The importance of regulation in the development of better wastewater engineering practice.
The Thames, which traverses Britain, is the mother river of Britain. Before the 19th century, the Thames River was still clear, but the rise of the Industrial Revolution and the rapid increase in population on both sides of the river made the Thames River quickly become filthy and its water quality seriously deteriorated. In 1878, the cruise ship “Prince Alice” unfortunately sank, killing 640 people（Water technology, 2020）. Subsequent investigation found that most of the victims did not die from drowning, but died from serious river water pollution and poisoning. In the late 1950s, the Thames River’s pollution further deteriorated, and the oxygen content in the water was almost zero. From 1849 to 1954, about 25,000 people died of cholera in the riverfront area. This incident shows that if the government does not pay attention to sewage management, it will produce irreversible results. Below I list some existing problems.
Problems
- Relevant policies and legal systems need to improve
- The main body of operation or supervision of some sewage treatment plants is confused
- The charging and fine system is not perfect
- The investment and financing system needs to be improved
- The supervision system of enterprise pollution, and some industrial enterprises have substandard discharge or even sneak discharge.
In the early 1960s, the British government was determined to fully manage the Thames. The first is to pass legislation to strictly regulate the direct discharge of industrial wastewater and domestic sewage into the Thames. Authorities have also rebuilt and extended London sewers and built more than 450 sewage treatment plants. At present, the domestic sewage along the Thames must be concentrated in the sewage treatment plant before being discharged into the Thames. Sewage treatment costs are included in the residents’ tap water fees. After more than 20 years of remediation, 115 species of fish and 350 species of invertebrates have returned to the Thames（Water technology, 2020）. Below I have listed some solutions to problems
Solve:
- Promote the industrialization and marketization of the waste water industry
- Under the cultivation, guidance and supervision of the government, promote the industrial development of sewage treatment and water reuse
- Strengthen the public’s awareness of participation and supervision
- Set up an environmental protection fund to deal with emergent pollution incidents and the treatment of legacy pollution from abandoned industrial enterprises
Some bad effects
- Inadequate enforcement reduces the deterrence of regulations and policies
Urban sewage treatment work involves multi-departmental coordinated management. There is a lack of information sharing mechanism between departments. In practice, the department that finds problems often does not have law enforcement authority. The procedures for reporting to the law enforcement authority are more complicated, making it difficult to quickly dispose of urban sewage treatment. Violations of laws and regulations in the process.
- The lack of information disclosure and information sharing mechanisms makes it difficult to achieve social supervision
At present, the lack of data sharing mechanism between departments and the poor information collection channels restrict the supervision effect of urban sewage treatment work. At the same time, the government has insufficiently disclosed relevant information on water quality, water volume, cost, price, policies and other related information of urban sewage treatment enterprises. Channels for the public to obtain relevant information have not been established. The public’s right to know, to make suggestions, to participate and to supervise has not been implemented.
What can we do?
The government can set up a special wastewater team and invite government officials, domestic and foreign banks, entrepreneurs and experts from environmental institutions. They could establish a standard and require factories, residents and institutions to control sewage discharge and a pollution monitoring system. Sewage and wastewater treatment plants conduct regular surveys. They also could invest funds to transform equipment for some plants are not up to standard and need to be updated urgently. It should be strictly controlled the discharge of industrial, agricultural, and domestic solid pollutants into the river. The violators will be fined.
Rules, systems and policies play an important role in the wastewater industry. A perfect system and policy will contribute to the healthy development of the waste water engineering. The military’s combat effectiveness comes from iron discipline. The competitiveness of enterprises naturally stems from strict regulations and policies. This is the foundation guarantee for the development of waste water.
Wastewater treatment education
Education is not only for young students, but also for everyone who does not know the harm of sewage. The government can use some TV programs or public service advertisements to inform the people about the harm of wastewater to people and the relevant laws and regulations of wastewater. For workers involved in sewage treatment, the government can use some small tests to inform them of the safety and basic knowledge of wastewater treatment.
Related to SDGs
Good laws and regulations can help us treat sewage while further ensuring our health. SDG6 goals are achieved. Education, as mentioned above, can enrich people’s knowledge related to SDG4. About the Thames River, there are 115 species of fish and 350 species of invertebrates have returned to the Thames so that (SDG14) it save the life below water.
Reference
1 Thames Water Home ‘The sewage treatment process’. Available from:
https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/responsibility/education/the-sewage-treatment-process
Water technology, 2020 ‘Thames Tideway Tunnels Project, London, UK’ Available from:
2 https://www.water-technology.net/projects/thameswater/
3 Water Technology, 2014 ‘Super sewer’ to clean up River Thames in London’ Available from:
https://www.watertechonline.com/home/article/15546320/super-sewer-to-clean-up-river-thames-in-london
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