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In Egypt, it has been obvious that most cities suffer from deterioration in all life systems of their built environments. Moreover, what makes the increases the problem is that the gap between theoretical systems and corresponding practical systems in which policies have always emphasized the physical aspects of development which is measured by how many cubic meters of reinforced concrete were poured, without addressing to what extent this development achieves livability with the intention of reaching the quality of life at which the community can live in symbiotic harmony with its urban environment. This paper aims to identify livable urban community principles and demonstrate how the concept of livability can enhance the quality of life in Al-Rehab city as a case study from the Egyptian context. Moreover, this study offers an assessment tool by which urban communities in Egypt could be assessed to figure out the livability situation and give recommendations about further improvements to achieve more livable communities.

Logistical support of troops (forces) during operations (combat actions) involves the creation of a significant number of field storage units and depots for material and technical means, which should store substantial number of supplies. But in modern conditions, these field depots become an attractive target for the enemy since tthey occupy a large area of several square kilometers (i.e., with a low probability of misses during fire attacks), have clear features that do not confuse them with another spatial object. Field depot is also characterized by extremely low mobility – for example the deployment time of field fuels and lubrscants depot with a capacity of 600 cubic meters is about a day (approximately 20 hours). The importance of this problem is known, but in many cases experts build a model of creation and deployment of field depots not taking into account not only progress in the development of weapons, but also changes in the enemy's views on combat operations. The experience of Anti–Terrorist Operation and Joint Forces Operation clearly confirms the abovementioned problem. A representative example of this thesis – The main provisions of the logistics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This document states that it is necessary to provide for the establishment of separate material and technical means storage departments in order to create and disperse material and technical means stocks, bring them closer to the troops (forces), reduce the distance of delivery and increase the efficiency of material and technical means use. But in this formulation, without providing specific recommendations, the norms of the Basic Provisions remain to be only vain wishes. In view of the above, it is concluded that the field depots and storage units for material and technical means reserves should be highly mobile, with a short deployment–folding and loading–unloading time, maximally protected from the enemy, including its subversive-reconnaissance groups, and have high camouflage properties. One of the most appropriate options for solving this problem may be the creation of rolling stock on the basis of a special military train, i.e. equipped in conventional railway carrieage (passenger and freight), tanks and railway platforms.

Os pneus são resíduos sólidos que precisam de uma destinação adequada para evitar danos ambientais e à saúde ou para não servir de criadouros de vetores de doenças tais como a Dengue, a Chikungunha e a Zika. As preocupações com esses tipos de materiais motivaram legislações como CONAMA nº 416/2009, que previne a degradação ambiental ocasionada por pneus inservíveis e que busca a destinação correta, e a Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos, lei 12305, que por sua vigência estabelece a indispensabilidade da estruturação e implementação da logística reversa, além de trazer a responsabilidade compartilhada da cadeia produtiva. Tendo em vista a preocupação com o pós-consumo dos pneus, como a destinação ambientalmente correta, buscou-se analisar como ocorre a logística reversa dos pneus automotivos pós-consumo na cidade de Teresina – PI, por meio de pesquisas de campo nos envolvidos na cadeia, como as borracharias, concessionárias, revendedoras, renovadoras de pneus e empresa de reciclagem. A reforma de pneus, além de ser mais econômica para os consumidores e ecologicamente correta, é uma alternativa aos pneus pós-consumo que apresentam a estrutura adequada a reforma, evitam também que sejam utilizados litros de petróleo, assim como a liberação de CO2. Nas três renovadoras visitadas na cidade de Teresina, deixaram de ser utilizados mensalmente 91.560,0 litros de petróleo com a não liberação de 247.615,09 metros cúbicos de CO2 e a previsão anual de 1.098.720,0 litros de petróleo com 2.971.381,13 metros cúbicos de CO2 não sendo emitidos.

In Egypt, the Agriculture sector consumes about 85.90% of the total actual consumption of water. With population growth, expansion of economic and industrial activities and entry of Egypt into the stage of water poverty, rationalization of the consumption of irrigation water has become an urgent requirement and a key factor in achieving sustainable water development. Although crops may need different water quantities during their growth stages, irrigation canals are constantly supplied with almost the same monthly discharge during periods of peak or minimum requirements. The objective of this study is to activate a new approach for the reasonable management of the irrigation network for the study area. This approach allows the canals network to be supplied with monthly discharges consistent with the actual water consumption of the cultivated plant. Also, it helps in rationalizing consumption during the agricultural season. The new approach was applied to Almanna main canal and its branches which belong to the Assiut governorate in Egypt, as an example of the irrigation system in Egypt. Rotational distribution is practiced at the distributary canal level. The results indicated that applying the new approach on Almanna distributary canals can save a large amount of irrigation water that reaches about 19.375 Million cubic meters monthly, representing 48.68% of all irrigation water given to Almanna distributary canals. Also, the percentage value of the new discharges of Almanna distributary canals, which calculated according to the water needs of crops cultivated in the area, ranged between 32 and 67% of the designed discharges.

A well-known break-even management model, successfully used in a single-item production environment, when applied to a wide range of products, or in conditionsof unstable environment is a huge challenge. The significant efforts that researchers devote to overcoming the problems of applying the break-even management model in various conditions have in recent years diverted their attention from the classical application of the model in single-product areas, which, in particular, includes the justification of the gas price on the Ukrainian gas market. In recent years, in the process of introducing market relations in the energy sector of the Ukrainian economy, in particular, in the field of gas supply, the problem of a systematic increase in gas prices has become aggravated. At the same time, despite repeated demands, the company has not been presented the gas price calculations, and there are no proposals or models regarding pricing in the gas market of Ukraine. Based on the analysis of the break-even management model, the article substantiates the possibility of its application to the conditions of the gas market functioning, taking into account the following features. 1. The volume of provision of gas supply services during certain periods of the year remains practically unchanged, or is most likely known in advance. 2. Given the constant volume of gas consumption in a certain calendar period, there is no need to subdivide the costs in the gas supply system into variable and conditionally constant. 3. Since variable costs are attributed together with fixed costs to total, the unit marginal income from the sale of 1 cubic meter of gas is the difference between the price of gas sales and the cost of gas production or production in Ukraine, or its purchase by import. Based on the adaptation of the model to the conditions of the gas market, the article proposes a methodology for justifying a break-even gas price, as well as profitable prices agreed with consumers that ensure profits in the gas supply sector and the funds necessary to pay subsidies to gas users in the field of public utilities. The introduction of an adapted break-even management model to justify the gas price in the Ukrainian gas market allows obtaining transparent adequate gas prices for each current period of the year, taking into account the initial conditions put forward by the market regulator. The general market price of gas should become a unified basis for determining the income of each participant in the gas market, while their usual expenses can be systematically clarified, as well as the procedure for calculating the mixed or average gas cost based on the cost of the product of its own production or imported.

The water issue has posed a great challenge in the past twenty years in most Arab countries, including Iraq in particular, due to the establishment of many dams by Turkey, which led to a decrease in the annual rate of water resources and non-compliance with international law of trans-boundary water management. The west of Iraq is considered as an arid region and suffers scarcity of rain, which has led to severe drought and seriously affected water resources in terms of quality and quantity. In this study, a numerical model of water resources management for the Euphrates River is applied by using Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP). Anbar Province is selected to apply this model, in order to assess past trends in water resources management and to simulate current demand scenarios which must be known for the decision-makers and water resources managers, namely the reference scenario and the water tax scenario. The results showed that the demand for water in the reference scenario (2040) will be 2819.35 million cubic meters per year while the corresponding demand in the other scenario will be 2639.54 million cubic meters per year, which amounts to 179.81 million cubic meters per year saving that can be exploited.

