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Cities As Sustainable Ecosystems (CASE)

Cities are pollution sources and sinks, and people living in them utilize resources and generate waste. Cities also import resources and export pollutants, although these activities have limits. Cities themselves have limited carrying capacities. The infrastructure of a city influences its carrying capacity. If the infrastructure of a city is eroded, it becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to achieve sustainable environmental objectives. 

EMS for Cities and Local Authorities

The first ISO 14000 international standards for environmental management systems (EMS) were released in the fall of 1996 by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to provide organizations around the world with a common framework and guidance for environmental management. By standardizing the approach to environmental management, the ISO 14000 standards are intended to increase confidence amongst stakeholders that organizations have an effective EMS that will improve their environmental performance.

Environmentally Sound Technologies for Wastewater Treatment

Small Wastewater Treatment Systems
Small sewage treatment systems serving communities of a few hundred people often present design and operational problems not encountered with large scale urban projects. Although the general processes used for treatment may be similar, many of the unique problems encountered with small systems are caused by the use of technology unsuitable for the specific wastewater treatment requirements of a particular situation. Plant upsets also occur because of poor operation and maintenance practices.

Water Reclamation and Reuse
Water reclamation and non-potable water reuse only require conventional water and wastewater treatment technology already practiced and readily available in most countries throughout the world. Furthermore, because properly implemented non-potable reuse does not entail significant health risks, it has generally been accepted and endorsed by the public in the urban and agricultural areas where it has been introduced.

Environmentally Sound Technologies for Water Resource Conservation, Groundwater Protection and Remediation

Trenchless Technologies
Conventional open trench methods, while effective, can be costly and disruptive in areas where significant infrastructure already exists, such as buildings and roads. In many cases, trenchless technology systems can provide an innovative, cost-effective alternative. Trenchless technology systems are often used for the installation, replacement and renovation/rehabilitation of underground pipes where personnel entry is not possible. 

New Installations
There are several methods of trenchless construction used to install new pipeline infrastructure. The most common methods are horizontal directional drilling and microtunnelling.

Replacement 
There are a variety of methods for pipe replacement, whereby rigid replacement pipes are pushed through an existing pipe or hole in the ground.

Rehabilitation 
In recent years, rehabilitation of underground pipes by relining the deteriorated host pipe with an inner pipe or lining material has gained acceptance. The most common methods are cured-in-place pipe and fold-and-formed pipe. 

Regional Consultation in the Mekong River Basin Area: In Search of a Mechanism to Identify and Promote ESTs for Freshwater Management 

IETC will soon launch a project that seeks to develop a mechanism for identifying environmentally sound technologies (ESTs), in particular, for water quality management in freshwater resources, and to facilitate their adoption and application with effectiveness on a continuing basis. The Mekong River Basin area will be the staging ground for this search and for two reasons: (1) The Mekong River Basin poses a challenge for environment and sustainable development. The environmental impacts of development tend to have an overarching influence on water quality. The massive infrastructure developments that are in progress and under consideration as well as major expansion of irrigated agriculture have serious potential to further degrade water quality of the Mekong River. And, (2) The politics of water pollution are significant in that downstream nations will require that effective measures be taken in upstream nations so as to ensure an equitable transfer of unpolluted water.

The 2^nd Student Seminar

On 10 December 2000, the 2^nd Student Seminar was held at IETC Shiga Office by the interns in Shiga Office as follow-up of the Seminar held in Osaka Office last year, and 24 students living and/or studying in Shiga, Kyoto and Osaka area participated in it.

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