps are able to achieve the 

ideal flood control for the country. 

Climate change is making this situation continually worse. According to current forecasts 

by the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change), climate change will increasingly affect 

countries on the equator. In this respect, Vietnam is ranked among the countries with the highest 

risk. At an average emissions level, the scenario for 2080 to 2099 is predicted as having even higher 

annual rainfall in the months that already experience the heaviest rain. This was heralded only recently 


Based on the Kaplan turbine design principle, which ANDRITZ has been installing successfully all over the world since 1926, 

the technology for concrete volute pumps was adapted, and carefully considered concreting procedures were developed 

that ensure rapid execution and exact results 

in the summer of 2018 by the tropical storm 

Son Tinh, which caused numerous floods. 

A PUMPING SYSTEM TO PROTECT 

THE FLOURISHING TEA BUSINESS 

As a result, different strategies have been 

developed in the past few decades to deal 

with these climate challenges, along with 

the dynamic economic growth in the water 

sector. In addition to refurbishment and 

expansion of existing irrigation systems, 

these strategies also include building flood 

protection systems. Among them is the 

pumping system in the Thanh Thuy district 

of PhuTho Province. PhuTho is situated in 

the northeastern part of the country and is 

considered one of its poorest regions. The 

most important industry in the region is the 

cultivation of tea, which produces around 

100,000 tonnes per annum, of which 80,000 

tonnes are exported. 

In order to increase crop yield and this 

productivity to improve not only the living 

standards and the ecological environment, 

but also to reduce poverty for farmers in the 

affected areas, a new pumping station, Doan 

Ha, is to be built. It will have the capacity to 

reliably irrigate up to 672,000 square metres 

of paddy land, creating an infrastructure 

for the formation of a large sample field. 

In addition to irrigation, the required two 

pumps to be installed in the station will also 

be able to drain up to 2,122,000 square 

metres of agricultural land, if necessary. 

After coming out best in the review process 

for the tender, in terms of meeting the project 

requirements and providing detailed proof 

thereof, ANDRITZ was awarded the order to 

supply two concrete volute pumps together 

with the complete electromechanical 

equipment for the pumping station Doan Ha 

in a joint venture with a Vietnamese partner, 

HAIDUONG PUMP MANUFACTURING.,JSC 

(HAPUMA). 

ANDRITZ: BY NO MEANS AN 

UNKNOWN TECHNOLOGY GROUP 

The international technology group ANDRITZ 

is not a newcomer to Vietnam. In addition 

to equipping numerous hydropower plants, 

such as Chau Tang, Nam Na 1 or Song Lo 6, 

ANDRITZ also supplied 10 vertical line 

shaft pumps in 2018 for the largest flood 

protection plant in Vietnam – Yen Nghia, 

near Hanoi. The station and its pumps 

were specially designed and built for flood 

protection purposes. This means that the 

pumps are only activated when needed to 

pump away large amounts of water at low 

head in the shortest possible time. 

Vertical line shaft pumps could also be used 

for the Doan Ha pumping system. However, 

the general framework of this project makes 

concrete volute pumps much more suitable. 

This is due to the significant advantage 

they provide in applications with high flow 

rates and very low heads. As a result of the 

special design between the inlet and outlet, 

the pump is extremely compact, leading to 

significantly lower construction costs for 

the overall plant. 

THREE DIFFERENT DESIGNS 

ENSURE THE BEST PUMP SOLUTION 

Based on the Kaplan turbine design 

principle, which ANDRITZ has been installing 

successfully all over the world since 

1926, the technology for concrete volute 

pumps was adapted. Carefully considered 

concreting procedures were also developed 

to ensure rapid execution and exact results. 



Vertical line shaft pumps could also be used for the Doan Ha pumping system. 

However, the general framework of this project makes concrete volute pumps 

much more suitable. This is due to the significant advantage they provide 

in applications with high flow rates and very low heads. As a result of the 

special design between the inlet and outlet, the pump is extremely compact, 

leading to significantly lower construction costs for the overall plant 

Concreting on site is the most economical solution first and foremost for 

particularly large concrete volute pumps used to transport brackish and 

sea water, while steel segments pay off especially with a small number of 

small pumps that do not have to convey sea water. Otherwise, an additional 

expensive coating or a construction made of stainless steel would be needed 

The concrete volute pump consists basically 

of the concrete casing and the removable 

pump unit. This part can be removed easily 

for maintenance purposes. The concrete 

casing is resistant to any kind of water and 

requires no maintenance whatsoever. Both 

technologically and economically, concrete 

volute pumps are the best solution when 

it comes to transporting large volumes of 

water. The concrete casing has a long life 

cycle and is resistant to erosion as well as 

to brackish and sea water. And the material 

costs are also low. 

There are three different ways of building 

a pump of this kind: concreting on site, 

a construction with steel segments, or a 

design with prefabricated elements. The 

choice of construction is not arbitrary, but 

is defined by the respective requirements 

of the pump in each case and the general 

framework of the project. Concreting on 

site is the most economical solution first 

and foremost for particularly large concrete 

volute pumps used to transport brackish 

and sea water, while steel segments pay 

off especially with a small number of small 

pumps that do not have to convey sea water. 

Otherwise, an additional expensive coating 

or a construction made of stainless steel 

would be needed. 

For the design with prefabricated elements as 

used in Doan Ha, the pump volute is divided 

into a certain number of concrete blocks. 

The individual parts are manufactured 

according to ANDRITZ’s specification in 

a local Vietnamese concrete factory and 

then forwarded to the project location and 

assembled directly on site. The advantages 

of this design are that there is no particularly 

exact and time-consuming work to be 

performed on the site and that the concrete 

volute surface is resistant to brackish or 

sea water, providing the same results as 

concreting on site. 

The concrete volute pumps designed 

especially for the Doan Ha project each 

achieve a flow rate of 12.5 cubic metres per 

second at a maximum head of 8.15 metres. 

Each of the pumps has a 1,000-kW motor for 

this purpose. The pumps reach an efficiency 

of up to 88 per cent, while the motors can 

achieve efficiencies of up to 86 per cent at 

100 per cent output. 

The pumps are designed for transporting 

natural water, i.e. river water, contaminated 

water or flood water. Both motors and 

pumps are monitored fully automatically by 

a monitoring and control system. The pumps 

and their components are designed for more 

than 70,000 operating hours. Completion 

including delivery and erection of the pumps 

in the pumping station is scheduled for 

18 months after signing of the contract, 

which is mid-2020. WWA 


INSIGHT | 35 

By Roger Lah, Cla-Val Technical Products Specialist 

A 

recent visitor to Cla-Val’s facility 

described the lengthy process that 

entails when a power failure occurs 

and what that means to his utility’s water 

treatment plant operator: The operator 

has to quickly close fifteen motorised 

valves manually in order to prevent water 

overflowing onto the plant floor. The valves 

are usually controlled by a Programmable 

Logic Controller (PLC) to control flow into 

a filtration backwash process, utilising 

venturi flowmeters. These types of valves 

are susceptible to cavitation problems, and 

therefore a hydraulic Pressure Reducing 

Valve is normally installed upstream to 

reduce the pressure and prevent cavitation. 

This traditional arrangement requires 

significant piping space for two valves and 

a venturi flowmeter. Furthermore, power 

failure to the motor operated valve can cause 

significant problems. 

Fortunately, the hydraulic Pressure Reducing 

Valve can now be replaced with a hybrid 

multi-function electronic and hydraulic 

Metering Valve. This valve is capable of 

measuring and controlling flow based on 

valve position and differential pressure 

sensors installed on the valve. It also 

incorporates anti-cavitation trim to prevent 

cavitation due to the high pressure drop into 

the filtration process. 

The electronic Metering function utilises dual 

solenoids and simply changing the upstream 

by closing the solenoid from Normally Closed 

Metering Valve with Anti-cavitation trim and “Power Failure Close” Solenoid 


36 | INSIGHT 

to Normally Open will result in hydraulic 

valve closure when a power failure occurs. 

This allows the plant operator to handle 

other important duties when the inevitable 

loss of power happens. The single Metering 

Valve replaces the previous lengthy piping 

arrangement, saving significant space. And 

because the replacement valve discharges 

directly into the filtration process, a hydraulic 

pressure limiting function can be added to 

provide a “hydraulic guarantee” against over 

pressurising the system. 

HYDRAULIC PRESSURE REDUCING 

WITH ELECTRONIC “TIME OF 

CLOSURE” 

In another treatment plant application, 

this time utilising prefabricated treatment 

equipment, a hydraulic Pressure Reducing 

Valve is used to limit the pressure into the 

process. A Relief Valve provides protection 

for a ten-mile-long (16km) pipeline feeding 

into the plant, when a fast closing butterfly 

valve, shuts down the process. 

Hydraulic Pressure Reducing Valve with Electronic Controlled Time of Closure 

The engineer’s surge analysis determined 

that the Pressure Reducing Valve was 

required to close in twelve minutes when 

this occurs, and a standard closing needle 

valve is incapable of controlling these long 

closing times. The simple answer was to 

modify the pilot control system to perform 

a switch between the normal pressure 

reducing function and electronic controlled 

closing of Metering Flow to zero flow, in a 

programmable time period. 

A third solenoid installed switches between 

the normal hydraulic control to electronic 

control when the system shuts down. 

Operators can easily see on the valve 

controller screen the status of the closing 

sequence. They are also able to adjust 

closing times, if the required closing time 

requires amendment. 

This valve therefore accomplishes two very 

important functions: A hydraulic pressurereducing 

function during normal operation, 

and an electronic “Time of Closure” function 

to prevent surging in the long upstream 

pipeline. 