In modern conditions, the issue of the quality of natural gas, including the development of gas energy measuring instruments, is becoming increasingly relevant. The Law of Ukraine “On the natural gas market” establishes the need for instrumental metering of natural gas “in order to obtain and register reliable information about the volumes and quality of natural gas during its transportation, distribution, supply, storage and consumption”. In accordance with the “Rules of natural gas supply” in force in Ukraine, settlements with consumers for natural gas should be carried out in cubic meters, reduced to standard conditions and expressed in energy units. However, this contradicts the requirement of the “Technical Regulations on measuring instruments”, which state that settlements with consumers should be based on the results of measuring gas volumes read from the indicating device. However, the indicating devices of gas meters that are operated in Ukraine reflect the measured volumes of gas in cubic meters. Currently, the requirements of the above regulatory documents are partially implemented, in particular, in full-scale industry and partly in the municipal sphere, the readings of measuring the volume of gas by the meters are being adjusted depending on the temperature and pressure of the gas. The purpose of this work is to assess the regulatory requirements and technical possibilities of introducing natural gas metering in energy units in Ukraine. It is proposed to use energy conversion devices to determine the energy of natural gas. A methodology has been developed for measuring natural gas energy by indirect methods based on measurements of the consumed gas volumes, air temperature around the gas meter and the results of measuring the calorific value of gas. The assessment of the metrological characteristics of the indirect measurement of natural gas energy has been carried out. Keywords: natural gas; energy; volume conversion device.

Water leakage in the urban water cycle involves relevant economic, social, and environmental negative impacts. Thus, reducing water leakage is a key challenge for both water regulators and water companies. This study estimated the evolution (2007–2015) of the marginal cost of improving the quality of service in terms of water leakage in the Chilean water industry, which involves full private, concessionary, and public water companies. In water companies, management skills and efforts play an important role in meeting water leakage targets. Thus, this study employed a cost frontier model where it was assumed that unobserved management ability interacts with output and water leakage factors. The results reveal high levels of cost efficiency for the average water company. Management increases outputs and reduces water leakage and, thus, has a positive impact on costs and efficiency. The marginal cost of reducing water leakage is higher for the public water company than for private and concessionary water companies. The average estimated marginal cost of reducing water leakage was 0.349 €/m3, which means that a water company has to spend an extra 0.349 € in operating costs to avoid a cubic meter of water leakage. Some policy implications were discussed based on the results of this study.

Annually billions of cubic meters of natural gas are flared around the globe at various oil and gas production sites. Natural gas flaring practices waste valuable energy resources that can be used ...

Irrigation is a well-established procedure on many farms and is practiced around the world. However, typical irrigation systems consume a great amount of conventional energy using electric motors and generators powered by fuel. The cost of solar panels has been continually decreasing, which encourages its usage in various sectors, including agriculture, where irrigation is a crucial economic driver. The study analyzed and compared PV technology against conventional irrigation technology in common crops in Ilocos Sur. Equipment sizes were optimally determined using available irrigation requirements, rainfall data, farm area, and available equipment sizes in Ilocos Sur. Equipment sizing and economic analysis were based on one hectare of land. The cash flow analysis was conducted over an assumed equipment life of 20 years to be able to come up with levelized water pumping costs. Results showed that with typical farmland in Ilocos Sur, the farmland must be alternately planted with rice and corn to be able to be fully utilized all year round. The study showed that the solar pump installation has a heavy upfront investment cost compared to the conventional system. Due to no fuel and little to no maintenance needed, the solar pump turned out to be more economically feasible in the long run. In the 20-year life of both equipment, pumping one cubic meter of water using a solar pump is only PHP 1.35 while for gasoline, it is PHP 5.44 or around four times more expensive based on the prevailing cost at the time of the study.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of local air pollution on housing prices in Lebanon. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply a hedonic pricing approach using a unique data set from Lebanon. To account for non-linearities in pricing, the authors use three different functional regression forms for the hedonic model approach. The authors also deal with potential omitted variable bias by estimating a hedonic frontier specification. Findings The authors find that, in all specifications, air pollution negatively and significantly affects housing prices. The estimated marginal willingness to pay for a one microgram per cubic meter change in particulate matter (PM10) concentration ranges between 2.88% and 3.18% of mean housing prices. The authors also provide evidence of a negative pricing gradient away from the city center, landing support for the monocentric urban development hypothesis. Research limitations/implications Given the lack of a data set linking household socioeconomic characteristics with housing data, the authors only consider the first-stage hedonic model. Practical implications The proposed hedonic pricing regression approximates a housing pricing equation that can be used by policymakers. Social implications The findings suggest that pollution is a significant factor in household behavior in Lebanon. Originality/value This paper adds to the scant literature studying the effects of air pollution on housing prices in developing countries. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to study the impact of pollution on housing prices in a country in the Middle East and North Africa Region.

The objective of the study is to estimate the demand for water from the economic sectors of the state of Paraná and to decompose the results into regional and interregional effects using the interregional input-product system Paraná-Brazil. The methodology is based on the construction of the matrix based on the works of Guilhoto and Sesso filho (2005), Guilhoto and Sesso Filho (2010) and Guilhoto et al. (2010). The water vector was estimated based on Brene et al. (2018). The results show that the sectors with the highest demand for water were Agriculture, Steel and Food Industry. For one million reais of final sector demand, the sectors demand 8.1, respectively; 4.2 and 3.4 billion cubic meters of water per year in full effect (regional and interregional). The sector that presented the highest water multiplier value is the Food Industry, the results showed that for each cubic meter of water used in this sector it is necessary that its production chain uses 322.8 cubic meters of this good (regional and interregional effect). The study advances in relation to the literature with the analysis of the demand for water in the productive chain of the sectors in an analysis of general equipoise.

Dabus sub-basin is one of the main tributaries of Blue Nile with a considerable surface water potential which can be used for hydro power, irrigation, and water supply. Lack of studies regarding surface water potential and demands at the sub-basin level is the reason why this potential was underutilized. The objective of this study is to assess the surface water potential and evaluate the current and future demand by using Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) model at Dabus sub-basin. The model was constructed on four different scenarios starting from the current account (2020) wherein all the data is filled into the model to estimate the surface water potential and demands for different sectors. The scenarios include Scenario 1: reference scenario; Scenario 2: Change in population growth rate; Scenario 3: Irrigation water demand projection; and Scenario 4: Increased domestic water demand. The scenario has helped in analyzing “what if” questions. For all the scenarios the overall demand, coverage and unmet demand were analyzed based on three-time horizon as (2020-2030, 2030-2040, and 2040-2050). The model estimated the average annual flow as 6.536 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) which is generated from annual precipitation of 14.987 BCM. The model showed 100% demand coverage for all the scenarios except the irrigation demand projection scenario which have unmet demand on some of the months of the year.

