Decision making for the integrated prevention and control of pollution of the aquatic environment in urban areas incorporating risk analysis

Description of main activities

The rapid urbanisation being experienced in the majority of cities in the developing countries of the world, coupled with a lack of available resources for investment in measures to control pollution relating to domestic and industrial liquid wastes, has meant that provision has failed to keep up with the growth in requirements. This has caused and continues to cause massive environmental degradation, threatening ecosystems and the health of the inhabitants of these urban areas. Though seldom discussed in the context of clean technology, the management of these wastes is consumptive of energy and materials and relies for its continued operation upon the assimilative capacities of receiving water bodies, and as such is a clean technology issue.

The research will lead to the development of a methodology to support the decision making process used to prioritise investments in systems for the collection and treatment of these wastes, so as to minimise their impact upon the environment, taking a clean technology approach. The flow of information within such dynamic systems is particularly complex, and occurs throughout their life cycles, from planning through operation to their eventual obsolescence. The management of this information is considered particularly pertinent, given the levels of uncertainty and incomplete information anticipated in the urban areas in question, and the use of such technologies as digital libraries and knowledge based expert systems is proposed for this purpose. It is hoped that a decision support system can be developed, and that HR Wallingford's capabilities in environmental modelling can be incorporated together with techniques for risk analysis.

Any other information: Information on the project can soon be found at the website address: http://www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/csx1lm

If you would like to have your project details listed here, please send a similar submission to f.o.odhiambo@lboro.ac.uk

Updated 31/01/03

Maintained by f.o.odhiambo@lboro.ac.uk and j.fisher1@lboro.ac.uk