Stockholm, Sweden -- Professor Asit K. Biswas, a tireless water proponent who constantly challenges the “status quo“ and who helped foster a critical re-think among United Nations agencies, national governments, professional associations and others about how to improve delivery of water and sanitation services and management of our water resources, was today named the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.

Professor Biswas is an Indian-born Canadian citizen and president of the Mexico City-based Third World Centre for Water Management. In its Citation, the Nominating Committee wrote:

Professor Biswas is awarded the Stockholm Water Prize for his outstanding and multi-faceted contributions to global water resource issues, including research, education and awareness, water management, human and international relations in both developed and developing countries. While many highly-qualified experts in aquatic disciplines distinguish themselves as academicians, others as practitioners, others as government advisors, and others as writers and lecturers, Professor Biswas with his wide knowledge is highly recognized in all of these areas and, most importantly, has over a broad front applied his skills internationally, thereby adding new dimensions to the wise use and management of the global water resources.

The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1990 and presented annually to an individual, organization or institution for outstanding water-related activities. The activities can be within fields like education and awareness-raising, human and international relations, research, water management and water-related aid. The Stockholm Water Prize Laureate receives USD 150,000 along with a glass sculpture, which will be presented during the 2006 World Water Week in Stockholm, August 20-26. HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is the Patron of the Stockholm Water Prize.

A Strong Supporter of International Collaboration

While many water experts have through the years contributed highly effective methodologies to the rational use and management of water resources, Professor Asit K. Biswas – as a science-driven water advocate – fostered a new “socio-economic and political climate“ which enabled the effective translation of scientific (both natural and social) and technical advances into meaningful measures. Four of his many achievements exemplify his role as a global facilitator of international platforms where organizations and individuals can take concrete action on water:

As the main scientific advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Water Conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1977, Professor Biswas helped to formulate and promote the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. After approval of this initiative by the UN General Assembly, Professor Biswas advised international and national institutions on how the Decade could be implemented. By all accounts, the Decade significantly improved the lives of millions of people in the developing world.

During it, big strides were made in finding affordable technologies and participatory approaches to help serve those without access to improved water and sanitation services. The Decade also demonstrated conclusively that "business as usual" would never bring improvements quickly enough to cope with the backlog and provide access to growing populations. While conventional wisdom holds that water problems are similar in the developed and developing worlds, and that the same solutions apply, Professor Biswas has always argued otherwise.

Professor Biswas, together with the former UN Undersecretary-General, Dr. Peter Hansen, reviewed the work of all the UN agencies for the Mar del Plata Conference and advised on how the impact of their water-related activities could be maximized. The resulting so-called “Biswas-Hansen“ recommendations influenced the way the UN system has worked with water thereafter.

Professor Biswas chaired the Middle East Water Commission from 1993 to 1997, with the support of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He managed to involve high-level personalities from most countries in the region to review and assess the water problems in the region face to face. The actual treaties on water issues between several countries were based on many of the recommendations of this Commission. In water circles today, many experts counter the argument that water may be a source of conflict in the future with the empirical evidence that it, in fact, promotes collaboration of the kind which Professor Biswas encouraged.

Concerned with the fact that potential water leaders of the next generation are not being heard at major international forums, he initiated a 3-year program with the support of the Nippon Foundation, to select and mentor potential water leaders from all over the world who were below 40 years. The remarkable success of this program is demonstrated by the fact that all the eight potential leaders he mentored now hold very senior positions.

A Man of Many Roles

Many of his additional activities have also resulted in outstanding contributions to solve international and regional water problems. In his multi-faceted roles as a scientist and educator, he has acted as an advisor and confidant to policymakers in water and environmental management in 17 countries, to six heads of the United Nations agencies and to other intergovernmental and international organizations. The Third World Centre for Water Management, a “think tank“ initially set up by Professor Biswas to give independent and authoritative policy and knowledge support to developing countries, also regularly advises many industrialized countries.

Professor Biswas founded the International Journal of Water Resources Development and continued as Editor-in-Chief for the past 21 years. He has been involved in the writing of 64 books, among them Water as a Focus for Regional Development, Integrated Water Resources Management in South and Southeast Asia and Water Institutions: Policies, Performance and Prospects.

