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4. RESULTS OF THE SURVEY

Progress in the sustainable development of the region is slow and the introduction of new technologies and economic instruments is not as rapid as the decrease in energy and natural resources usage related to economic decline and recession. These latter economic factors have resulted in a decrease in water use, water losses, and water pollution that of sufficient magnitude to reduce overall consumption to sustainable levels. Thus, the main task is to maintain this level of use until at least the year 2000.

The major causes of water losses in the region include widespread use of potable water (both by households and industry) in inappropriate ways (e.g., about one-half of the 4.3 km3 of drinking water consumed annually in Ukrainian cities is used for non-food needs); leakage during transmission through water mains and losses in the water supply systems; user-related losses and waste (amounting to more than 20% of the potable water delivered to households, and 20% to 30% of the potable water delivered to industry); lack of an economic regulatory mechanism to promote the rational use of limited water resources; poor quality of fixtures, fittings, and pipes; shortages of flow-metering equipment, both in households and in industry (to measure water and wastewater volumes); and, shortages of pressure stabilization devices in the water delivery and distribution systems (both system and terminal pressure stabilizers and regulators).

The major causes of water wastage in industry include use of drinking quality water from municipal water supplies in the production processes, where technical quality water would be adequate and is available in sufficient quantities; lack of coordination by regional authorities to promote more efficient usage of water by industrial facilities; use of direct flow-through cooling equipment; lack of water recycling; discharge of relatively pure industrial water as effluent into the sewerage system; widespread lack of water reuse, such as the use of counter-flow cascade washing technology in the electroplating process and the use gun-type nozzles on industrial sites for washing vehicles, equipment, and premises; lack of economic incentives for workers, engineers, and maintenance personnel to promote the rational use and conservation of drinking water; poor maintenance of on-site water supplies (e.g., absence of regular pipe cleaning to ensure maximal mains capacity, pressure regulation, preventive repair, etc.); and, lack of the reserve accumulation ponds which collect water at night to smooth peak water demand during the day in some large cities, which is especially noticeable during summer water shortages.

It is paradoxical that one of the largest sources of "new" water in the region is the water-pipe networks themselves. In the other words, the detection and minimization of leaks is an extremely important method of freshwater augmentation in the region. For example, in Tirana, where the production of water by the waterworks during 1994 was 54.6 million m3, the total volume of water sold totalled only 21.4 million m3, which implies a loss of the water during transmission of 23.2 million m3, or 61%, of production. Annual transmission losses in Ukraine reach about 0.3 km3, or more than 8% of the municipal water supply. In industry, transmission losses reach 18% to 30% of water drawn from municipal water supplies. In Poland, estimated total water losses in water-pipe networks in selected towns amount to 8 000 m3/ year/km of network, or, for cities with less than 100 000 inhabitants, to 40 dm3/capita/day of water, and, for cities over 100 000 inhabitants, to 100 dm3/capita/day of water. In Latvia, the City of Riga, which has a water supply network extending over 960 km, must renew at least 70 km of the network which are in a very poor condition. The situation is similar in the other cities of Latvia. It should be noted that the oldest networks, built during the four decades from the beginning of the century to about 1940, are in good condition, with few exceptions. These systems were constructed of 300 mm to 800 mm diameter cast iron pipes with an anticipated lifespan of 50 to 90 years. In contrast, the more recent networks, built between 1940 and 1990 with pipes made in Russia are in poor condition. The main reasons for the failure of the more recent networks include us of a limited selection of materials and lack of internal anti-corrosion coatings; poor quality piping; poor construction of, and foundations under, the pipes; damage to joints and connections; insufficient external corrosion protection (cathode defence); and, generally poor maintenance.

The introduction of water meters in the region has provided the impetus to develop new, water saving technologies and maintain the existing ones effectively. Because it is well known that transmission leaks occur in direct proportion to the pressure in water supply and distribution networks, one of the best ways to decrease the numbers of leaks in large municipal or industrial water supply networks is to optimize and reduce or stabilize operating pressures. Reduction of operating pressure variations in the Ukrainian water supply networks could conserve up to 100 million m3/year of drinking water. This saving could be increased further through the development and introduction of new, low flow-low pressure pipe fixtures and fittings, pressure regulators and stabilizers, pipes, and controlled drive pumps, and, additionally, by the use of ultrasound and electronic diagnostic systems within the network to monitor network conditions and locate and isolate leaks or damages for repair.

Table 1 presents a summary of the results of the survey of technologies in the region, and a brief description of each. Detailed information on each of technologies is presented in Part B, Alternative Technologies. These technologies, however, are only a few examples of environmental friendly solutions for maximizing use and augmenting existing freshwater resources. Nowadays it is indispensable to provide a cost effective, efficient solution for water management.

New direction appeared in the region in the waste water treatment. It is the use of cost effective, renewable natural processes (LEMNA technology, wetlands, ponds, etc.). They are simple, with no need of energy supply, reliable. The government have to support the construction of adequate treatment facilities and moreover the preventive techniques, because environmental protection is far behind economical interests. It is necessary to provide soft loans, subventions, tax reductions. And of course the entrepreneurs, companies, plant operators should change their attitudes with environmental protection like in developed countries.

Most technologies can be recommended for application anywhere in the region without restraints. But usage of some technologies especially based on ecological solutions e.g hydrobotanical treatment are more efficient in countries with milder climatic conditions.

Implementation of new, best available technologies is very limited according to limited possibilities of financing from enterprises and municipalities and from State budget too. Therefore the high level demands can be addressed only to the new activities of greatest municipal or private projects, but existing activities or enterprises has not possibilities to choose the best available technology and often are working on available technology.

A new system of planning and promotion for urban water supply development should be developed. It is also necessary to develop "The general scheme for drinking water conservation" that is to reflect the strategy of water resource use in short-term and in long-term perspective (up to 25-50 years). In future it would be advisable to prohibit the use of drinking water for industrial needs, in cases there are resources of purified wastewater or unconventional water supply sources. The prohibition is of prime importance with respect the processes, that consume water irretrievably. In other words it is extremely important to develop a fully free market of water with appropriate economic, legal, and informative instruments in all over the East and Central Europe countries. However, it is a need to create new ethic for sustainable living and to translate its principles into practice within educational ecological campaigns for both, the whole of society and specialists, to augment the resources of water.

Humanity must live within the carrying capacity of the Earth. There is no other rational option in the longer term. We must use the resources of the Earth sustainably, prudently and with full harmony with nature and augment water resources above all by strengtening global as the same as local ecosystem capacity with ecological measures - for instance by beaver reintroduction and by efficient and wiser use of it.

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