WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Fresh water is an integral element of everything from crop cultivation to hygiene. With more people going urban in Asia, we have never been thirstier. Join us in our search for water.
Conserving precious water in Dubai
The first illustrates the effectiveness of Hitachi's Water Plant Technologies and why they are most crucial in the harsh desert climate of the Middle East. In Dubai, wastewater from the dormitories of a construction workforce is collected and sent to a membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant, where it is treated and regenerated for industrial use. By tapping less on drinking water and seawater, MBR technology allows us to be less stressful on the environment.
Traditionally in the Middle East, clean water is derived from the desalination of seawater. However, by returning the leftover concentrated seawater to the sea, there is a risk of dramatically increasing the salt level in the surrounding ocean, threatening all marine life. This is of particular concern in the Persian Gulf, where water is confined from the open sea.
Making wastewater useful in Malaysia
The second example is a Corporate Social Responsibility effort in Malaysia, where Hitachi's sewage treatment project is helping to keep pace with the ever-growing population in the capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL). In order to ease stress on the water supply, Hitachi built four sewage plants around KL and another sludge treatment plant in the suburbs. Collectively, these five plants serve approximately one million residents, regenerating over 250,000 cubic metres of water a day.
Hitachi believes that passion for water conservation must come from within, which is why staffs must undergo a yearlong training programme that aims to instil a positive awareness about water by educating on the principles of sewage treatment, facility operation methods and water quality analysis.
Since the quality of water regenerated by a sewage facility fluctuates with the varying conditions in the environment, it is important that proper daily management of operations is ensured.
Creating a more liveable future
Albeit key to the sustainability of our environment, Water Plant Technologies are but a component in Hitachi's plan to create a more liveable future by advocating Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and developing technologies that help conserve precious resources, save energy and make more energy.