NUMEROUS HYBRID ELECTRONIC 

AND HYDRAULIC COMBINATIONS 

Many other hydraulic and electronic 

functions can be combined onto one 

valve, which can reduce the number of 

valves in an installation, protect aging 

and sensitive pipes, or prevent overflow 

of tanks and reservoirs. A particularly 

popular combination is an electronic flow 

control with a hydraulic pilot control to 

limit downstream pressure. This example 

of hybrid electronic and hydraulic control 

allows normal electronic flow control unless 

downstream pressure exceeds the limit of the 

hydraulic pilot setpoint. 


INSIGHT | 37 

In effect, the hydraulic control system 

prevented a pipe break from occurring. 

In fact, the electronic control system is 

capable of multiple functions such as flow 

control and pressure reducing. In this 

instance, the hydraulic pilot can be used as 

“backup insurance” where the pilot control 

adjustment is set to not interfere with normal 

electronic multi-function control. Normal 

operation consists of electronic flow control 

and electronic pressure-reducing control, 

and seamlessly transfers between functions 

with specialised software. In the event of 

power failure, or solenoid malfunction, 

the hydraulic pilot will take over and limit 

downstream pressure, preventing pipe 

breakage. 

Electronic Flow Control Valve 

with Hydraulic Protection of 

Downstream Piping 

Up to four modulating electronic functions are 

possible, including flow, pressure sustaining, 

pressure reducing, and level control. For 

example, reservoir level control can include 

flow control and pressure sustaining control. 

Conversions of existing Altitude Control 

valves often include the hydraulic Altitude 

Control pilot for backup control to prevent 

overflowing of a tank. Often there is a long 

pipeline upstream of these valves which 

is susceptible to surging during valve 

closure. A hydraulic “Surge Relief 

Override” pilot control prevents this 

in case of faster-than-normal valve 

closure. 

At one recent project 

start-up, an electronic flow 

control valve barely cracked 

open, and was unable to 

open further. A check of the 

downstream pressure gauge 

revealed that downstream 

pressure had already reached 

the setting of the pressure limiting 

pilot control. It transpired that the water 

district had forgotten that an isolation valve 

had been closed some distance downstream. 

Hybrid Electronic Multi-Function Valve Conversion 

with Altitude and Relief Override Pilots 

Motorised valves are typically 

used to control a single 

function and offer limited 

or no capabilities to provide 

multiple electronic functions 

with hydraulic backup 

functions. Replacing these 

valves with hybrid electronic 

and hydraulic control can certainly 

reduce the number of valves required 

and can offer very useful “insurance” 

against power failures and costly line 

breaks WWA 


38 | INSIGHT 

LACROIX Sofrel Business Development Manager Eric Woo (second from left) with his colleagues at the new office in Singapore 


INSIGHT | 39 

With the opening of the French group’s new subsidiary in Singapore, customers 

may expect faster, more efficient service. 

LACROIX Sofrel is a familiar name in the 

European market, known as the French 

market leader in telemetry and SCADA. 

Reaching out across the globe, the opening of 

its new Singaporean subsidiary is seen as a bid 

to strengthen its position in the ASEAN region. 

WHY SINGAPORE? 

According to business development manager 

Eric Woo, the move to Singapore was a 

strategic one, meant to improve relations with 

customers in the region. 

“With this, we are close to the customer. We 

understand their needs; we can react to the 

market to capture business opportunities. 

When you react fast, you have the advantage. 

We close the time difference gap between 

here and Europe. That’s why we set up this 

subsidiary – to be close to the customer, and 

provide almost-immediate responses to our 

partners and customers.” 

Besides allowing for faster reaction times 

to customers’ queries, Woo shared that 

the subsidiary’s location also allows him to 

monitor trends in the ASEAN market, talk to 

regional customers to find out what they need 

in a product to solve their problems – and then 

share all this information with headquarters 

back in France. 

“This is the reason why I’m here, to listen to 

what the market needs, study it, and then 

feedback if we should develop or drop it. All 

these things need a central hub to collect 

all this information. We would never be able 

to get the information if we were sitting in 

France; it has to be someone here close to 

the market, understanding the customer.” 

ASIAN VS EUROPEAN MARKETS 

When it comes to the Asian market, needs 

and wants for product features may differ 

as compared to European markets, but Woo 

explained that it’s not enough to simply finetune 

products to meet regional demands. 

“Competition is tougher here; we have more 

players. For example, in Thailand there 

are also local-made products competing 

with international brands. Price wise, we 

are definitely at a disadvantage, but some 

customers look for reliability and quality, and 

don’t mind paying a bit more compared to the 

locally-made products.” 

ASEAN TRENDS 

Compared to its European counterparts, 

the ASEAN market is a lot more diverse 

than many might think, especially when 

it comes to levels of understanding for 

newer technology. According to Woo, 

some companies are still struggling to 

evolve, modernise, and keep up with the 

competition. LACROIX Sofrel’s answer to 

companies lagging behind their competitors? 

Training courses, held at the Singapore 

subsidiary. 

Explained Woo: “We’re basically talking 

about solutions, we’re selling solutions. 

What the customers want is ‘What can you 

provide to benefit me after I have selected 

your solution?’. This is something we want to 

build up, we want to train all our partners and 

customers. In fact, we already have trained 

some of our partners from Malaysia – in 

the coming months, our partners from the 

Philippines will be here too. 

LOOKING FORWARD 

The new office is just about ready, and so is 

Woo, sharing that he expects great successes 

from the subsidiary with him at its helm, and 

hints at the possibility of tapping into other 

markets when the time is right. 

“The whole of the ASEAN region is a very 

different climate as compared to Europe. I 

want to be self-sufficient, to provide first-hand 

support to all our partners in the region; and 

to support projects in the ASEAN region when 

necessary and appropriate, when partners 

come into our office. 

We expect our business here to grow. Not 

rapidly, but at least we will have consistent 

growth, looking at how the Asian side of 

business is booming. For our kind of business 

in water and wastewater, there’s a lot to do 

so we know that the potential is here, and we 

want to capture that. 

Of course, we won’t just target the ASEAN 

region – China is one of the countries we’re 

looking at to develop our business. Later 

on, New Zealand, Australia – gradually, we’ll 

expand the business.” WWA 

Image credit to LACROIX Sofrel. 


40 | INSIGHT 

Energy neutrality 

for the whole 

water cycle 

& high-water 

efficiency 

By Mads Warming, Global Business Development Director for 

Water and Wastewater Business 

In recent years we have seen a few wastewater treatment facilities 

begin to get to the level of energy neutrality, based on energy 

generated from the digester. 

There are good reasons to work with these technologies as water 

and wastewater facilities is highly energy intensive. According to the 

International Energy Agency (IEA), four per cent of all electricity 

used globally is used just for the water and wastewater handling 

facilities. The IEA also states that approximately 30 to 50 per cent 

of local government’s electricity bill typically is related to the water 

and wastewater operation. 

Aarhus Water Ltd, a Water Service Company in Aarhus, Denmark’s 

second largest city, started a process over five years ago to optimise 

their water and wastewater treatment facility. There has been special 

focus on a catchment area named Marselisborg, covering 200,000 

people in the centre of Aarhus. 


INSIGHT | 41 

Utilisation of biogas from wastewater utilities 

Marselisborg is a traditional city area, 

where water supply is based on 

groundwater supply which in average 

is pumped from depths of 35 metres, 

and traditional household wastewater 

in a relatively flat geographic 

region. 

The concept used has been a two-step 

strategy, covering: 

• Reduce energy consumption throughout 

both the water and wastewater facilities 

to highest sensible level 

• Increase energy production from the 

wastewater facility 

On the water supply side, energy savings 

have been obtained by reducing leakage to 

six to eight per cent (from above 14 per cent) 

and splitting the city into pressure zones. 

The Marselisborg wastewater facility is 

a traditional activated sludge treatment 

plant with mesophilic digestion based on 

household wastewater from Marselisborg 

catchment area. 

The wastewater facility has been upgraded 

with both more energy efficient equipment 

and especially with advanced real-time 

process control based on a much wide use of 

online sensors and VSD than normally seen. 

This much more efficient control combined 

with process as “carbon harvesting”, 

“simultaneous Nitrification/Denitrification”, 

“Anammox on side-stream” and partly 

“Nitrite-shunt” resulted in 2016 into a 

complete energy neutral situation for the 

whole catchment area and isolated for the 

wastewater facility to a 234 per cent energy 

production. (See also table 1) 

The ROI has in average been less than five 

years for the upgrade of the Marselisborg 

facility. WWA 

Table 1: Energy consumption and production overview for the Marselisborg catchment area 


42 | INSIGHT 

 

 

 

 

Assets in plants work, until 

they don’t. How can plant 

operators ensure that 

everything’s running in tiptop 

shape, and how do they 

know when an asset needs 

to be changed or fixed 

to avoid future failures? 

Emerson director of products Jay Ganson 

introducing IntelliSAW, meant to help plants 

avoid failures in critical electrical assets 


INSIGHT | 43 

IntelliSAW is well known as one of the leading providers of systems that protect electric power transmission and distribution equipment 

by measuring and monitoring temperature, humidity, and partial discharge using advanced sensor and analytic technologies. In 2015, 

the company was acquired by Emerson. 

Now part of Emerson’s Rosemount portfolio of measurement and analytical technologies, the IntelliSAW suite of predictive maintenance and 

continuous monitoring systems enables users to reduce maintenance costs and increase their quality of service by providing continuous 

real-time temperature data. The non-invasive systems also increase personnel safety and protect equipment from significant damage. 