Rainwater harvesting is adopted to face water scarcity in arid regions. Many studies were developed in Jordan to estimate the potential of water harvesting for several uses. However, the precise estimation of water saving and cost benefits for the potential of rainwater harvesting from the roofs of residential urban areas is insufficient. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of rainwater harvesting from residential rooftops in all the eighty-nine Jordanian districts. The forecast number of buildings was calculated from 2016 to 2025 using building growth rate, where the number of houses and villas was adopted only. The long-term rainfall average from 1937 to 2017 was used. Two scenarios were used to assess the potential of rainwater harvesting; numerical (as scenario 1) and tabulated by plumbing code (as scenario 2) for the years from 2019 to 2025. Also, the growth rate of one cubic meter of water cost was calculated to find the money saving potential for the water companies in Jordan. The results indicated that the water harvesting potential was different between two scenarios in the districts which have annual rainfall more than 100 mm was efficient in scenario 1 compared to scenario 2 with the projected financial return which was increased from $5.4 million at 2019 to reach $33.4 million at 2025, while in the districts which have annual rainfall less than 100 mm was more efficient in scenario 2 compared to scenario 1 with the projected financial return which was increased from $2.4 million at 2019 to reach $14.6 million at 2025.

This study aims to develop optimal crop plans for farmers in Punjab who adopt climate-resilient technologies. In the macro perspective, the optimal crop plan envisages that 7.02 lakh hectares should be under paddy Punjab Rice Varieties (PR VAR) and 4.44 lakh hectares under paddy direct seeded rice. Raising the acreage of maize by 24% will save 3.42 billion cubic metre of water. Strengthening the linkages between research, extension, insurance, and institutional support would improve the capacity of farmers for adopting farm-level climate-smart practices and make the agriculture sector sustainable.

Whereas the irrigation water transmission open channel network in Egypt, is one of the largest and longest networks all over the world that dogged in permeable soil (Its length reaches about 33500 km). In a country that suffers greatly from an increasing shortage of limited available irrigation water quantities, ignoring the expected huge quantities of irrigation water losses through transport operations is a path of madness, to bridge the accelerated gap between what is required, and what is exist. Irrigation water conveyance losses include seepage, evaporation, and transpiration losses. The used data in this research was collected from the field and through the official Ministry of water resources and irrigation authority in Assiut governorate. The analysis of the data proved that, the total loss of irrigation water from Almanna canal and its branches reaches about 16.05 Million cubic meters monthly. The lost water through only seepage reaches about 15.95 Million cubic meters monthly, representing 99% of all lost irrigation water. While, the rate of increase in the evaporation losses at earthen sections more than the designed sections losses can be neglected. Thus, the lining of Almanna canal and its branches is the most effective solution for saving such a huge amount of water, and directed it to irrigate some newly reclaimed areas, in addition, to solve the problems of non-arrival of the irrigation water to the ends of some irrigation canals. At the same time, improving the environmental situation of the surrounding agricultural community.

PurposeThere have been numerous efforts to tackle the problem of accumulated construction and demolition wastes worldwide. In this regard, this study develops a model for identifying the optimum fleet required for waste transportation. The proposed model is validated through a case study from the construction sector in New Cairo, Egypt.Design/methodology/approachVarious fleet combinations are assessed against the time, cost, energy and emissions generated from waste transportation. Genetic algorithm optimization is performed to select the near-optimum solutions. Complex proportional assessment and operational competitiveness rating analysis decision-making techniques are applied to rank Pareto frontier solutions. These rankings are aggregated using an ensemble approach based on the half-quadratic theory. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is implemented to determine the most sensitive attribute.FindingsThe results reveal that the optimum fleet required for construction and demolition wastes (CDW) transportation consists of one wheel loader of bucket capacity 2.5 cubic meters and nine trucks of capacity 22 cubic meters. Furthermore, consensus index and trust level of 0.999 are obtained for the final ranking. This indicates that there is a high level of agreement between the rankings. Moreover, the most sensitive criterion (i.e. energy) is identified using a sensitivity analysis.Originality/valueThis study proposes an efficient and effective construction and demolition waste transportation strategy that will lead to economic gains and protect the environment. It aims to select the optimum fleet required for waste transportation based on economic, social and environmental aspects. The usefulness of this study is establishing a consensual decision through the aggregation of conflicting decision makers' preferences in waste transportation and management.

In the Sri Lankan logistics industry, delivery route planning is a very important and critical task. It requires many skilled labours and is time-consuming as well. The project aims to develop a Dynamic Route Planning (DRP) Algorithm to computerize the task and make it fast and efficient. The system comprises many features, including identifying the fastest route to deliver goods to all the given delivery locations (drop points). It also captures the cargo volume, vehicle capacity and provides an indication of the number of vehicles required to complete the full delivery by running a calculation using the volume of the cargo and truck capacity. The biggest challenge faced in developing the algorithm is calculating the distance among the delivery locations electronically. There are many electronic maps found online but each one has its own drawbacks. Most of the maps do not get an update very frequently, and changes on roads are not available. There are some maps, which are restricted to use in certain countries and not allowed to use worldwide. The algorithm and application what this project expecting to develop must be available to use in any country. Finally, we derived to a point where we can use Google maps which has minimal negative points. This project uses Google Maps as a tool when it is calculating the distances between two points, and inbuilt intelligence of Google Maps to identify the fastest route between two delivery points (drop points). At the beginning of the development of the algorithm, knowledge extracted by studying Dijkstra’s Algorithm, which is used in Google Maps, supported to identify the direction of experiments. There are certain limitations in the use of Google Map APIs. As well as the number of hits made per day in the free version is limited and identifying different graded roads such as “A” & “B” are some of them. Users can upload the details of the cargo and delivery location (drop point) details to the application. The application will then generate the fastest route in a report form or plotted in the map.

The purpose of this work is to determine the optimal conditions for Kiev and the Kiev region, under which the costs of organizing a decentralized underground source of drinking water, including well construction and the use of a local water purification system, will be minimal.The analysis is based on the results of the processing of database monitoring project Ukrainian Water Society WaterNet «Map of water quality", which as of October 2020 there are 54,8 thousand of the results of analyzes of water samples from different water sources in Ukraine, including 24,8 thousand test results groundwater samples Kiev and Kiev region, who regularly carried out during the last ten years.An assessment was made of the capital and operating costs for the organization of a decentralized underground source of drinking water, depending on the depth of the well and the parameters of water quality at a given depth.In Kiev and Kiev region, within the studied depth range (from 5 to 210 meters), the main pollutants are nitrates, hardness salts, iron and manganese.The value of the cost of treated water is in the range from 0.89 to 1.3 USD/m3. The cost of water treatment reaches its maximum values for the surface layers (above 27.5 meters), where the water is polluted with nitrates.It was found that the optimal well drilling depth is 50 ± 5 m, at which the cost of 1 cubic meter of treated water is up to the level of the requirements of the Nation Sanitary Rules and Norms "Hygienic Requirements for Drinking Water Intended for Human Consumption" (GSanPiN 2.2.4-171-10) is 0.89 USD/m3, for water supply with a capacity of 2 m3/day.

