Research
Brexit causes water industry doubts municipalities news
DPI Plastics
Martine Goodchild, marketing manager of DPI Plastics.
DPI Plastics to sponsor inaugural AMWN Conference
DPI Plastics will sponsor the inaugural African Marine Waste Network( AMWN) Conference in 2017 as its lead corporate social responsibility( CSR) project.
A leading manufacturer of PVC and HDPE water reticulation and drainage pipe and fitting systems, DPI Plastics is a key supporter of AMWN’ s activities related to reducing marine waste and debris threatening South Africa’ s coastlines and marine life.
The AMWN was launched in July 2016 by the Sustainable Seas Trust( SST), Plastics SA, and other partners in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. The network is the first dedicated approach to addressing marine waste at a pan-African level.
Plastics SA, of which DPI Plastics is a key member, represents all sectors of the South African plastics industry, including polymer producers and importers, converters, machine suppliers, fabricators and recyclers. It plays an active role in growing the industry and addressing all plastics-related issues.
“ Further to our conservation efforts, we are also looking internally at our products and how to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible,” DPI Plastics marketing manager Martine Goodchild says.
This resulted in the manufacturer’ s latest product innovation, Ultrapipe, in which the virgin inner core of a multilayer pipe is replaced with a recycled inner.“ Ultrapipe is a more material-, resource-, and energy-efficient product when compared to its SANS 1601 predecessor,” Goodchild notes. u
Among the issues raised by members of British Water are concerns about funding for infrastructure, investment in research, and environmental regulation, in the aftermath of the vote for the UK to leave the European Union.
The association reveals that the results of a member survey showed many unanswered questions following the result of the vote. The study asked the 185 members of British Water how optimistic they felt about the future, both in terms of their own companies and the water industry as a whole.
Concerning how they expect the result to affect their own business, 42 % were highly optimistic, 20 % were highly pessimistic, and 38 % said it was too early to say. In terms of the future implications for the industry as a whole, only 25 % said they felt very positive about the future, 25 % said they felt very negative, and half of all those who responded said they were uncertain about what would happen after the UK left the European Union. u
29 Asia – Pacific countries lack water security
Asia and the Pacific are a“ global hotspot for water insecurity”— this is according to a report from the Asian Development Bank.
The study of 48 countries’ water security shows an overall improvement in the region; however, the rapid economic growth predicted points to a continuing rise in demand for water. The number of countries categorised as‘ water insecure’ was 29 out of 48( 60 %), compared to 38 out of 49( 78 %) in 2013, the last time such an analysis was produced.
The report uses a five-level national water security index from low to high: hazardous, engaged, capable, effective and model. In this year’ s report, five countries fell into the‘ hazardous’ category: Afghanistan, Kiribati, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Six were classified as‘ effective’: New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Brunei Darussalam, and Hong Kong. None were classified as‘ model’.
Economic growth across Asia and the Pacific is expected to average 5.7 % in the next two years, with water demand growing in step. The region is expected to host 22 mega cities by 2030, and the population is predicted to rise to 5.2 billion by 2050. u
Water Sewage & Effluent November / December 2016 9