SWITCH

Need for a paradigm shift. Apart from the more obvious inefficiencies in the conventional urban water cycle (high quality drinking water for all domestic purposes, large quantities of drinking water to transport human excreta, loss of useful chemicals), there are also compelling environmental considerations which plead for a redesign of the cycle. Although the systems of over 100 years ago knew the same inefficiencies, nowadays, due to fast population growth and higher per capita demand, higher industrial consumption and increased chemical load of the waste water, the providing and receiving environments (respectively upstream and downstream) are often not able anymore to ‘naturally’ compensate for the huge abstractions and pollution loads, resulting sometimes in severe ecological damage. The ever increasing costs for drinking water treatment and ‘end-of-pipe’ wastewater management, and the limitations of existing high-technology wastewater treatment systems in removing toxic compounds, xenobiotics and endocrine disruptors is a cause of concern in high-income regions. For low-income regions, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim at a reduction by 50% of the number of people without safe water supply and without appropriate sanitation by the year 2015. The MDGs do not define a specific target for wastewater treatment, but the achievement of a dramatic increase of treatment coverage will be required if we wish to satisfy Goal 7 of the MDGs, which aims “To ensure Environmental Sustainability”. A paradigm shift in the conventional urban water infrastructure is needed, if we wish to achieve a sustainable UWM system, and if we wish to provide safe water, sanitation and wastewater treatment for all.

Research Themes :

Theme 1: Urban Water Paradigm Shift
Theme 2: Stormwater Management
Theme 3: Efficient Water Supply and Use
Theme 4: Waste Water
Theme 5: Urban Water Planning
Theme 6: Governance and Institutions

The ECHO Laboratory is leading for the theme :
1.4 Strategic planning, implementation and performance assessment.
and contribute to the theme :
2.1 Technological options for stormwater control under conditions of uncertainty.