As the cleanest fossil fuel in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, natural gas demand is expected to increase rapidly in future due to its important role in the transition of the world energy system. In this case, understanding potential limits to future production of the world’s natural gas resources becomes increasingly important. This paper uses a modified multi-cycle generalized Weng model to forecast the long-term production of natural gas by region, and also globally. Both conventional and unconventional gas production are considered. Our results show that world natural gas production is likely to peak in the range 3.7 to 6.1 trillion cubic meters per year (tcm/y) between 2019 and 2060 depending on assumptions made on the size of the global ultimately recoverable resource (URR) of natural gas. A comparison of this paper’s forecasts with those from the scientific literature and from major energy institutes shows that the projection in this paper’s ‘high scenario’ can be seen as a likely upper-bound on future global natural gas production. To turn this upper-bound projection into reality, great efforts will be needed from the gas industry to discover more conventional and unconventional gas resources, and to make these recoverable.

The current freshwater pricing in Jordan is based on Block Rate tariffs, with a flat rate and fixed price per-block, this pricing system has several drawbacks, including and not limited to the breach of equity principle, and is not progressive enough to penalize irresponsible consumers of water in a dry country like Jordan. This paper proposes an alternative pricing system using fuzzy logic; this system consists of 3 stages, input curves, which are based on the water consumption, output curves, which are based on the water prices per cubic meter, and logical rules to move inference from input to output. Our experimental results, based on simulated water bills, show that the proposed pricing system is flexible, provides fair sale prices to both customers and water suppliers, is more progressive, as it penalizes the larger consumers of water, rewards the smaller consumers of water, and increases the number of happy customers, and consequently, saves water by preventing irresponsible use. Therefore, we recommend the propose pricing system to be used for pricing water in Jordan.

The volumes of the water reservoirs flooded with high-rise hydrotechnical facilities, including high-rise earth dams, often range from several hundreds of millions to tens of billions of cubic meters and even more. The present paper describes the methodology to calculate the social-economic losses for the facilities flooded and destroyed by a tsunami-type wave in case of a possible high-rise hydraulic facility accident.The social-economic damage caused by a dam failure can be viewed as a sum of dam-age caused by human victim, destruction of hydraulic and industrial facilities and agricul-ture, pond economy, forestry and communal services.

Egypt is a country with limited water resources. Egypt water needs are growing rapidly as a result of the population increase, climate change and development activities. The aim of the study is to analyse how Egypt can sustain its mega urban projects by utilizing greywater as a non-conventional water resource. A quantitative-based assessment has been conducted to investigate the overall evaluation of the greywater resources in Egypt. Greywater accounts for between 40 and 80% of the total water discharged from the house, and the total use of water for drinking and health use can be estimated at 10.4 billion cubic meters per year. The results show that the greywater resources may support a sustainable future of non-conventional water resources in a very positive way. Greywater can provide Egypt with about 4.15–8.30 billion cubic meters annually, which is a good support for water resources in Egypt. The paper concluded that greywater is an important resource to facilitate the success of the new mega urban projects. Egypt should maximize the share of greywater resources, especially in its new mega urban projects. Greywater resources can support Egypt and other arid and semiarid regions and countries in transition to a sustainable future.

Water availability is a critical variable for virtually every economic activity, including agriculture and industry, the energy sector and public use. Specifically, Farmers could waste thousands of cubic meters of water daily through Irrigation. This project developed a smart irrigation system capable of making autonomous decision of irrigating the soil with an appropriate amount of water required through monitoring of soil irrigation factors. The soil moisture level and the rainfall status were the soil irrigation factors considered. The threshold values of the irrigation factors required for soil to be irrigated were established. Subsequently, a system was developed to sense the soil irrigation factors and monitor when the threshold values are reached so that necessary information is communicated to switch on or off a water pump designed for irrigation purpose. The system is implemented with a PIC16f876A microcontroller. The results of performance evaluation conducted on the system revealed that the system is able to monitor and estimate the soil irrigation factors with good accuracy. Also, the system is able to start the water pump to irrigate soil and stop it as appropriate depending on whether the soil irrigation factors value indicates need for irrigation or not. Keywords: Irrigation; Autonomous; System; Microcontroller; Threshold.

Oil reservoirs contain significant quantities of methane, which can leak out when the oil is extracted. At oil wells around the world, more than 140 billion cubic meters (bcm) of this methane is burned off (“flared”) every year, transforming it into carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. Just as much gas is released directly (“vented”) as methane, which makes as much as a 16-fold contribution to global warming. Flaring and venting waste 8% of global natural gas production annually, contribute 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions (1), and disperse a range of pollutants that harm human health (2, 3) and local environments (4). Capturing and using this gas would be a prodevelopment (5), cost-effective (6) means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, yet current efforts to curtail the problem are struggling to make headway. To improve antiflaring policies, we need to embrace remote sensing techniques that can detect point source methane emissions, and we need to enact new production taxes designed to counteract the effects of gas infrastructure investment on downstream emissions. Image credit: Shutterstock/Leonid Ikan. In 2015 the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) launched the “Zero Routine Flaring by 2030” initiative (7), which promotes regulations on flaring and, to a lesser degree, the financing of new gas infrastructure. We present evidence that both of these approaches are seriously flawed. The regulatory solutions appear to be mostly ineffective and, we argue, run the risk of being seriously counterproductive. Because flaring is easily detected with high-resolution satellites whereas measurements of venting are either imprecise (conducted with medium-resolution satellites) or prohibitively costly at scale (done with aerial monitoring), restrictions on flaring can push oil producers toward greater venting. Even a small increase in venting would be enough to create a net increase in global warming. Meanwhile, although gas … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: raphael.calel{at}georgetown.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

Background The city of Addis Ababa is under rapid development and there are enormous construction activities along with rapid urbanization, and industrialization. These anthropogenic actions combined with population growth rate are affecting the water demand of the city. The overall purpose of this study is to model water supply and demand of the city and to identify potential water management strategies that supports the sustainable development goal number six (SDG6)—clean water and sanitation. Methods We employed the Water Evaluation and Planning system (WEAP) modelling framework to analyze different scenarios for water demand and supply. The scenarios include population growth, living standard, as well as other supply and demand strategies. Results For the modelling period, the reference scenario shows unmet water demand increases by around 48%, from 208 to 307 million cubic meter in 2015 and 2030 respectively. High population growth rate and high living standard scenarios have a great negative impact on the water supply system. Conclusions Satisfying the future water demand of Addis Ababa will depend on the measures which are taken today. The integrated water management practices such as reuse of water and the selected future scenarios are proposed to decrease and manage the unmet water demand of the city. Hence, future predicted scenarios which is the combination of the external factors (i.e. population growth rate and living standard) and water management strategies were considered. From the analyzed scenarios, optimistic future strategies will support the management of the existing water supply and demand system of the city. Similarly, in the integrated management strategies scenario, it was assumed that measures were taken at both the demand and supply side to improve the efficiency of water in the entire chain. Thus, if the water sector professionals and other concerned bodies consider the selected scenarios, it will go a long way to solve the water shortage problem in the city, and this will also help to promote sustainable water management.

