Australian technology to remove rubbish and other material from waterways was identified on social media in Pakistan.
President of Pakistan Arif Alvi also discussed this technology and called it an “interesting solution”.
"Interesting solution to trap plastic. However, we have to request people too, not to litter, especially with plastic in public places." President Alvi tweeted.
takes a look at how this technology works, cleans the water and helps the environment in Australia.
Technology to clean waterways - The Aussie inventor explains
Anto Pratten is the inventor of the net technology and the nets are commonly called 'Pratten nets' after his name.
He told SBS Urdu that the 'net' traps are basic and low-tech yet effective and clean the water.
“The traps are very simple. What they are doing is trapping the litter such as bottles and plastics, at the outlet of a storm-water that runs off the roads. It also captures leaves and some sediment as well.
“It certainly doesn’t capture everything, but we are trying to do is to reduce the volume of the rubbish flowing into the waterways from the stormwater outlets.
“It is not the total solution but it certainly reduces the massive amount of rubbish going in the seas.
“What people see are the bottles, whereas the rest sinks at the bottom which everyone ignores. Every outlet should have one.”
“Once the rubbish and other material get into water, it is very difficult and expensive to collect and clean it.”
Pratten net installed in a waterway. Source: Supplied
Cleaning waterways in Australia
Hornsby Shire Council in Sydney uses the 'channel nets' to remove the rubbish and waste material from its rainwater.
SBS Urdu spoke to the Hornsby Shire Council Mayor Philip Ruddock, on the significance of such nets to the suburb.
“This is a very unique and special area. It is called the bushland shire for no reason. We are proud of our heritage. We are proud of our treescape. We want to preserve this for the generations to come.
“And part of the environment is our waterways. They carry water off the streets into our creeks, then into Hawkesbury River, then Broken Bay. In other parts of the Shire, it goes into the Barrara waters, or further south into the lane cove river."
In 2017, 17.5 tonnes of material was removed from water in Hornsby Shire Council.
Hornsby Shire Council Mayor Phillip Ruddock Source: SBS
“They [nets] are placed in the water streams where some of the water carry debris. The nets are designed to contain the debris so we can take it away and turn it into compost while the other [debris] we effectively dispose of.
“This is a constant task and we are looking at other areas where we can fence [water] in this way. Much of it has been done but there is a long way to go.”
“They [nets] are placed in the water streams where some of the water carry debris. The nets are designed to contain the debris so we can take it away and turn it into compost while the other [debris] we effectively dispose of." - Hornsby Shire Council Mayor Philip Ruddock
Mayor Ruddock, who has also visited Pakistan in the 1980s, says that everyone has to be careful into what they put into those waterways.
“We are building appropriate infrastructure to gather much of the refuge some of it natural, some of it is the leaves, and I don’t mind that, some of it is of the nature of the substantial concern, many of them are plastics.
“You only have to look at the impact of plastics are having around the world. When so many people rely on fish for their diet, and when you know that our fishing is going to be significantly impacted by plastics that don’t effectively biodegrade, and then something needs to be done about it.”
The local council uses over 400 devices across the shire including pit inserts, channel nets, net-techs, underground vaults, ski-jump devices, pratten nets, sediment basins, wetlands, bioretention basins, litter baskets and trash racks.
Multiple nets are installed together to remove material from the water in Hornsby Council, Sydney. Source: SBS
Clean water in Pakistan is essential to the environment and population health
With the rise in population, the effects of climate change and current water management in Pakistan, the demand for water in Pakistan is expected to cross the water availability in a few decades.
As water security in Pakistan increases with the rise in demand for water, efforts are required at every level to mitigate the challenges and improving the water management in the country.
According to the World Bank's report on , the economic costs to Pakistan from poor water and sanitation, floods, and droughts are conservatively estimated to be 4 per cent of GDP or around US$12 billion per year. These costs are dominated by the costs of poor water supply and sanitation.
“The most important infrastructure gaps are associated with a water supply and sanitation services and irrigation and drainage services. Wastewater treatment infrastructure is woefully inadequate for both urban and rural communities. Treatment capacity is inadequate, and the existing infrastructure is poorly maintained and operated.”
Poor water management coupled with floods and droughts are costing Pakistan $12 billion per year - World Bank
The World Bank also highlights that the waterborne diseases are a leading cause of suffering and death in Pakistan, reflecting widespread contamination of water supplies by sewage effluent.
“Poor water supply, sanitation, and hygiene contribute to high levels of childhood stunting, undermining human capital. Women and children are the most vulnerable, especially in rural areas where sanitation is particularly inadequate, and most water supplies are contaminated. Up to a quarter of the population may be at risk from arsenic contamination of drinking water.”