Water & Wastewater Asia recently sat down with Jay Ganson, director of products at Emerson Automation Solutions, to find out more about 

IntelliSAW and what it can do to distribute critical electrical power transmissions in plants to avoid failures in critical electrical assets. 

Q: Could you describe IntelliSAW to us in detail? 

JG: The IntelliSAW product line-up of Emerson focuses on providing 

continuous monitoring of electrical infrastructure to any industrial 

site, including wastewater treatment plants. In most electrical sites, 

I mean every site, we use low-voltage everywhere. 

Oftentimes, the electrical delivery which is critical to making sure 

everything works is under-invested or ignored. If you look at the 

maintenance budget across a lot of plants and operations, one of 

the last things to get attention and investment dollars is the power 

delivery. 

Our solution is designed to retrofit into existing power delivery 

equipment and monitor the three most important elements of, or 

leading indicators of failure for electrical equipment. Our system is 

designed to monitor each one of these points and let operators know 

of any issues prior to any failure. We’re bringing the familiar IoT world 

into the underinvested area of electrical delivery inside the building; so 

we focus on balance of plants, delivery, in addition to sort of a process. 

Q: How exactly does IntelliSAW work? 

JG: The way that our sensors work is by using a surface acoustic 

wave technology. It’s a long-proven technology, but using it in this 

application is relatively new — as in the way that we’re using it to 

monitor electrical switch gear. It has a lot of neat properties that 

make it attractive for this space. Adding sensors, getting data, making 

decisions based on that data and improving throughput, that’s a hot 

trend, but it’s only starting now to get into the electrical delivery side. 

The technology choice of surface acoustic wave that we’re using is 

a unique fit for electrical assets. It’s a completely analogue solution, 

and the reason that that’s kind of important is that it is very costly to 

shut down electricity in a building, so we want to do it as few times 

as possible. Our solution doesn’t have a battery, it’s not battery 

powered, it has no electrical components that could fail in the powered 

equipment. 

And that’s important because you don’t want to have to go in and 

replace a battery periodically or do maintenance. We’re designed to 

be installed for 20 years and be left alone for the life of the asset, 

which you can’t say about most powered electronics – there are so 

many things that could fail in them and by having it completely RF 

and analogue inside the high voltage area, we can eliminate the risk 

of that failure. We’re relying on basic physics: when things get hot, 

they expand, when things get cold, they contract, so we’re monitoring 

that type of basic principle of physics using analogue technology, 

sort of an old-school approach to a new problem. 

Q: How will IntelliSAW help extend the lifespan of plants? 

JG: In plants there are signs that old equipment is failing, and the 

problem right now is a lot of people don’t actually have a monitor for 

those signs. They leave them out and operate until they smell smoke, 

which is already a failure hot enough to create smoke, and that’s a 

problem. That issue should have been caught well in advance, but 

there just isn’t any sensors in any of this equipment.. No one really 

knows when that equipment will fail. Is that five years from now, 

15 years or a week? 

Electricity is normally incredibly reliable, and so it’s often 

underinvested — but when you have data, you might see a 

degradation of performance; such as a motor might slow down or 

give way, and you have some kind of warning that it’s the end of its 

life. With electrical assets you don’t really see that often, so people 

don’t think about replacing it until there’s a big failure. 

For electrical assets, they’re not digital for the most part, they’re old 

school, electro-mechanical things that people don’t expect to fail. 

And they work reliably — it’s almost as if it’s a service, but not the 

necessary equipment behind that, so you depreciate it. And once 

it’s depreciated even after 10 years, if you can get 15 or 20 years 

out of it, then it’s great. We find that lots of operators will run their 

equipment much longer than the expected life of the asset, at least 

for the manufacturer. 


44 | INSIGHT 

What we hope to do by retrofitting that equipment and putting 

sensors and monitoring in is if the manufacturer recommendation 

for power delivery is a 20-year asset, we can let people operate it 

perhaps beyond the 20 years so they can save money keeping the 

equipment in operation, but by doing so safely because they have 

the parameters to tell them when it will fail. 

Rather than proactively replacing after 20 years, which is the 

manufacturer recommendation, you can run it for 25 years, which 

happens to be the industry practice. Most people run it longer than 

that, but you can now do that with the assurance that you’re doing 

it safely. 

Q: Producing water is expensive. Can IntelliSAW reduce the cost 

of that? 

JG: Of producing and recycling water, we believe so. But when you 

look at the overall budget of a plant, in the unsexy or the overlooked 

area, there is often just the operations and maintenance (O&M) 

budget. With our system we can reduce the man hours for manual 

maintenance by providing digital data; we can go from a scheduled 

regular maintenance to a predictive data driven maintenance schedule. 

Instead of inspecting all of your equipment once a year, we can tell 

you on your shutdown and to look at this asset because the data’s 

telling us there’s a problem on those two specific areas. We can 

reduce the actual O&M costs of running the equipment, and on top 

of that, avoid the cost of having a very expensive failure — that’s a 

trickier cost to evaluate. 

So, we would look at the asset in the building, what are they spending 

on, all of their assets, what they have deployed, and based on that 

make calculations on how this technology can reduce their risk as 

well as their O&M budget by reducing the man hours for inspection. 

Q: Let’s talk about the people side of IntelliSAW. Is there any 

specialised training involved? 

JG: I would like to think that I have special skills and that I’m a 

very smart person, but it’s a very straightforward system! We often 

do the installation and commissioning, but all of our customers are 

able to operate the system. It’s very simple. We support MODBUS, 

6218-50 and DNP3, so once the system is installed, it can provide 

data into an Emerson system or any system that is used in the plan 

to present the data. 

Q: Can IntelliSAW be considered as IoT? 

JG: In the Internet of Things, we are a thing. We are a solid thing. 

We provide data upstream — be it Plantweb or someone else. We 

only claim as the sensor data, and the things you could do with that 

sensor data. 

Our sensors will give you busbar temperature, which is the power 

delivery temperature as well as the ambient temperature and what 

the weather is like in the room. You can then subtract the ambient 

temperature from the busbar temperature — if you’re 20 degrees 

out, and your busbar’s on 30 degrees, you will then know that 

because of the loading and the energy going through that there’s a 

10 degrees of temperature rise based on the amount of electricity 

that’s going through. 

It (IntelliSAW) provides data. We do localised trending of data 

because we’re trying to catch the issues early, such as an early 

warning signal. For instance, if you hit 80 degrees Celsius, you 

definitely have a problem at that point. If your system normally 

operates at 30 degrees Celsius, the localised trending on our system 

will let you know when you start going to 32, 34, 36…. You’re going 

to learn well before you’re at risk of any kind of fire or issue like that. 

There is also some local computing and data analytics that’s going 

on in the system before we send it out to a SCADA system. We’ll send 

out alarms based on that, but once again in the true world of IoT, 

you’re talking about MQTT and publishing data onto a host server and 

subscribing to data. And we hope that through Plantweb we can do 

that, because the device next to it is an Emerson meter, an electrical 

meter, so they can use that, it’s part of the wireless ecosystem which 

you can hook up to any asset with a current transformer and find 

out the load that is going through that system. 

You can take the load information combine that with the temperature 

information, and more importantly the partial discharge information 

that we’re getting, and do something that we call phase resolve 

partial discharge. 

Q: What advice would you give plant leaders and operators? 

JG: I think it’s (IntelliSAW) a very important source of investment 

that’s often overlooked, but it has a very clear return-on-investment 

(ROI) on reduction of risk and O&M. 

It’s challenging because when we talk to a lot of customers, unless 

they’ve had an issue, they haven’t experienced the pain of not having 

a solution. And so oftentimes, with a brand-new plant and they’ll say 

yeah, we’ll put something in it in a couple years. The retrofit market 

is pretty big, so putting it on an older equipment or equipment that 

is less visited such as remote pub sites are difficult to get to. If you 

could just get the data and check on them from there, that would 

be nice. WWA 


INSIGHT | 45 

Using DoE to improve the evaluation 

of reverse osmosis membranes 

By Uli Dölchow, Julien Ogier and Dr. Jens Lipnizki, LANXESS 

In this era of water scarcity and 

resiliency, reverse osmosis (RO) is 

finding increasing use for treatment 

of municipal and industrial wastewater. RO 

technology is used to separate dissolved 

impurities from water through the use of a 

semi-permeable membrane. The growing 

success of membranes in this application is 

related to the design of experiments (DoE) 

methodology to improve the evaluation of 

reverse osmosis membranes. 

The actual operational performance of 

RO elements depends on a whole range 

of different parameters, such as the 

temperature, pH and salt concentration of 

the water to be filtered. This adds complexity 

when it comes to predicting separation 

performances. For example, natural water 

sources and industrial and municipal 

wastewater contain a variety of salts and 

substances. When considering natural water 

sources, operating conditions can have a 

huge impact on rejection in the RO elements 

and the substances dissolved in the water. 

The data sheet and a simulation of the RO 

plant using appropriate design software helps 

to assess the performance of RO elements 

before practical application. Standard test 

conditions are defined according to the 

product class (e.g. standard brackish water 

elements, low-pressure elements or other 

similar groups). The test conditions are 

outlined on the data sheet and generally 

define values for the operating temperature, 

pH, inflow pressure used, recovery and the 

concentration of NaCl in the feed water. 

Based on this, elements are classified and 

assessed in line with the test conditions. The 

design software bases its calculations on the 

performance parameters of the RO elements 

as defined in the data sheet. 