The paper provides generic overview of legal and regulatory framework of radioactive waste management activities held in Russian Federation and national operator responsibilities and accomplishments. It gives a short description of waste classification scheme used and plans for radioactive waste disposal. In particular the paper provides information on the plans of the FEDERAL STATE UNITARY ENTERPRISE “National operator for radioactive waste management” to construct and operate several near-surface disposal facilities for low and intermediate level waste with total capacity up to 550 000 cubic meter. The paper also provides detailed information on the steps of high-level waste disposal program including site-selection, construction phase of the underground research laboratory (URL) near the city of Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk Region and research program after the construction of the URL. The paper also describes Russian system and state policy in the field of RW management and gives recommendations for future implementers.

This article analyzes the operational performance in the logistics chain of maritime transport in Colombia. The research in this article is based on the current situation, the different shortcomings it has and the approach of indicators that allow us to observe differences of interests that exist in decisionmaking between managers and shareholders of an organization which will help improve the innovation process and which in turn leads to the implementation of new programs. In the introduction to this article we talk about the history of Colombia in the logistics process and the economic impact on the country. Let us remember that the maritime fleet is used more than air transport because freight is cheaper, not to mention that the volumes that are handled are higher and the possibility of handling two modalities - consolidated cargo, which means a container with several types of merchandise and will only be charged per ton per cubic meter or the handling of a complete container, which makes this more interesting transport.

Privatization of a public good (the management of sewage treatment centers in Dakar, Senegal) leads to an increase in the productivity of downstream sewage dumping companies and a decrease in downstream prices of the services they provide to households. We use the universe of legal dumping of sanitation waste from May 2009 to May 2018 to show that legal dumping increased substantially following privatization-on average an increase of 74%, or an increase of about 1640 trips to treatment centers each month. This is due to increased productivity of all trucks, not just those associated with the company managing the privatized treatment centers. Household-level survey data shows that downstream prices of legal sanitary dumping decreased by 5% following privatization, and DHS data shows that diarrhea rates among children under five decreased in Dakar relative to secondary cities in Senegal following privatization with no similar effect on respiratory illness as a placebo.

The ejido Cieneguita de la Barranca has an annual possibility of 2,357.50 cubic meters total roll tree (m3RTA) of the genus Pinus, In2019, the community consolidated a contract for the purchase of pinewood with the Munerachi ejido for a volume of 1,319.05 m3RTA. The ejido is part of 87 % of the ejidos and forest communities are dedicated only to the logging timber and their sale in roll, due to this situation. The objective of this research was to determine the feasibility of an investment project of the forestry industry through a comparative analysis of two economic scenarios established by the method of sale of the sawn timber produced. Through the sale of Mill Run sawn timber, the ejido can reach an annual profit of $ 241,325.95 with a Balance Point at 279,965 Thousand produced, however, in terms of their financial indicators, they all turn out to be negative. On the other hand, theclassification of wood would generate profits to the ejido for $ 2,417,010.52 per year with a Recovery Period of 1.12 years and a Balance Point 50.00 Thousand produced, The Net Present Value was estimated at 493,553.58, the Internal Rate of Return is 1.85% higher than the TREMA and finally the Benefit / Cost Ratio is 1.02, this indicates that the project under these conditions is viable.Additionally, it is recommended to analyze the richness of Dasylirion serekefor its subsequent commercialization as non-timber

In 2015, the treated wastewater production was 711 million cubic meters (mm3) per year, in which 511 mm3 was used, while the remaining 200 mm3 was disposed in the sea or wasted in desert areas. By 2030, the projected volume of produced wastewater is about 1400 mm3, each drop of which has to be utilized. This study examined the public attitude toward expansion of treated wastewater reuse in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A multiple-choice questionnaire which covered demographic information, knowledge related to water resources and attitude was prepared and posted online. The answers of 1304 UAE residents (male = 444 and female = 860) were collected, presented and analyzed with the use of T test, one-way ANOVA and Chi-square. Results show that 30% of respondents are aware of the water shortage problem, while the remaining 70% are unaware (30%) or do not know (40%). However, the majority (80%) are taking measures to conserve water and are willing to pay extra fees for having centralized wastewater treatment systems installed where they live. There is a positive attitude toward the use of treated wastewater for some agricultural and industrial purposes. The respondents support the use of treated wastewater for preserving the environment and easing pressure on expensive desalinated water and depleting groundwater. Results also revealed statistical significance toward wastewater reuse based on gender, age, level of education and income. Respondents ranked incentives for reuse of treated wastewater and critics against reuse.

In most countries, the gas sector is one of the sectors that have a significant impact on the state energy security. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and after the changes of communist rule, the Czech Republic as well as Ukraine began their own battle for energy independence. After political and economic revolution, there was a long and difficult journey which had both positive and negative consequences for the development of the countries. Natural gas consumption in Ukraine amounted to almost 114.95 billion cubic meters in 1991, while in the Czech Republic it was near 5.9 billion cubic meters. [2,4] Accordingly, gas consumption per person reached circa 2.2 thousand cubic meters per year in Ukraine, and 0.57 thousand cubic meters per year in the Czech Republic. Currently, Ukraine has a significant advantage in gas reserves and capacity of underground gas storages. According to the official data, the total gas reserves in Ukraine are about 1050 billion cubic meters, while in the Czech Republic only 4.73 billion cubic meters. Keywords: natural gas, energy resources, storage capacity DOI 10.35180/gse-2019-0026

Based on high carbon emissions in recent years (i.e., about 11 metric tons in 2018) per capita in terms of carbon dioxide equivalents, Taiwan has actively development greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction action plans. One of the action plans has been to promote afforestation and reforestation in non-forested lands for carbon sequestration. Thus, this paper aims to address the forest resources in Taiwan by using the latest national survey, reporting on an interactive analysis of forest carbon sequestration, GHG emissions, and climate-change mitigation policies. In this regard, the methodology is based on the official websites of forest resources, GHG emissions, and carbon sequestration from the yearbooks, national statistics, and regulations relevant to the mitigation policies in the forestry sector. It is found that Taiwan&rsquo, s forest area is estimated to be 2.197 million hectares, which corresponds to a total forest stock volume of about 502.0 million cubic meters. During the period of 1990&ndash, 2018, the change in total carbon sequestration did not vary much (with the exception of 2009), decreasing from 23.4 million metric tons in 1990 to 21.4 million metric tons in 2018. Compared to the total carbon dioxide emissions (i.e., 102.4 million metric tons in 1990 and 282.8 million metric tons in 2018), the contribution to GHG mitigation in the forestry sector shows a declining trend. However, biomass (i.e., wood) carbon sequestration indicates a slight increase from 20.4 million metric tons in 2010 to 20.7 million metric tons in 2018 due to the afforestation policy. Obviously, regulatory policies, based on the Forestry Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction &amp, Management Act in 2015, play a vital role in mitigating GHG emissions in Taiwan. The discussion on the regulations is further addressed to highlight climate-change mitigation policies in Taiwan&rsquo, s forestry sector.

The South Asian region harbors one quarter of the world’s human population. Yet, the water availability in the region is not enough to meet the growing demand in recent years. Field observation data on the status of South Asia’s groundwater is unfortunately limited. Therefore, we have used the remote sensing (GRACE) and global hydrological models (Noah from GLDAS) to logically comprehend GW status and climatic patterns. Results show that the rainfall has not decreased from 2002 to 2014. But, there was considerable groundwater storage depletion at the rate of 60 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) yearly. Besides, the annual air temperature raised by 0.2 °C and likewise evapotranspiration and runoff amplified each by 1 BCM. However, there was no considerable decrease in the hydro-climatic factors. In spite of this, the groundwater storage is alarmingly depleting. It indicates the reality of current groundwater over exploitation outweighing natural recharge potential in South Asia. We recommend implementing scientific management strategies to increase groundwater recharge, which is the key to mitigate future climate change consequences in South Asia.

