Water issues in Kuwait: a future sustainable vision

Kuwait, an arid country, has an acute lack of natural groundwater resources, an increasing demand for water supply, but no clear plan for water management. On this basis, a future water crisis will be inevitable. This paper offers proposals that could lead to the sustainable management of water resources in Kuwait. The objective should be less the increase of supply than the improvement of its reliability and quality. The establishment of a unified water authority is desirable.     

Indoor thermal conditions and thermal comfort in air-conditioned domestic buildings in the dry-desert climate of Kuwait

The summer season in the state of Kuwait is long with a mean daily maximum temperature of 45 °C. Domestic air conditioning is generally deployed from the beginning of April to the end of October. This accounts for around 75% of Kuwaiti electrical power consumption. In terms of energy conservation, increasing the thermostat temperature by 1 °C could save about 10% of space cooling energy 1 and 2. However, knowledge of indoor domestic temperatures and thermal comfort sensations is important to aid future advice formulation and policy-making related to domestic energy consumption. A field study was therefore conducted during the summers of 2006 and 2007 to investigate the indoor climate and occupants' thermal comfort in 25 air-conditioned domestic buildings in Kuwait. The paper presents statistical data about the indoor environmental conditions in Kuwait domestic residences, together with an analysis of domestic-occupant thermal comfort sensations. With respect to the latter, a total of 111 participants provided 111 sets of physical measurements together with subjective information via questionnaires that were used to collect the data. By using linear regression analysis of responses on the ASHRAE-seven-point thermal sensation scale, the neutral operative temperatures based on Actual Mean Vote (AMV) and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) were found to be 25.2 °C and 23.3 °C, respectively, in the summer season. Findings from this study provide information about the indoor domestic thermal environment in Kuwait, together with occupant thermal comfort sensations. This knowledge can contribute towards the development of future energy-related design codes for Kuwait.     

Workers' perceptions and awareness of noise pollution at construction sites in Kuwait

Ample evidence exists that exposure to high noise levels acts as a stressor, which over a long period may result in pathological side-effects. Studies also exist which indicate that the exposure of construction site workers to noise pollution is significantly greater than that of the public at large. Despite the enormous post-invasion growth in the construction of residential projects in the State of Kuwait, no study of construction noise pollution and workers' perceptions and awareness levels of this pervasive urban problem has been performed in Kuwait or in the Middle-East region. This research project has attempted to narrow this information gap. A systematic-randomly selected sample of 26 construction projects were monitored for noise pollution levels. More than 500 workers at the selected sites were also person-surveyed for their perceptions and awareness of construction noise. Although the measured noise levels were frequently and significantly above standard outdoor noise levels (especially the highest 10 percentile level, L ₁₀) during most of the monitoring periods, a large percentage of the surveyed workers – particularly the labourers and those with low education – did not perceive noise as a problem, and were not aware of its impacts. During the 10-month noise measurement period, no one was seen to be equipped with a hearing protection device. A number of recommendations end the article.     

Creating a baseline for labour productivity of reinforced concrete building construction in Kuwait

Despite many technological advances, construction remains a labour intensive industry, and labour productivity remains the industry’s predominant determinant of performance. However, there is a lack of evidence-based labour productivity ‘baselines’ with which researchers or industry practitioners can compare the efficiency of the labour force, and subsequently establish sensible benchmarks. A rigorous approach to determining baselines for labour productivity of in situ reinforced concrete trades for major building elements under normal operating conditions in the State of Kuwait has therefore been developed. The data were collected from 208 in situ reinforced concrete building projects between 2006 and 2013. The intermittent observation data collection technique which requires the researcher to carry out weekly site visits to audit site staff daily records was used. Projects observed included residential, office and commercial buildings ranging from 1000 to 15 000 m² in gross floor area, and US$300 000 to US$21 000 000 in construction cost, located across most major cities and suburbs within the State. For each dataset, the minimum, lower quartile, median, upper quartile and maximum labour productivity values are presented. Whilst the median and inter-quartile range represent the baseline or normal labour productivity range of the related activity, the lower and upper quartiles may be used as benchmarks to identify poor and exceptional performance. Although the metrics are specific to Kuwait, the principles of data collection, analysis and use are generic and could be applied to advantage in other countries.     