THE BENEFITS OF THE 

STATISTICAL METHOD 

Using the statistical method to characterise 

membrane properties is a new and extremely 

effective procedure for achieving a more 

complete picture under a variety of inflow 

parameters. Tests that use saline solution 

only to characterise membranes provide an 

incomplete picture of reality in an inflow. 

Data sheets and test conditions should 

be adjusted to real conditions to predict 

separation behaviour as realistically as 

possible. 

In this investigation, multi-component 

inflow water containing a variety of common 

substances was used – the goal was to use 

statistical methods to examine the impact 

Fig. 2: Polymerisation process for manufacturing an 

RO membrane 

of temperatures and the pH on the permeate 

flux and the rejection of the various relevant 

substances. The intention is to identify a 

new option for characterising performance. 

Surface effects, which vary depending on the 

membrane charge, have a significant impact 

on salt rejection. Test results were used as a 

basis for examining whether a relationship 

could be established between the different 

performance characteristics of various 

membranes and a range of membrane 

structures (Fig. 1). 

The surface charge is determined by 

varying degrees of crosslinking during the 

polymerisation of the polyamide coating. The 

two components TMC (trimesoyl chloride) 

and m-PDA (m-phenylenediamine) make up 

the polyamide, which contains structural 

elements 1 and 2 (Fig. 2). 

Fig. 1: Surface effects and rejection (A: rejection of sodium chloride through electrostatic interactions with 

an open RO membrane, B: reduction in rejection caused by polarisation effects with open RO membrane, 

C: consistent level of rejection with a sealed RO membrane with few electrostatic interactions) 

Depending on how the polymerisation 

process is controlled, the result is either a 

highly crosslinked RO membrane with less 

surface charge or one with less crosslinking 


46 | INSIGHT 

and a more pronounced negative surface 

charge. 

TEST PROCEDURE (MATERIAL 

AND METHODS) 

The tests were conducted using 4” lowpressure 

RO elements on an automated 

laboratory test bench. The test compared 

the performance of a highly crosslinked 

Lewabrane ® membrane with that of a 

membrane that differs in only minor ways 

in terms of data sheet specifications. A 

test pressure of 10.3 bar and a recovery of 

15 per cent were used. The temperature 

was varied in the range of 15-35°C, and the 

pH between 3 and 11. The composition of 

the multi-component inflow water used in 

the tests is listed in Table 1. 

In this investigation, the responses are the 

permeate flux, the rejection of the total 

dissolved solids in the water (TDS rejection) 

and the rejection levels for nitrate, boron and 

silicon dioxide. The factors are always the 

temperature of the multi-component feed 

water and the pH. 

Statistical evaluations are used to 

determine which of the terms in equation 

1 are statistically significant. Statistically 

significant factors are then labelled “effects.” 

The term with the product of x1 and x2 

is called the “interaction.” DoE allows the 

opportunity to identify interactions. Where 

there is an interaction, the impact of one 

factor depends on the value at which the 

other is set. 

When the model functions have been 

determined, they can be used to calculate 

membrane performance. This happens 

across the entire test range, even for points 

that have not been measured explicitly. 

RESULTS 

Fig. 3 shows the permeate flux in the 

form of the flow rate per membrane area 

of the Lewabrane ® membrane and the 

comparison membrane. The flux increases 

as the temperature rises, which can 

be explained by the reduction in water 

viscosity. The pH has no significant impact 

on the flux. 

Fig. 4 compares TDS rejection for the various 

membranes. Rejection in both membranes 

drops significantly at extreme pH, which 

can be attributed to the dissociation of the 

various dissolved substances. The charge 

of the membranes is also important and 

varies with the pH. Notably, the Lewabrane ® 

membrane exhibits excellent rejection across 

a larger range and the drop in rejection 

is less pronounced at higher and lower 

pH values. 

Table 1: Information about multi-component inflow water 

DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS 

DoE offers advantages when an investigation 

aims to examine the impact of two or 

more test parameters, or factors, on one 

particular target value. DoE is based 

around the principle that the settings of the 

various different factors can be changed 

simultaneously, whereas conventional 

investigations change one factor at a time. 

Fig. 3: Flux in relation to pH value and temperature 

To assess which factors impact on the target 

value, regression analysis is used to adapt 

a model function to the test results. This 

means trying to describe the target values 

(y) as accurately as possible as a function 

of the factors (e.g. x1, x2) using a quadratic 

function, for example. The target values are 

also called “responses.” 

y=β_0+β_1*x_1+β_2*x_2+β_11*x_1^2+β 

_22*x_2^2+β_12*x_1*x_2 (1) 

Fig. 4: TDS rejection in relation to pH and temperature 


INSIGHT | 47 

Fig. 5 shows the results for boron rejection. 

When the pH is high, boric acid is primarily 

present in ionised form, so the negatively 

charged membrane rejects it very efficiently. 

This is no longer the case when the pH falls 

below 9. The Lewabrane ® membrane is able 

to maintain greater rejection at lower pH 

values, which can be attributed to the highly 

crosslinked and less charged membrane. The 

level of boron rejection is also influenced 

by the temperature. Higher temperatures 

improve boron permeability, which leads to 

a slight reduction in boron rejection. 

Nitrate rejection is also important for the 

production of drinking water. Analysis 

shows that both RO membranes achieve 

outstanding nitrate rejection at pH values 

greater than 7, even though there is a very 

high nitrate concentration in the feed (200 

mg/l) (Fig. 6). 

Fig. 5: Boron rejection in relation to pH and temperature 

At lower pH values, the membranes have a 

lower negative charge, or are even positively 

charged, as soon as their isoelectric point is 

reached. The change in the membrane charge 

affects nitrate rejection, as nitrates can pass 

through the membrane more easily at lower 

pH levels, leading to diminishing rejection. 

Here, the reduction in nitrate rejection is less 

pronounced in the Lewabrane ® membrane 

and rejection falls as the temperature rises. 

Silicon dioxide and silica rejection is 

important for treating boiler feed water. 

Removing silica can extend the service 

life of the ion exchanger as an additional 

treatment, resulting in fewer regenerations. 

Analysis of the silicon dioxide rejection 

(Fig. 7) shows that rejection using the 

Lewabrane ® membrane is higher, especially 

at mid-range pH values. This highlights 

the outstanding effectiveness of the highly 

crosslinked Lewabrane ® membrane. 

Fig. 6: Nitrate rejection in relation to pH value and temperature 

At present, ammonium rejection cannot be 

clearly described using a quadratic model. 

Experiments are currently being conducted 

to examine whether non-linear regression 

can describe this behaviour better. The 

resulting innovative findings can further 

make a valuable contribution to optimising 

engineering software in the future. 

All images are credited to LANXESS. 

Fig. 7: Silicon dioxide rejection in relation to pH and temperature 


Wastewater, 

process safety 

and digitalisation 

When dealing with wastewater, 

process safety is a must. But in an 

era of digitalisation and ageing 

infrastructure, what are the 

regulations and precedents? 

When dealing with wastewater, process safety is not far behind. 

However, it is not given the same attention as pipes leaking clean 

water as it is more of a financial concern rather than a safety issue. 

But when wastewater comes into the picture, process safety quickly 

comes to mind, a grey area that some are ready to jump headfirst into 

while most others ignore it until something happens. 

Er. Premkumar, 

Chief Process Safety Specialist of 

ALARP Process Safety Solutions. 

Image credit: Er. Premkumar 

However, what is process safety in the wastewater industry? How has the 

paradigm shift to digitalisation affected it? Water & Wastewater Asia had the 

opportunity to sit down with Er. Premkumar, chief process safety specialist of ALARP 

Process Safety Solutions,to find out. 

WWA: What are some of the drawbacks of 

ageing infrastructure for process safety? 

Er. Premkumar: Firstly, ageing doesn’t 

necessarily mean the age of the equipment/ 

facility; ageing refers to the condition of the 

equipment/facility in question. As long as 

the condition is good, and the equipment/ 

facility is fit-for-service per the industry 

criteria, then it is fine to use. 

But there is a potential for unexpected 

failures (e.g. leaks) and it may lead to a loss 

of containment and a production downtime. 

There is also a potential for environmental 

impact due to unknown underground 

seepages. 

Another factor is that with ageing 

infrastructure, sometimes we may need 

to reduce production rates due to the 

operating conditions that are influenced 

by the ageing phenomenon. In case of a 

loss of containment, there is also obviously 

the potential for safety impact, especially 

if the stream contains toxic or dangerous 

substances, as with wastewater.

INSIGHT | 49 

WWA: How is process safety discipline presently maintained in 

Singapore and what are some of the disadvantages of this current 

system? 

EPK: On top of the existing Workplace Safety & Health (WSH) 

framework, the process safety discipline is on a learning curve right 

now with a new regulation in Singapore — called Major Hazard 

Installation Regulations (i.e. Safety Case Regime), which is applicable 

to the major hazard installations — and it came into effect recently in 

2017. These regulations require major hazard installations to better 

manage the process safety risks. 

Right now, we are on a journey and it’s going in the right direction. 

One of the main challenges companies face with the new regulations 

is that the major hazards have to be managed in a different 

manner when compared to what we have been doing in the past 

(e.g. demonstration to the regulators) — which means additional 

resources with the right skillset is required. Not every company has 

this capability internally. There is also the cost pressure as everything 

done involves some form of cost, and there is a potential for a cost 

impact. Unfortunately, almost every operating company has a tight 

margin and so this poses a challenge to them. 

WWA: Because of the new regulations, are there any new training 

procedures and new standards? 

EPK: There is a framework provided by the agencies. But each 

company has to deal with this internally, though industry-wise, there 

are government-approved service providers that give training. 

more reliable. For example, digital transformation has come with a 

wireless system, and we don’t need to spend a significant amount 

of cost on the infrastructure to get that kind of gas/leak detection 

system. 