In Egypt, agriculture is shaped by two goals. The first goal is maximum national production per unit area and the second goal is maximum production per cubic meter of water. Therefore, this strategy relates the utilization of national resources, soil and water, and to do this in a proper way we need tools and technologies which will allow to develop these resources in a suitable manner. The design and managing of irrigation systems must have its base in criteria that are relevant, which implies to take into account agronomic, soil, hydraulic, economic, energetic, and environmental factors. The optimal design and managing of irrigation systems at farm level is the first important factor for a rational use of water, economic development of agriculture and its environmental sustainability. Computer simulation models have the potential to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems and thus deliver significant water savings. This can be achieved by optimizing the design and management decisions at the field level. Irrigation simulation models are useful tools both at the design and management stages of irrigation systems. When used for irrigation design purposes, simulation models help to optimize irrigation variables such as field slope, length of the field and the design flow rate...etc. These models can aid the designer in making decisions as to the appropriate values of variables that produce the best performance. This is mostly applicable to newly established fields or when converting from one irrigation system to another. In the majority of the irrigation simulation models currently in use, previous field characteristics are used to optimize future irrigations. However, numerous researchers have established that these characteristics change both with time and space, and hence the accuracy of such models may be affected. Therefore, the aim of this article is to analyse knowledge and investigations that enable to identify the principal criteria and processes that allow improving the design and managing of the irrigation systems, based on using irrigation systems simulation models to develop agriculture more efficient and sustainable, as well as using them as a tool for farmers, researchers, and decision makers.

Groundwater is a strategic resource in all climatic regions of Ethiopia, contributing about 80% of the domestic supply of urban and rural populations. However, little research has been available compared with extensive geographical coverage and increasing population growth rates. Hence, the present study aimed to review published groundwater research of Ethiopian aquifers to realize potential research challenges and suggest future research directions. We focused on groundwater potential, recharge process, and qualities. The total potential groundwater of the country ranges from 2.5 to 47 billion cubic meters. The study depicted that the mean annual recharge estimate varies from 24.9 mm to 457 mm at catchments scales. However, the overall country was about 39.1 mm. The study found a need for a detailed investigation of different factors susceptible to groundwater pollution, as some of the evaluations indicated exceeding acceptable standards. This study observed that the main challenge was the lack of data and convergence research trends. Henceforth, future research in different climate regions should focus on multifaceted technical and stakeholder settings. This study gives the insight to integrate palatable research findings with the national policy and decision-making process to enhance the sustainability of groundwater resources significantly.

The use of energy sources in the world is increasing day by day, especially natural gas, and the Kurdistan Region is a naturally gas-rich region that has a rate of 5.6 trillion cubic meters, which can be a source of income and a role in economic diversity. Gas is a valuable source of electricity production and the resolution of electricity problems in the Kurdistan Region-Iraq. The study was used within the framework of the west's path to access information and research, the method of research, and the method of marketing at the local, regional and global levels. also, by marketing the natural gas of the Kurdistan Region and providing a suitable environment for investment.

This study proposes a large-scale artificial aquifer recharge plan to increase the strategic water reserve to cope with future emergencies. The main aim of the plan is to restore groundwater levels to those of the 1980s through artificial recharge. Desalinated water or highly treated municipal sewage effluent could be artificially recharged into the aquifer to recharge it. Potentiometric surface of aquifers and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis were used to assess change in the groundwater levels between 1980 and 2009. Zones that have experienced considerable decline in groundwater levels from their former “natural” status—when the aquifers were barely exploited, were identified. These zones are considered optimum recharge sites as they could provide ‘natural’ ground storage chosen by nature. Therefore, working with nature (not against it) by re-filling these natural spaces is the optimum approach. The artificial recharge of the main and principal upper aquifer in Qatar (Rus and Um er Radhuma) is targeted and recommended. It is estimated that up to 182.8 Million Cubic Meter (mcm) could be recharged and stored in these proposed zones, to increase the strategic water reserve of the country. This increase would sustain supplies of high quality for up to three months if consumption is maintained at the 2018 level. Moreover, this additional reserve could last for over one year, if emergency measures were put in place—in case of serious water-shortages, and disaster preparedness, for example by reducing the per capita consumption to the global average per capita consumption.

Privatization of a public good (the management of sewage treatment centers in Dakar, Senegal) leads to an increase in the productivity of downstream sewage dumping companies and a decrease in downstream prices of the services they provide to households. We use the universe of legal dumps of sanitation waste from May 2009 to November 2018 to show that legal dumping increased substantially following privatization–on average an increase of 61.7%, or an increase of about 14,000 cubic meters each month. This is due to increased productivity of all trucks, not just those associated with the company managing the treatment centers. Household-level survey data shows that prices of legal sanitary dumping decreased by ten percent following privatization, and DHS data show that diarrhea rates among children under five decreased in Dakar relative to secondary cities in Senegal following privatization with no similar effect on respiratory illness as a placebo.

Many housing estates of social interest have not contributed to implementing leisure areas and reducing their environmental and urban quality. This paper aims to propose a leisure unit using a compensatory urban drainage technique in a housing complex of social interest in the city of São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. The characterization of the area, land use and occupation surveys, area sectorization, and catchment division were carried out. Afterwards, proposals for interventions based on surface runoff were presented using calculations of existing runoff and future scenarios. Results related to environmental and social gains for the area are discussed, as well as the possibility of implementing decentralized compensatory techniques. Moreover, 156 rain gardens and 3 ditches were proposed throughout the subdivisions, which enabled a gain of 989m² of contribution area to infiltrate the whole area, and the use of the retention basin as a leisure area. The total storage volume achieved with the sum of all the techniques implemented was approximately 3,000 cubic meters more than that projected for the existing retention basin. Resumo Muitos conjuntos habitacionais de interesse social não tem contribuído com a implantação de áreas de lazer, e reduzindo sua qualidade ambiental e urbana, portanto, este trabalho tem como objetivo propor uma unidade de lazer em uma técnica compensatória de drenagem urbana em um conjunto habitacional de interesse social na cidade de São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brasil. Foi realizada a caracterização da área, levantamentos do uso e ocupação do solo, setorização de áreas, e divisão por microbacias, e então apresentadas propostas de intervenções baseadas no escoamento superficial, por meio de cálculos do escoamento existente e de cenários futuros. Foi possível discutir os resultados relacionados aos ganhos ambientais e sociais para a área, além da possibilidade de implantar técnicas compensatórias descentralizadas. Foram propostos 156 jardins de chuva e 3 trincheiras em todo o loteamento, o que possibilitou o ganho de 989m² de área de contribuição para a infiltração na área toda, e a utilização da bacia de detenção como área de lazer. O volume total de armazenamento alcançado com a somatória de todas as técnicas implantadas foi cerca de três mil metros cúbicos a mais do que o projetado para a bacia de detenção existente.

