As most of our readers, daily I am inundated with a plethora of emails and e-newsletters on a variety of topics, with by far the vast majority related to the global water and wastewater industry or related issues. I’ve weeded out the stray senders on extraneous topics so not much spam there, thank goodness.
Meanwhile, I scan messages to determine if it’s worthy of posting online at our website or inclusion in the print edition of Water & Wastewater International. We generally give everything one of those two treatments, often both - although I have to admit general product releases are less likely to see the outside of my Outlook folder due to the fact WWI isn’t a product tabloid. Still, with several product spots available in the magazine and eight in each monthly WWI global e-newsletter, we do what we can, particularly if it’s a min-case study of sorts.
I would point out also, since taking over as WWI managing editor, the number of news items posted to our website has quadrupled. Thus, if you don’t find your particular item in print, check at wwinternational.com. It’s more than likely there.
For instance, with massive flooding this summer from central Europe to the U.S. Midwest to China to Nigeria and beyond, we underscored a media blitz by the UK Environment Agency to alert us to the situation in England and Wales, where downpours caused record inundations that displaced tens of thousands. In its show of force, the EA alerts offered often hourly updates as well as advice on water storage, treatment and related health issues, augmented by excellent coverage from the BBC. Still, the EA stressed, while 12 reservoirs were exceptionally high at July’s end, the Lower Thames Group and Farmoor Reservoir remained below normal. This too you could find on our website. In this issue, you’ll also find an excellent article from AMG Ltd., on reservoir aeration to lower treatment requirements later. And our cover image is courtesy of Atkins Ltd., which is updating Defra’s guide to the UK’s 1975 Reservoirs Act.
That said, even with our increased focus on international coverage online, there’s far too much news and information moving its way around the globe on water and wastewater issues for any one website or magazine to encompass all efforts under way to improve access to better water quality and proper sanitation.
Among my favorite e-newsletters are: European Water Management News, from the Netherlands Water Partnership, overseen by the Netherlands Institute for Inland Water Management & Waste Water Treatment (RIZA); and CIWEM e-News, from London’s Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management; and The Source Weekly, from the IRC International Water & Sanitation Centre, The Netherlands. Others may be competitors, some if only indirectly due to limited market segment or regional coverage, such as: EverythingAboutWater E-Newsletter, from EA Water Pvt. Ltd., of New Delhi, India; and Asia Water Wire, from IPS Asia Pacific of Bangkok, Thailand, a unit of Inter Press Service of Rome; and BNAmericas.com, of Santiago, Chile.
I keep an eye on the UN’s (and several of its agencies related to water and development) news webpages, as well as those of the World Health Organization. On a regular basis, I also scan online press releases from various financial institutions such as the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, North American Development Bank, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States. This, of course, isn’t to mention the glut of global, national and regional associations or the multiple government agencies and NGOs that focus on varying aspects of the same subjects.
My point, you ask? We would hope that WWI - in print or online - is at the top of your list of resources for news and information related to the water and wastewater industry, but use all of these tools to assist you in staying at the pinnacle of your professional excellence. Oh, and keep emailing us.
Public water supply reservoir with intake tower on left.
[Source: Environment Agency]