WWA: With this increasing reliance on digitalisation, how do you 

approach the issue of cybersecurity? 

EPK: We cannot compromise cybersecurity protection requirements 

for critical equipment/facility, but it may not be a concern for the less 

critical ones. Critical ones refer to the pieces of information that are 

very important for health and safety or perhaps equipment that can 

lead to the shutdown of the entire facility resulting in a significant 

business impact. In case of a breach due to cybersecurity on these 

critical equipment/facilities, there is a potential for a significant 

impact and so we can’t rely on wireless or other vulnerable systems 

at this point in time 

But if this piece of information or equipment does help us to better 

operate the plant but is not really critical, then we can move that 

onto digitalisation (e.g. wireless). 

WWA: What advice do you have for leaders in the process safety 

industry? 

EPK: I think it’s really about the competence and skillset. If the 

competence and skillset is there with the workforce, no matter 

whatever the change/disruption happens in the future, the workforce 

is able to handle and manage them better 

The framework is intentionally designed to be flexible so that it can 

be applied to a wide-range of companies involved — from small 

companies such as chemical storage facilities to big petroleum 

refineries. At the same time, the practitioners are also on a learning 

curve, and everyone is doing their best to incorporate each other’s 

learnings and continue to correct themselves slowly. 

WWA: How has the digital transformation helped the process 

safety discipline? 

EPK: In order to detect a leak in the past, people would install a 

permanent gas/leak detector and physically wire it like what we do 

with lights, running a cable. It takes a lot of infrastructure, but it is 

For example, if we don’t have a workforce with a complete process 

safety knowledge today and a disruption comes in tomorrow, 

requiring us to do things in a certain way, we do not have the 

background of what was done historically. Without the knowledge 

and skillset, we may not be able to make better decisions. 

On the soft side, workforce should also be flexible and receptive to 

the changes. The workforce may need to unlearn certain things and 

relearn new things. Some of us may have the difficulty to unlearn 

because we have been doing things in a particular way. This mindset 

has to change as it may not work today or in the future. WWA 


50 | OPINION 

Improvements in system and sensor 

technology ease the pain of change 

By Eric Robinson, Application Development Manager, In-Situ 

Complete water monitoring solutions, 

both inside and outside the fence, 

are poised to undergo dramatic 

simplification with new technology. In the 

past, forcing disparate systems to work 

together has been difficult to say the least. 

Integrating data from SCADA, 4-20 and 

SDI-12 to a unified visualisation system 

has always been challenging for large, wellfunded 

utilities, let alone smaller agencies. 

To meet these challenges, facility staff have 

had to spend an inordinate amount of time 

learning to work with antiquated hardware 

and software just to make sensors integrate 

properly. Proper installation and integration 

have required the expertise of programmers, 

metal workers and technicians, and that’s 

before the sensors are even operational and 

collecting data. 

Nonetheless, integration is a necessity, 

and productivity in facilities has been 

never been higher, as more integrated 

data streams allow for monitoring of 

real-time system performance. Operators 

and technicians can evaluate system 

performance and choose the appropriate 

course of action on the fly. Facility 

management can monitor the success of 

processes and track issues within their 

property, without having to wait for reports 

or call in to operators. In fact, without proper 

sensor arrays of some kind, it is nearly 

impossible to run a modern reclamation 

or drinking water facility. We rely on these 

systems, because without them, what we 

do and the efficiency with which we do it 

wouldn’t be possible. 

Changing sensor configurations or 

manufacturers has also been difficult. 

Technicians know their procedures, whether 

for calibration or operation, and many have 

resisted modifying them. In the past, changes 

to data flows have forced operators to deal 

with numerous parsing issues just to maintain 

current visualisations. And in the unfortunate 

event that a facility’s sensor network has 

relied on a proprietary communication 

protocol, operators may have found that 

modifying systems with third-party sensors 

was simply impossible. Taking the time to 

modify programmes, even if a programmer is 

not required, creates enough hassle around 

facilities that managers may avoid the issue 

entirely and stick with whatever they have 

been doing. Resistance is natural. Technicians 

who’ve taken comfort in established policies 

and procedures may not want to take the time 

to learn something new, even though it might 

benefit them in the end. 

Water & Wastewater Asia • May / June 2019 

With interchangeable sensors, the Aqua TROLL 500 replaces multiple 

instruments and saves time in the field to reduce overall monitoring costs

OPINION | 51 

Thankfully, response to the difficulty of setting 

up and monitoring systems is coming in the 

form of smarter sensors and data transfer 

devices that are substantially easier to 

integrate, install, operate and calibrate. The 

sensor-manufacturing industry has taken 

note of the problems affecting the daily 

work load of operators and technicians and 

made significant strides toward eliminating 

the hurdles that impede productivity and 

efficacy. There is no reason why the systems 

used today can’t be based around the 

needs of systems operators, technicians 

and managers, which is why more operators 

considering an update to pre-existing sensor 

networks or construction of a new facility 

consider system flexibility and ease of use a 

requirement. 

Bryon Symons, of Foth, monitors distant sites remotely with In-Situ’s HydroVu Data Services platform 

In addition to cumbersome system setup, the 

process by which we interface with sensors 

has also been difficult, time consuming, 

and required bulky and expensive ancillary 

hardware. In an age when we can communicate 

with our coffee makers via smart phone, why 

should so called “intelligent” sensors be any 

different? 

Fortunately, as the world has gone mobile, so 

have the sensors we use, though not every 

technician has been exposed to this. In fact, 

today we can interface with modern sensors 

using virtually any mobile device running 

a popular cell phone and tablet operating 

system. This means that a technician can 

access sensor controls, configuration and 

calibration without removing sensors or 

taking a PC into the field to make typical 

changes. Variability of the interface can 

also dramatically increase the technician’s 

productivity in a plant; the system displays the 

required information for each process instead 

of using standard visualisation, which can be 

inefficient at best. 

For all the value modern sensor systems have 

within the fence, it’s the impact they’ve had 

outside the facility that has made the greatest 

difference in many technicians’ workloads. 

Weather-resistant cellular telemetry systems 

that are simple to set up pair seamlessly with 

the current generation of multiparameter 

sensors to offer truly “turn key” packages. 

Much of the resistance to developing 

deployed sensor networks outside the fence 

stems from a concern over assembling 

a group of disparate parts rather than a 

complete system. That’s not a problem these 

days, given that what used to entail building 

a custom power and telemetry station can 

now be managed in a single battery-powered 

device. Today, field monitoring systems can 

comprise only a handful of parts that simply 

interlock to reduce configuration anxiety and 

virtually eliminate the need to write any kind 

of programme. 

Specific changes to dissolved oxygen, 

turbidity and pH sensors have also aided 

technicians in simplifying field deployment. 

The development of optical dissolved oxygen 

and stable pH references dramatically 

changed field deployment, in most cases 

doubling the calibration period of sondes. 

Variations to turbidity sensor technology go 

even further. Drift-resistant sensors, built with 

secondary photocells to manage light source 

degradation, can be installed in the field for, 

in some cases, very extended periods of time 

without the need for calibration. As opposed 

to sending technicians into the field daily or 

weekly for physical samples, or monthly to 

calibrate a deployed sensor, managers can 

now set aside time every two to three months 

for standard field maintenance and calibration. 

This extension of deployment periods can 

dramatically reduce cost and increase staff 

safety by limiting work outside the fence. 

This brings us back to total system integration. 

As sensors designed to be installed in the 

field and in the facility have become more 

advanced, operators’ ability to view reliable 

data across all working sectors has become 

a reality. Data collection is now more reliable, 

and sensors are more resilient than ever. 

The reluctance to change can be significant, 

but the ease of integrating new sensors into 

many existing systems, or designing a new 

system entirely, and the increase in operator 

and technician efficiency make it worth the 

effort. WWA 

Image credits to In-Situ. 

Eric Robinson is 

the application 

development manager 

for surface water at 

In-Situ. For five years 

he managed field 

crews sampling for 

toxic algae blooms in 

coastal Florida, and 

he has worked in the 

water quality industry 

for the past 10 years. 

He holds degrees in 

environmental science and marketing from FGCU 

and USF and is currently enrolled at Johns Hopkins. 


52 | OPINION 

Flood resiliency: How can cities be prepared for an 

increasingly unpredictable future? 

With climate change, flooding has become a serious issue around the world. But with more and 

more people moving to the cities and the metropolises themselves rapidly urbanising, preparations 

for flood resiliency must take priority. 

By Adam Kua, Huilin Yi, Dr Victor Sim 

Looking back, 2018 was a year of due to climate change. 

unprecedented global weather events. 

In Asia, Super Typhoon Mangkhut How do all these impact our lives and the 

brought close to $50 billion in damages to places we call home? How will our cities deal 

Hong Kong and China on top of the $16 to with such uncertainties of the future? Are we 

$20 billion it extracted from 

the Philippines. Extreme 

precipitation-induced 

flooding in Kerala killed 

at least 350 people and 

displaced over 800,000, 

and 2019 started off with a 

historic deep freeze in the 

United States, brought about 

by unusual polar vortex 

formation. 

Climate change has long 

been associated with such 

extreme events and is the 

Super Typhoon Mangkhut making landfall in Hong Kong. 

biggest threat to the planet, 

Image credited to Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg 

as reported by the World 

Economic Forum. Unless 

drastic changes are made to prevent doing enough to overcome the challenges 

global temperatures from rising, it is likely that lie ahead while mitigating risks? The 

such events with continue occurring with field of “Resiliency” attempts to shed 

increased magnitude and frequency. These light on planning ahead for such possible 

events will continue to interact with complex uncertainties of the future. 

systems and eventually set off ripple effects 

of their own. 