Under his leadership, additional books on burning issues are presently in preparation, including Water Management in Mega-cities, Impacts of Large Dams and Poverty Alleviation and Water as a Human Right. He also published over 600 scientific and technical articles (mostly on interdisciplinary topics). Impressively, his work has been translated into 31 languages.

For more information, visit www.siwi.org

Renewable Energy : UL Certifies Capstone MicroTurbines

CHATSWORTH, CA -- Capstone Turbine, the world's leading manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, announced today that its 30- and 65-kilowatt renewable energy systems are the first generators to be classified by Underwriters Laboratories to the UL2200 standards for Stationary Engine Generators, under the new category of Engine Generators Fueled by Biogas or Raw Natural Gas.

These products are additionally Listed to UL1741, the standard for Inverters, Converters, Controllers and Interconnection System Equipment for Use With Distributed Energy Resources. UL1741, which references IEEE 1547 and IEEE 1547.1, is being accepted as the US national utility grid interconnection standard. In 2001, Capstone MicroTurbine(R) systems were the first non-photovoltaic generator to be listed to the UL1741 interconnection safety and operations standard.

"This certification, President Bush's new initiative for grid-interconnected renewable resources and our newly released CR65 biogas-fueled energy system will be yet another major step for us and for the nation's future of clean, renewable energy," said Capstone Turbine Corporation CEO John R. Tucker. "I believe this new certification will encourage operators of landfills, oilfields and wastewater treatment plants to reduce their flaring of these gases into the atmosphere. Instead, those operators can now burn these 'waste' gases in renewable energy generating Capstone MicroTurbines, the first flare-gas-fueled generators that currently meet these UL standards."

The new UL generator category underscores the importance of ensuring public and environmental safety in the use of biogas and raw natural gas renewable fuels that have non-methane content.

"Nearly 15% of the Capstone MicroTurbines sold and shipped worldwide are designated to use commonly flared landfill, sewage, livestock and upstream petroleum gases as a fuel to create renewable energy with extremely low pollutant emissions. In addition, about 25% of our current backlog are for these types of units, so we are seeing greatly increased market interest in our renewable-fueled models," said Tucker. "We've been a trailblazer in this field. This new UL category will complement our products' existing certifications, streamline site-specific grid interconnection issues and further assure regional regulators of our products' safety."

About Capstone Turbine

Capstone Turbine Corporation is the world's leading producer of low-emission microturbine systems, and was the first to market commercially viable microturbine energy products. Capstone Turbine has shipped more than 3,500 Capstone MicroTurbine systems to customers worldwide. These award-winning systems have logged more than 11 million documented runtime operating hours.

Source: www.microturbine.com

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. "Culture that values water" on World Water Day 2006 The American Water Works Association today announced it would join the WHO and water advocates throughout the world in the global celebration of World Water Day 2006.

Franklin Electric to Acquire Little Giant Pump
Franklin Electric Co., Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Little Giant Pump Company.
 

Koch Introduces Inducor Tubular Modules All the benefits of tubular membranes in a smaller package with lower operating costs.

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I will be setting up a WTP in the Yukon with 4 GAC filters to handle up to 150m3/day. We are concerned with selenium levels up to 0.026mg/l and ammonia at 5.0 mg/L, ph is 8 to 8.5 temperature is variable from 1 degree Celsius to 16 degrees Celsius.

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The primary duties of the Water/Wastewater Project Engineer will be to perform complex assignments exercising judgment in evaluation, selection, and modification of standard engineering techniques and procedures. He/she is a fully experienced, competent engineer and may make decisions on significant design and engineering procedures. He/she may function as technical specialist or project manager on mid-size projects but project management is not sole focus of position. He/she may supervise small staff of professionals and technicians.

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This week's photo is of a new sewage treatment plant Sharjah International Airport, UAE, which includes Aquastore tanks.  The blue Aquastore glass-fused-to-steel tanks are found in virtually every segment of the water and wastewater treatment market and offer many advantages.

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