After significant rainfall and subsequent surcharge event of March 15-19, 2020, the Collection Systems Group (CSG) for the Trinity River Authority of Texas inspected the external conditions of all of the major interceptor lines in the Central Regional Wastewater System for possible catastrophic line failures. On March 26, CSG staff identified a major pipeline failure on the 104-in. (2,650 mm) diameter pipeline for the West Fork interceptor. The pipeline failed in a section immediately adjacent to and between Interstate Highway 30 (IH-30) and the West Fork of the Trinity River, while the river was in flood stage from the latest significant rain event. The interceptor was conveying over 150 MGD (570,000 cubic meters per second) of wastewater meant for the Central Regional Wastewater System (CRWS) treatment facility, but a portion of the wastewater flow was escaping from the collapsed pipeline in to the river. Once CSG notified the Planning, Design, and Construction Administration (PDCA) team, our on-call emergency construction contractor was contacted and immediately mobilized to begin the process of stopping wastewater leakage and to begin pipeline repairs on the collapsed portion of the pipeline. The solution for the emergency repair was multifaceted beginning with the contractor constructing a massive sandbag wall between the failed pipe and the Trinity River at flood stage to stop wastewater leaking into the river and to keep the river from washing out the pipeline work area. Next, the contractor built a dry, elevated, working surface for excavators to access the pipeline site and to setup of bypass pumps. This work area was cut into the constructed slope of the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) Right-of-Way (ROW). Several attempts were made to quickly repair the pipeline using oversized pipe (110in.) to replace the collapsed and broken pieces of existing pipe. With the still high flows from the recent rain event, this was not possible and that effort was abandoned. It was now obvious that we had to take the next step in elevating the effort, bypass pumping. Immediately bypass pumping operations were initiated. After 20 days of setup and stringing 20-in. HDPE bypass pipe along the Access Road for IH-30, we began pumping. The work concluded with the conclusion of bypass pumping, restoration of normal pipe flow, and streambank restoration along the river. All of the emergency work was performed while adhering to rapidly evolving conditions due to the pandemic without losing one member of the work-force to COVID-19. While the work took place in a difficult to access area during a period of greater than normal rain and a pandemic, the pipeline was put back in to service in less than 3 weeks. This was through communication, cooperation, and coordination from the contractor, engineers, and inspection staff. © 2021 ASCE.

Waste generated in the construction industry is a major environmental problem but its research is rather limited. Thus, this research was conducted to assess the waste disposal practices of construction companies at the Airport Hills and Sakumono areas in Accra, Ghana. These areas were chosen because of the increasing and fast development of housing projects there. A convenience sampling technique was used in choosing the companies to achieve the research goal. Questionnaires and field observations were used to gather information about the construction companies and their waste management practices. Forty construction companies were identified in both study areas. Majority of the companies recorded a total of 60-80 cubic meters of material waste per month. Eleven companies stated amounts of between USD 250 - 350 as cost of material waste management per month. Several reusable materials were identified at construction sites. Twenty-six companies practised sorting and recovery of waste before final disposal. It was revealed that there was no statistically significant relationship between the educational levels of waste management teams of the construction companies and their practice of proper waste management methods. A significant relationship however existed between the educational level of waste management teams and their use of waste management plans. It is recommended that waste management training programmes are developed by the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana for construction companies to curb the problem of poor construction waste management.

The research aims to identify the time stages of the quantity and value of fish production from Lake Burullus fisheries, and to determine the relationship between the quantity of fish production from Lake Burullus as a dependent variable and the following economic variables studied (the value of fish production in million pounds, average wholesale price in thousand pounds per ton, the number of fishing boats in the boat, and the number of Fishermen by fishermen, the amount of wastewater in cubic meters, and finally to identify the most important problems affecting fish production from Lake Burullus in the research area from the viewpoint of the researched fishermen.This research relied on achieving its objectives on descriptive and quantitative economic analysis, where a simple linear regression analysis was used. To estimate the equations of the general time trend of the economic variables associated with the study, the surplus production model of Schaefer was used (1957 Schaefer). Per year, from fishing effort amounted to about 6.32 thousand boats, and the actual production exceeded the permissible production quantity (MSY) during the last years of this period. To study, and that the actual fishing effort exceeds the optimal fishing effort in that lake, which illustrates the extent to which Lake Burullus suffers from the increase in the phenomenon of illegal fishing practices, and then it is expected that the fish stocks of the lake will decrease, which will result in the decline of the lake's fish production in the following years

Remote sensing derived water area and volume have been widely used in large lakes monitoring. The seed point method was used to monitor the water area and volume of Poyang Lake, as an important international wetland and the largest fresh water lake in China, from 2019 to the flood season in 2020 using ZY3, GF-1, GF-3, GF-6, and BJ-2 data. Furthermore, historical water area and water volume changes of Poyang Lake were analyzed utilizing public data set. The results showed that the water area and water volume of Poyang Lake changed significantly in recent sixty years. It also fluctuated violently during the high water and low water seasons from 2019 to 2020. In the past sixty years, the minimum and maximum water area was 1190.73 km2 in 1960 and 31 79.31 km2 in 2019, respectively, and the water volume increased by 1853.62 million cubic meters. The water area difference of Poyang Lake between the high water season and the low water season was more than quadruple, which varied from 3179.21 km2 in the third quarter in 2019 to 674.01 km2 in the first quarter in 2020, and the water volume decreased by 489.95 million cubic meters. The flood in 2020 inundated 7834.15 hectares of planting land, 2300.81 hectares of forest and grass coverage, 906.51 hectares of desert and bare land, 2170.87 hectares of water area, 101.78 hectares of housing construction area, and 73.15 hectares of railway and highway. The relevant results provide a scientific basis for the construction of Poyang Lake ecological economic zone and the ecological protection of Poyang Lake wetland and a decision-making reference for flood control and disaster relief in Poyang Lake area.

This paper reviews the Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation potential and operational costs of twelve existing AMD remediation methods against Class 0 and Class I AMD geochemical characteristics as defined in the Modified Hill Framework. Of the twelve remediation options reviewed in this study, eleven required additional process steps either for further treatment to achieve the discharge limits or for the safe management of hazardous waste by-products. Chemical desalination showed the greatest potential with high quality treated water and operational costs between USD 0.25 and USD 0.75 per cubic meter treated. The management of the toxic metal and sulphide by-products remains a key challenge that requires further research for sustainable mine water remediation. Further development of end-to-end methods suitable for Class 0 AMD with economical operational costs is recommended in order to effectively address the ongoing environmental challenges posed by AMD globally.