From a broader perspective, resiliency 

is defined by the capacity of individuals, 

Over the last two decades, climate-related communities, institutions, businesses, and 

disasters accounted for 91 per cent of all systems within a city to survive, adapt, 

events, with floods topping the list at 43 per and grow no matter what kinds of chronic 

cent, and recent research has also shown stresses and acute shocks they experience. 

that the frequency, intensity, and duration From a flooding perspective, it is about how 

of such disasters will continue to increase cities can plan for a flood-resilient future. 

The recent World Economic Forum 2019 

saw Industrialisation 4.0 taking centre 

stage with a focus on digitisation and 

use of multiple layers of data to generate 

insights and predictions unlike before. 

Such an approach towards 

flood resiliency will transcend 

current approaches that are 

conducted in a siloed and 

non-integrated fashion. 

While embarking on 

digitisation endeavours and 

re-evaluating traditional 

approaches, we should 

not neglect processes that 

have worked brilliantly for 

billions of years – nature. 

By safeguarding natural 

buffers, we can leverage them 

to enhance protective 

functions and confer disaster 

resilience, keeping in line 

with United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction 

Framework. 

Urban planning usually deals with storm 

waters by discharging them into sewers 

as soon as they make landfall, but recent 

unprecedented flooding events across the 

globe with effects exacerbated by both 

climate change and urbanisation have proven 

that such an approach is no longer relevant. 

Instead, a softer approach should be taken 

as opposed to solely upsizing and re-laying 

concrete pipes and sewers for every new 

flooding hotspot. 


OPINION | 53 

Termed as low impact development (LID), 

these flood mitigation measures mimic 

natural processes using solutions such 

as vegetated swales, rain gardens 

and wetlands among others, to absorb, 

infiltrate, diffuse, and convey stormwater 

runoff. Apart from reducing the peak flow 

rate of runoffs, they also improve water 

quality and enhance overall biodiversity 

and aesthetics of its site.Such projects have 

been gaining traction across major cities 

around the world, seamlessly integrating 

in with architectural and landscaping 

elements to create biophilic “Sponge City” 

environments. 

But before these solutions are implemented, 

it is imperative to target existing and 

future flooding hotspots, evaluating the 

effectiveness of deploying a single or 

multiple array of solutions, and quantifying 

the before and after flooding risks to arrive 

at a practical solution. 

Chicago’s “Green Alleys” 

Image credited to Sophie Knight, 100 Resilient Cities 

Such flood risk analysis can be applicable risk map, this enables planners to precisely 

for projects ranging from mid-scale district determine which zones are at risk, evaluate a 

zones to large scale urban planning projects, combination of suitable mitigating solutions 

providing tailor-made flood resilient or re-locate critical zones to less flood-prone 

solutions. A combination of resultant areas, taking guesswork out of the design 

flooding hotspots, water depth indication, and potentially saving many lives. 

and animation of flood water propagation 

interacting with topography and physical Moving forward to a future with an 

obstructions provide for multiple angles of increasingly uncertain climate, there needs 

analysis. 

to be a paradigm shift in the way cities are 

planned and designed, using such flooding 

When capacities of storm sewers, drains, and analysis to provide certainty for our future 

rivers are exceeded during a precipitation cities to become flood resilient. In doing 

event, stormwater runoff will start so, we are not only building cities, but also 

propagating to low lying areas that can be shaping the lives of those people who live 

visualised in a flood propagation animation in them. WWA 

that varies with time. Together with a flood 

On top of quantifying existing and future 

flooding risks and evaluating suitable 

mitigating strategies, digitisation enables 

flood water propagation to be visualised 

throughout every stage to facilitate informed 

decision making. 

Moreover, leveraging a common GIS 

platform that brings together a multitude 

of comprehensive data accurately georeferenced 

to a single point provides the 

basis that makes interaction possible, critical 

for an accurate assessment. 

The authors, from left to right: Adam Kua, Huilin Yi and Dr Victor Sim. 

Image credited to Adam Kua 


DIALOGUE WITH THE WORLD BANK 

GROUP AND IFC 

5 March 2019, WB Auditorium @ MBF Tower 2, Level 12 

NEWSLETTER 

OF THE 

SINGAPORE 

WATER 

ASSOCIATION 

BRINGING 

A NEW VIBRANCY 

TO SINGAPORE’S 

GROWING 

WATER INDUSTRY 

The dialogue session with the World Bank Group and 

IFC was overwhelmed with 60 aendees who gained 

insight for the market requisite, as well as the World 

Banks’s guidelines, criteria and procedures on project 

procurement. 

SWA council member, Mr Dinesh Sharma, gave an 

opening address on Singapore’s water landscape and 

global challenges for clean, sanised and hygienic 

drinking water while Mr Vinod Singh shared his 

perspecves and vision for the Water Sector Industry 

at the panel discussion segment. 

38 TH SINGAPORE WATER INDUSTRY NITE 

7 March 2019, PUB Recreaon Club @ Level 3 

The 38 th SWIN was well-aended by 144 members 

and invited guests. The hosng venue was gracefully 

decorated with blue-lit balloons and drapes shaped 

into waves for a comfortable and relaxing ambience. 

Main sponsor UES Holdings Pte Ltd presented its 

Learning Journey with a demonstraon and video of 

the Stamford Detenon Tank while SWA gave an update 

for its acvies in the first half of 2019, followed by the 

PUB Manpower Study Project Team and i2R@a*star 

presentaons.

MANILA BUSINESS MISSION 2019 

18 to 20 March 2019, Manila, Philippines 

Singapore Water Associaon led eight companies on a three-day mission to Manila from 18 to 20 March 2019, in 

conjuncon with Water Philippines 2019. Delegates visited the Pasay Sewerage Water Plant, met up with government 

officials from Metropolitan Waterworks & Sewerage System and the Department of Trade & Industry, and held B2B 

customised meengs with members of the Philippines Water Works Associaon (PWWA) and EU Business Avenues. 

WATER PHILIPPINES 2019 

20 to 22 March 2019, Manila, Philippines 

Singapore Water Associaon parcipated in Water Philippines with 14 Singapore companies, occupying a total expo 

area of 207sqm at the Singapore Pavilion. Singaporean companies enjoyed an iMAP subsidy of up to 50 per cent 

on booth expo parcipang fees, and registraon was closed with an overwhelming 100 per cent booth sign up 

two months prior to the event. 

TECHNICAL SITE VISIT 

9 April 2019, Stamford Detenon Tank 

Singapore Water Associaon organised a technical site visit for 18 parcipants to the Stamford Detenon Tank (SDT) 

to understand how SDT can temporarily store stormwater from the drains during a heavy rainfall.

UPCOMING SWA ACTIVITIES 

TRAINING COURSES IN Q2 2019 

S/N 

Training Courses 

No. of 

Days 

Dates 

1 

Internet of Things (IoT) and Data Analycs for Industry 2 

9 - 10 

May 

2 Oil Field Water Treatment (NEW) 3 

10 - 12 

July 

3 Membrane Technology (MF/UF/RO/MBR) 4 

23 - 26 

July 

For more informaon, please contact SWA office: Ms Cecilia Tan via email: cecilia@swa.org.sg 

or tel: (65) 6515 0812. 

SINGAPORE PAVILIONS AT OVERSEAS TRADE SHOWS 

THAI WATER 2019 

5 to 8 June 2019, Bangkok, Thailand 

Thai Water 2019 will be held on 5 to 8 June 2019 in Bangkok BITEC, as Thailand’s leading Internaonal Exhibion 

and Conference on Water and Wastewater Technology, organised by UBM Group. The Singapore Pavilion will be 

located near the Entrance of the hall. 

SWA will be managing the Singapore Pavilion with a total expo space of 120spm. Shell Booth rate is $710 per sqm, 

and Singaporean companies are eligible for the iMAP subsidy of up to 50 per cent per sqm on parcipang fees. 

Limited spaces available, please contact rayyek@swa.org.sg for more details. 

LAO WATER 2019 

20 to 22 June 2019, Laos 

In June 2019, SWA will manage eight booths for Lao Water 2019 which is the leading Internaonal water tech show 

in Laos organised by AMB Group. The shell booth rate is aracvely priced at $580 per sqm, with iMAP subsidy of 

up to 50 per cent. Register with jasvinder@swa.org.sg 

INDOWATER 2019 

17 to 19 July 2019, Jakarta, Indonesia 

The biggest and most comprehensive Indo Water exhibion will be held from 17 to 19 July 2019 in Jakarta. The 

Singapore Pavilion at Indo Water has a total expo space of 156sqm, and the Shell Booth rate is $715 per sqm with 

iMAP subsidy support of up to 50 per cent. Register with jasvinder@swa.org.sg.

SWA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS 

(joined from March - April 2019) 

ORDINARY MEMBERS 

CPG Consultants Pte Ltd 

Hydrobiology Singapore 

Samsung C&T Corporaon 

Sibelco Asia Pte Ltd 

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS 

AVK Singapore Pte Ltd 

Aturia Internaonal Pte Ltd 

Energy Renewed Pte Ltd 

Marshall Cavendish Business 

Informaon Pte Ltd 

NM3 Tech (S) Pte Ltd 

EuroTec Water Pte Ltd 

INSTITUITIONAL MEMBER 

Nanyang Environment & 

Water Research Instute 

(NEWRI) 

INDIVIDUAL MEMBER 

Mr. Sharhan Muhseen 

IMAGINE H2O ASIA 

A Path-to-Market for Innovators Solving Southeast Asia’s Water Challenges 

Apply today to Imagine H2O Asia. Imagine H2O Asia is the organisaon's first dedicated hub outside the United States, 

a Singapore-based, regional accelerator and customer validaon programme for emerging water technology startups. 

In collaboraon with Enterprise Singapore and SWA, Imagine H2O Asia will bridge veed start-ups to Southeast 

Asia’s ulies and businesses while supporng local entrepreneurs with the resources to develop their businesses. 

The programme is open to both Singapore-based and internaonal water technology businesses. We encourage 

interested applicants to register today to access the Full Applicaon. Full Applicaon Deadline: May 16, 2019. 

Contact: Kelven Lam (kelven@imagineh2o.org). 

PUBLISH YOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS OR ADVERTISEMENT 

Members, who have any press releases or corporate announcements to share with the public, kindly contact the 

SWA secretariat at enquiry@swa.org.sg. SWA reserves the right to edit the submied text. 

INTERESTED TO JOIN SWA? 

We welcome all organisaons who are acvely involved and interested in the water and wastewater industry to 

join the Singapore Water Associaon as either Ordinary, Associate, Instuonal or Individual members. Sign up at 

www.swa.org.sg/membership/sign-up-online.

58 | SHOW PREVIEW 

Singapore International Water Week 

Spotlight 2019 

The Singapore International Water 

Week (SIWW) Spotlight series are 

exclusive by-invitation events to 

continue the dialogue from SIWW and foster 

ongoing exchanges on pressing challenges 

faced by the water industry worldwide. 

Held from 6-7 June 2019, SIWW Spotlight 

2019 will be focused on industrial water 

solutions and the sharing of best practices 

to reduce businesses’ risks and strengthen 

receptivity on the adoption of reduce, reclaim 

and replace. 

To complete and enrich delegates’ 

experience, specially curated technical site 

visits have been planned. Delegates will be 

able to witness first-hand how companies 

from diverse industries - petrochemicals, 

nutraceuticals and wafer fabrication - have 

set exemplary records in enhancing water 

efficiency. 

The delegates will get to visit Wyeth’s 

Wastewater Treatment and Reclaim Plant, 

Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore and 

Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company. 

Spotlight 2019 will bring together industrial 

water users and their supply chain vendors, 

policy-makers and regulators, as well as 

solution providers to discuss best practices 

to reduce water use, replace with alternative 

water and reclaim used water. The four tracks 

to SIWW Spotlight 2019 include: 

Making Water a Priority in Your Boardroom 

Corporations globally are under pressure 

from governments and the public to reduce 

their consumption of freshwater, reduce water 

pollution and improve water management. In 

this dialogue session, executives from MNCs 

will discuss how water became important 

to their senior management, how improved 

water management is not just for the 

company but also society, as well as the 

best managerial and technological practices 

in lowering water consumption by Reduce, 

Replace and Reclaim. This session invites 

international experiences and discusses 

why water is still not a priority in many 

boardrooms globally and what more can 

be done. 

Framing it Right 

With water being a part of a corporation’s 

DNA and driven by the leadership, the first 

step is to have the right framework and the 

correct tools to determine the existing water 

footprint and the links between water and 

process economics in existing businesses 

and new ventures. This session explores the 

frameworks and useful tools to help make 

decisions and design systems to reduce, 

replace and reclaim water. 

Tapping Technologies 

Technologies to lower industrial water 

consumption are already here. After 

assessing the correct water footprint, the 

next step is to look for the right technological 

solutions to reduce the footprint. This 

session explores successful showcases of 

technologies implemented to reduce, replace 

and reclaim water in factories, and also 

explores new and emerging technologies. 

Valuing the Precious 

Not being able to achieve a sufficient return 

on investment (ROI) on technologies that 

lower water consumption can be a barrier for 

a company to reduce its water risk. This may 

be due to the low price that the company is 

paying for its water and high infrastructure 

costs. This session explores tools to identify, 

measure and value the direct and indirect 

impacts of water to ensure that the ROI of 

such investments are encompassing. 

SIWW Spotlight 2019 is held in partnership 

with the Ecosperity Week. WWA 


SHOW PREVIEW | 59 

Pump & Valves 

Indonesia 2019: 

One of Indonesia’s 

fastest growing 

industries 

The second edition of Pumps & Valves Indonesia will 

take place from 28 to 30 August 2019 

As Indonesia continues to grow 

drastically, the country is seeking 

to support the increasing need 

in productivity, especially in its domestic 

industries; agriculture, food and beverage, 

petroleum and gas, pharmaceutical and 

chemical, palm oil and sugarcane, water 

Industry, maritime and many others. 

The pump and valve sector is among one of 

the many industries, which has supported 

Indonesia’s development. It pushes the 

country’s development and is able to meet the 

rising demands in many industries due to its important role. 

This is reflected in the resounding success of Pump & Valves 

Indonesia 2018 in Jakarta. The show was also held alongside 

INAGRITECH & INAMARINE 2018, and attracted 268 companies 

from across 22 countries. About 7,693 trade attendees from 

over 25 countries graced the exhibition which further proved 

Pump & Valves Indonesia as the ASEAN’s ccomprehensive trade 

show for agriculture, plantation and maritime industries. 

“After taking part in the Pump & Valves Indonesia show, we 

saw a good impact as we’re able to meet old and new customers 

who came to visit. Many did not know the difference between 

fire pumps and water pumps for the agricultural industry,” 

said PT. Wilfina Mulia Tama. 

The second edition of Pumps & Valves Indonesia will take place from 

28 to 30 August, 2019, at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, Indonesia. WWA 

All images are credited to Pump & Valves Indonesia. 

The pump and valve sector is among one of the many industries which has supported 

Indonesia’s development 

PUMP & VALVES 2018 SUCCESS IN NUMBERS 

■ 268 companies from 22 countries 

■ 7,693 trade attendees from over 25 countries 

■ 15,000 sqm total area (Indoor and Outdoor) 

■ 92 per cent of the exhibitors showed great satisfaction 

of joining INAGRITECH 2018 


60 | SHOW REVIEW 

PUB urges Singaporeans to 

“Make Every Drop Count” 

This year’s campaign aims to build a more pervasive water-saving culture in Singapore. 

PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, recently launched 

a newly-refreshed campaign aimed at emphasising the 

importance of water conservation and instilling stronger 

personal responsibility among individuals to save water. A key focus 

of this campaign is to help people better appreciate the effort that goes 

into the water treatment process. 

The need to build a more pervasive water-saving culture in Singapore 

is supported by fi ndings from a recent qualitative study by PUB and 

REACH, which showed a decreasing sense of importance attached 

to water sustainability among younger Singaporeans, especially with 

the perception that water scarcity was a distant concept. The study 

also found that even those who expressed a willingness to conserve 

water found it diffi cult to effectively manage water consumption. 

“MAKE EVERY DROP COUNT” 

PUB’s refreshed campaign kick-started with the opening 

ceremony of Singapore World Water Day 2019, attended by 

President Halimah Yacob and over 3000 participants from schools, 

grassroots, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and corporate 

partners. 

The president was joined by Minister for the Environment and 

Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State for 

Environment and Water Resources Dr Amy Khor, Permanent 

Secretary, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources 

Albert Chua and PUB Chief Executive Ng Joo Hee. 

Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Halimah touched 

on Singapore’s history with water and how the country’s water 

consumption was only expected to increase. 

President Halimah was present at the opening ceremony to share her 

thoughts on water conservation 

“Through hard work, perseverance and ingenuity, we have overcome 

our physical limitation of not having suffi cient land to collect and store 

enough rain water for our use. With the four national taps in place – 

our reservoirs, imported water, NEWater and desalinated water, we 

have been able to supply clean and adequate water for a growing 

nation. 


SHOW REVIEW | 61 

GOBLUE4SG 

The GoBlue4SG movement saw communities 

and businesses rolling out blue retail 

promotions like promotion codes and blue 

products through the month of March in 

support of water conservation. The fi rst-ever 

GoBlue4SG night carnival was also held on 

22 March, where the Marina Barrage was 

transformed into a blue wonderland with bluethemed 

food, drinks and fi reworks. 

President Halimah was joined by ministers and community partners to pledge their commitment to 

saving water. 

In spite of this, water security remains a water, we are also demonstrating a sense 

challenge. While we have diversified sources of responsibility to our environment, and 

of water, imported water is still a major contributing to our vision of becoming a zerowaste 

nation.” 

water source. Meanwhile, with increasing 

demand and economic growth, our total water 

consumption is projected to double by 2060.” This year’s theme of “Make Every Drop 

Count” places emphasis on the making of 

She also introduced PUB’s water water in Singapore – raw water undergoes 

conservation campaign, stressing the need a stringent and complex treatment process 

for the country to embrace the campaign before emerging from taps as clean and safe 

and its activities, “Water conservation goes for direct drinking. 

beyond a mere campaign; it has to be a 

sustained and collaborative effort. I urge Key highlights of the campaign include: 

everyone to embrace this effort, to conserve 

and safeguard our precious water resource SINGAPORE WORLD WATER DAY 

as part of everyday life. By not wasting Singapore World Water Day is a platform to 

rally the community to 

celebrate and conserve 

water. In the month 

of March, over 64 

roadshows at shopping 

centres and community 

events were held 

islandwide to educate 

the public on how to 

save water. Water 

rationing exercises were 

also held in schools to 

inculcate water-saving 

Volunteers explaining water-saving tips to event visitors habits in students. 

Close to 30 buildings and bridges, including 

the National Gallery Singapore, Gardens 

by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands lit up in 

blue as a show of their commitment to water 

conservation. 