The collection, treatment and disposal of wastewater is estimated to consume more than 2% of the world's electrical energy, whilst some wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can account for over 20% of electrical consumption within municipalities. To investigate areas to improve wastewater treatment, international benchmarking on energy (electrical) intensity was conducted with the indicator kWh/m3 and a quality control of secondary treatment or better for ≥95% of treated volume. The core sample included 321 companies from 31 countries, however, to analyse regional differences, 11 countries from an external sample made up of various studies of WWTPs was also used in places. The sample displayed a weak-negative size effect with energy intensity, although Kruskal-Wallace analyses showed there was a significant difference between the size of groups (p-value of 0.015), suggesting that as companies get larger; they consume less electricity per cubic metre of wastewater treated. This relationship was not completely linear, as mid to large companies (10,001–100,000 customers) had the largest average consumption of 0.99 kWh/m3. In the regional analysis, EU states had the largest average kWh/m3 with 1.18, which appeared a result of the higher wastewater effluent standards of the region. This was supported by Denmark being the second largest average consuming country (1.35 kWh/m3), since it has some of strictest effluent standards in the world. Along with energy intensity, the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were calculated enabling the targeting of regions for improvement in response to climate change. Poland had the highest carbon footprint (0.91 kgCO2e/m3) arising from an energy intensity of 0.89 kWh/m3; conversely, a clean electricity grid can affectively mitigate wastewater treatment inefficiencies, exemplified by Norway who emit just 0.013 kgCO2e per cubic meter treated, despite consuming 0.60 kWh/m3. Finally, limitations to available data and the analysis were highlighted from which, it is advised that influent vs. effluent and net energy, as opposed to gross, data be used in future analyses. The large international sample size, energy data with a quality control, GHG analysis, and specific benchmarking recommendations give this study a novelty which could be of use to water industry operators, benchmarking organisations, and regulators.

This paper examines customs control of timber, which is one of the core commodities to exported through borders administered by the Far Eastern Customs Department (FECD). When it comes to the exportation of Cat. 44 commodities under the Foreign Economic Activity Commodity Nomenclature of the Eurasian Economic Union (FEACN EAEU), the most common violation is the failure to duly declare such commodities. Whether such declaration is false or absent, it is always associated with inaccurate or overdue reporting. The emergent shadow trade of timber coupled with unauthorized logging jeopardizes not only the customs, but also the whole economy of Russia. By reporting inaccurate data, declarants cut their costs associated with international trade; they deliberately use inappropriate classification codes to reduce the customs value of the exportables. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment reports that unauthorized logging results in a loss of about one million cubic meters of timber per annum, which means the federal budget has a shortfall of 10 billion rubles. This puts customs under pressure. A better regulatory framework for customs control of timber will help prevent illegal trafficking thereof. The findings of this research lay the foundations for more efficient customs control of exported timbers, both in the FECD-administered area and across Russia. This paper presents an interim study, the results of which could be of use for customs offices, whether in the context of clearance or post-release control.

Collapse of the Fundão tailings dam in November 2015 in Minas Gerais, Brazil, resulted in the release of approximately 36 million cubic meters of primarily clay and fine sand-sized particles to the environment. The spill event extended over 600 km of the Rio Doce catchment and affected terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and compromised socioeconomic activities throughout the watershed. Numerous monitoring programs and research investigations in the catchment since that time contribute to better understanding of the environmental consequences and plans for rehabilitation of the landscape. The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Latin America Geographic Unit hosted the Fundão Dam Rupture Science Meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, in June 2019 to report on the findings from these studies. Fourteen technical papers from that meeting are presented in this Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM) special series. These papers and the technical discussions at the meeting reflect the consensus opinions of scientists who attended the symposium. Delegates generally agreed that society must commit to rehabilitation after disasters based on the best available evidence describing the structure and function of affected ecosystems. Scientists can play a crucial role in prioritizing and facilitating rehabilitation actions, as well as monitoring for progress toward achieving goals. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:569-571. © 2020 SETAC.O colapso da barragem de rejeitos de Fundão em novembro de 2015 em Minas Gerais, Brasil, resultou na liberação de aproximadamente 36 milhões de metros cúbicos de partículas do tamanho de argila e areia fina para o meio ambiente. O derramamento se estendeu por mais de 600 km na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Doce, afetou os ecossistemas terrestres e aquáticos e comprometeu as atividades socioeconômicas em toda a bacia hidrográfica. Numerosos programas de monitoramento e pesquisas na bacia, desde então, contribuem para uma melhor compreensão das consequências ambientais e para os planos de reabilitação da paisagem. A Sociedade de Toxicologia e Química Ambiental (SETAC) da América Latina sediou o Encontro Científico sobre a Ruptura da Barragem do Fundão em Brasília, Brasil, em junho de 2019, para relatar os resultados desses estudos. Quatorze artigos técnicos dessa reunião são apresentados nesta série especial da revista Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (IEAM). Esses artigos e as discussões técnicas do encontro refletem as opiniões consensuais dos cientistas que participaram do simpósio. Os delegados em geral concordaram que a sociedade deve se comprometer com a reabilitação após desastres com base na melhor evidência disponível que descreva a estrutura e a função dos ecossistemas afetados. Os cientistas podem desempenhar um papel crucial na priorização e facilitação de ações de reabilitação, bem como no acompanhamento da evolução do cumprimento das metas. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:569-571.

The haze problem and particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in Northern Thailand caused by climate change is directly impacted and indirectly impacted people. In the area is affected by the haze problem and particulate matter (PM2.5) the climate change is health effects of population, As reported by “Air Quality and Pollution City Ranking” on 12 March 2019 The world air-quality index in Chiang Mai province, as the ‘Rose of the North’ hit top of the scale as the worst polluted city in the world. The air quality index (AQI) hitting a staggering 271 with a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers ranges from 170 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) exceeding the safety standard of 50 µg/m³ or lower. The pollution is nasty in Chiang Mai, North Thailand, therefore it is necessary to create understanding and awareness of the haze problem and particulate matter in Chiang Mai province. This research is conducted by focusing on Mathayomsuksa 1 students include 40 people who are a group of students of Yupparaj Wittayalai School, Chiang Mai province, Thailand by exploring the understanding Organize activities to create awareness and participation in reducing the impact of the haze problem and particulate matter through the system “STEM EDUCATION”. The results of the activity evaluation made it known that students know the effects of haze problem and particulate matter with an average of 4.46 standard deviations equal to 0.59. As for the awareness and participation in reducing the impact of the haze problem and particulate matter through the STEM EDUCATION system, the average value is 3.5, the standard deviation is 0.72. In the overall picture, the mean is 4.18. The standard is 0.65. The level of satisfaction towards training on raising awareness of the haze problem and particulate matter is at a high level. Referring to my previous information, the researcher will develop tools and applications to create awareness and participation in reducing the impact of the haze problem and participate in matter for students in other schools.

In spite of numerous studies on Fe(VI) capacity in treating wastewater, no equations are presented yet for the design of a Fe(VI) treatment facility. In most studies, Fe(VI) has been mentioned as the most effective substance for wastewater treatment; however, none is currently available about the operation costs in treatment facilities. This paper aims to introduce the necessary equations for the design and development of facilities that use Fe(VI) through the electrolysis methods and conduct the necessary calculations regarding its navigation costs. As the first step, a pilot plant test was conducted to find the basic information for municipal wastewater treatment by Fe(VI). Then, all the costs pertaining to electricity, acid and sodium hydroxide used in the treatment process were calculated to evaluate the total navigation costs. Our results indicates that treatment of every cubic meter of municipal wastewater would bear the following costs: US $1.17 for Fe(VI) production, US$ 2.52 for reducing the pH below 2 and US$ 146 for the production of 14 M sodium hydroxide solution. The overall costs for such facility would be equal to US$ 149.7. As it is demonstrated, the generation of 14 M sodium hydroxide solution is the most expensive element in the treatment process. It appears that the aforementioned cost is very high for the municipal treatment facilities; however, it might be appropriate for wastewaters that are resistant to biological methods. Nevertheless, more research is still needed to address this issue.