The My Take on Water initiative saw local 

shopping belt Orchard Road displaying 

32 artistic expressions of water on its glass 

shards, which were created by a group of 

local community artists who have brought to 

life their personal narratives and memories 

of the Singapore water story. 

W-A-T-E-R 

To make it easier to remember, the PUB has 

rebranded its water-saving tips under a new 

mnemonic: W-A-T-E-R. 

• Wash clothes on full load 

• Always use half-fl ush when possible 

• Turn off shower when soaping 

• Ensure tap is off when brushing teeth 

• Rinse vegetables in container 

“Singapore, tiny but with lots of people, is a 

very water-stressed place. The next drop of 

water, even when we can fi nd it, will always 

cost more to process and to distribute. Water 

is scarce, and it has to go through a lot before 

it is fi t for human use. None of it should go 

to waste. In order that everyone can have 

enough, all of us will have to make every 

single drop count.” Ng explained. WWA 


62 | SHOW REVIEW 

WATER PHILIPPINES 2019 EXPO & CONFERENCE: 

A Hotspot of Technologies, Solutions and Opportunities 

The 5 th staging of Water Philippines Expo 

and Conference successfully wrapped 

up last March 20 – 22, 2019, colocating 

the 2 nd edition of Renewable Energy 

and Energy Efficiency (RE EE) Philippines at 

the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. 

The three-day event gathered over 8,536 

trade visitors and 435 exhibiting companies 

and brands from 36 countries, with a 

strong line-up of state-of-the-art product 

systems and services from different local 

and international companies including 

9 International and Regional Pavilions of 

China, European Union, Korea, Malaysia, 

Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands 

and USA. 

The Opening Ceremony was led by Presidential 

Adviser Atty. Salvador Panelo, who shared the 

government’s action plan of establishing 

a sole department exclusively for Water. 

Chief Administrator Jeci Lapus of Local 

Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) also 

graced the Opening Ceremony during Day 

One of Water Philippines 2019. The Philippine 

Water Works Association (PWWA) also 

expressed their support to Water Philippines 

2019. 

“We hope that everybody shall work together 

and be united in undertaking a task which will 

provide for the services in order to provide 

adequate water to all Filipinos in the light 

of the climate change”, emphasised Atty. 

Vicente Joyas, President of the Philippine 

Water Works Association (PWWA). 

Apart from the bustling exhibition, Water 

Philippines 2019 allowed the attendees 

to exchange knowledge with high-level 

speakers on the theme of “Addressing Climate 

Change Through Resilient, Sustainable 

Water and Sanitation Development”. The 

free-to-attend Expert Dialogue sessions 

entitled “Sustainable Water Services for 

All” and “Towards Efficient Water Resources 

Management” gave access to find solutions 

and hold discussions with water industry 

leaders including the Chief Regulator of 

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage 

System (MWSS) Atty. 

Patrick Ty highlighted: “I would like to 

commend Water Philippines Expo for 

gathering all international and local water 

players to share their technologies, solutions 

and best practices that can potentially help 

us in solving the water challenges that we are 

currently facing.” 

Water Philippines 2019 coincided with World 

Water Day 2019, and was also co-located with 

other specialised events namely Pumps and 

Valves (P&V), Pipes and Tubings (P&T), and 

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RE 

EE) Philippines 2019. It was supported by key 

associations including Philippine Water Works 

Association (PWWA), Philippine Society of 

Sanitary Engineers (PSSE) and Philippine 

Institute and Society of Master Plumbing 

(PISMAP). WWA 


EVENTS CALENDAR 2019 

JANUARY 

WFES Water 

14 to 17 January 

Abu Dhabi, UAE 

https://www.worldfutureenergysummit.com/wfes-water 

InterAqua Tokyo 2019 

30 January to 1 February 

Tokyo, Japan 

https://www.interaqua.jp/eng 

FEBRUARY 

World Water-Tech Innovation Summit 2019 

26 to 27 February 

London, UK 

https://worldwatertechinnovation.com 

MARCH 

Water Philippines 

20 to 22 March 

Metro Manila, Philippines 

https://www.waterphilippinesexpo.com 

APRIL 

Global Water Summit 

8 to 10 April 

London, UK 

http://www.watermeetsmoney.com 

IE expo 

15 to 17 April 

Shanghai, China 

http://www.ie-expo.com 

WQA Convention and Exposition 2019 

23 to 26 April 

Las Vegas, USA 

http://www.wqa.org/convention 

MAY 

OZWATER’19 

7 to 9 May 

Melbourne, Australia 

http://www.ozwater.org 

JUNE 

Aquatech China 2019 

3 to 5 June 

Shanghai, China 

https://www.aquatechtrade.com/china 

Pumps & Valves Asia 2019 


Bangkok, Thailand 

http://www.pumpsandvalves-asia.com 

12 th IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation 

and Reuse 


Berlin, Germany 

http://www.iwa-network.org/events/12th-iwa-internationalconference-on-water-reclamation-and-reuse 

LAOWATER’ 19 


Vientiane, Laos 

http://www.laowater.org 

International Young Water Professionals 


Toronto, Canada 

https://iwa-youngwaterprofessionals.org 

JULY 

Trenchless Asia 2019 

17 to 18 July 

Jakarta, Indonesia 

https://www.trenchlessasia.com 

INDO WATER 2019 

17 to 19 July 


https://www.indowater.com 

VietWater (Hanoi) 2019 

24 to 26 July 

Hanoi, Vietnam 

https://www.vietwater.com/en-us 

AUGUST 

PUMP & VALVE INDONESIA 

28 to 30 August 


https://www.pump-and-valve-indonesia.net 

DANANG WATER’19 

28 to 30 August 

Danang, Vietnam 

http://www.ambtarsus.com/webcast/101218__IntroDanangWATER’19 

SEPTEMBER 

Asian Utility Week 2019 

3 to 5 September 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

http://www.asian-utility-week.com 

CAMWATER’19 

18 to 20 September 

Phnom Penh, Cambodia 

http://www.camwaterexpo.com 

OCTOBER 

Malaysia International Water Convention 2019 

1 to 3 October 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

https://www.miwc.tech 

IDA 2019 Water Congress on Desalination 

20 to 24 October 

Dubai, UAE 

https://wc.idadesal.org 

NOVEMBER 

VietWater (Ho Chi Minh) 2019 

6 to 8 November 

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam 

https://www.vietwater.com/en-us 

MyanWater 2019 

28 to 30 November 

Yangon, Myanmar 

https://www.myanwater.org 

DECEMBER 

IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition 

1 to 5 December 

Colombo, Sri Lanka 

http://www.waterdevelopmentcongress.org 


64 

ADVERTISERS INDEX WATER & WASTEWATER ASIA May / June 2019 

11 Atg UV Technology 

https://atguv.com 

5 CAMWATER 

http://www.camwaterexpo.com 

PABLO SINGAPORE 

Publisher 

William Pang 

williampang@pabloasia.com 

Associate Publisher 

Pamela Buckley 

pamela@pabloasia.com 

OBC 

IFC 

China Lesso Group Holdings Ltd 

http://en.lesso.com 

Grundfos 

https://sg.grundfos.com 

Editor 

Pang Yanrong 

yanrong@pabloasia.com 


Natalie Chew 

natalie@pabloasia.com 

BOUND INSERT 

between 16,17 

63 Harbin Firstline Environment Technology Co., Ltd 

http://www.firstline.com.cn 

25 INDO WATER 2019 Expo & Forum 

https://www.indowater.com 

IBC IWA Water & Development Congress & Exhibition 2019 

https://iwa-network.org 

FC 

7 PUMP & VALVE INDONESIA 2019 

https://www.pump-valve-indonesia.net 

1 Singapore International Water Week 

https://siww.com.sg 

VEGA Instruments (SEA) Pte Ltd 

https://www.vega.com 

Vontron Membrane Technology Co.,Ltd 

http://www.vontron.com 

3 Water & Wastewater Asia 

https://www.waterwasteasia.com 

19 Water & Wastewater Asia - Social Media 

https://www.waterwasteasia.com 


Szeto Hiu Yan 

hiuyan@pabloasia.com 

Contributor 

Sarah Si 

sarahsi@pabloasia.com 

Graphic Designer 

Edwin De Souza 

edwin@pabloasia.com 

Admin & Circulation Manager 

Shu Ai Ling 

circulation@pabloasia.com 

Business Development & Marketing 

YanJun Pang 

yanjun@pabloasia.com 

PABLO BEIJING 

General Manager 

Ellen Gao 

pablobeijing@163.com 

PABLO SHANGHAI 

Editor-in-Chief, 

Chinese Edition 

Wendy Wei 

pabloshanghai@163.net 

Published by 

Pablo Publishing Pte Ltd 

3 Ang Mo Kio Street 62 

#01-23 Link@AMK 

Singapore 569139 

Tel: (65) 6266 5512 

E-mail: info@pabloasia.com 

Website: www.waterwastewaterasia.com 

Company Registration No: 200001473N 

Singapore MICA (P) No: 120/05/2018 

REGIONAL OFFICES (CHINA) 

Pablo BEIJING 

Tel: +86 10 6509 7728 / +86 10 6509 7548 

Fax: +86 10 6509 7719 

Email: pablobeijing@163.com 

Contact: Ellen Gao 

Scan to download 

WWA May/June 2019 eBook 

Pablo SHANGHAI 

Tel: +86 21 5238 9737 

Fax: +86 21 5238 9736 

Email: pabloshanghai@163.net

Water & Wastewater Asia May/June 2019

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?