A survey of organic contaminants in household and bottled drinking waters in Kuwait

Chemical analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatiles (SVs), including pesticides, was performed on 623 and 568 samples, respectively, of household drinking water, as well as on 113 samples from 71 brands of bottled water available in Kuwaiti markets. The analysis was performed according to United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) Methods 524.2 and 525.2. Nine VOCs and eight SVs were found in household water. Furthermore, between one and seven of 12 VOCs were detected in 93% of the bottled water brands. All bottled waters were found to be completely free of SVs. Styrene was the main pollutant found in all brands packaged in polystyrene containers of sizes 200-mL and 250-mL, with levels generally higher than the WHO guideline value of 20 µg/L. The levels of styrene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes were found to increase with storage time, which indicates that these VOCs were migrating from the container material. No effect was detected due to changes in the storage temperature. All detected VOCs and SVs in household and bottled waters, except styrene, were found at concentrations much lower than those established as safe by WHO guidelines and US-EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), respectively.     

Landscape diversity and land use planning: a case study in Bavaria

A maximum of landscape diversity is to be regarded as a helpful target as well as an analytical tool to detect actual planning deficits. First of all, specific indicators and targets for ecosystem and landscape levels will be defined. Ecosystem types are derived from landscape ecological site conditions, and are combined with the demands of minimal areas related to present and potential ecosystem types.The suitability of management practices for the site conditions, and the requirements mentioned above, will together form the basis on which a target landscape in its pattern, and the management practices suggested can be mapped. In comparison with the present use of the landscape, measures are derived which indicate that the target of a high landscape diversity has real practical meaning: conversion of about 15% of the arable land into forests and grasslands as one result of this study fits into the political and administrative programmes already established. In addition, four modification categories of the actual usage are mapped and described in size and number in this case study. The basic assumptions of this approach will be explained, to provide further working hypotheses for an interdisciplinary and integrative research into landscape ecology in rural landscapes.     

Changes in arable land use in Siberia in the 20th century and their effect on soil degradation

The paper presents issues related to soil degradation in Siberia caused by wind and water erosion, as the effects of changes in the Siberian agriculture in the 20th century. In order to understand the mechanism of changes in land management and their effects, i.e. the rate of erosion in the previous century, the article presents the development of agriculture from prehistoric times to the end of the 20th century. The paper presents the consequences of soil degradation, i.e. loss of surface layers of soil, humic compounds and biogenic compounds, such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The range of erosion is also determined. The paper discusses the causes of the 20th century’s soil degradation, mainly by wind and water erosion; the actual range of erosion in agricultural areas; the importance of erosion effects on the environment and the economy of Siberia. There is reference also to conditions in the European continent as such. There is a need for changes that would stop this negative process. The paper notes some positive changes that have occurred in some Siberian regions, which provide a chance to limit or even eliminate the effects of erosive soil degradation.     

浅谈农村建筑活动对水土资源流失的影响和控制措施

近年来,我国农村建筑活动较以往明显增加,如,村镇水库鱼塘开发、公路建设、企业厂房的建设等等。这些建筑活动带来的水土资源流失问题非常严重。文章针对农村水土流失问题进行分析研究,提出了一些在农村控制水土流失的措施。     

Comparative study of electrochemical degradation and ozonation of nonylphenol

Treatment of solutions of nonylphenol (NP), Triton X-100 (TrX) and phenol in a flow-through undivided EC reactor equipped with a Co(2+)-promoted PbO(2) anode and a stainless steel cathode was accompanied by consistent changes of absorbance, fluorescence and mass spectra of the effluents, and formation of aldehydes ranging from formaldehyde to decyl aldehyde. Deconvolution of the absorbance spectra of EC-treated NP, TrX and phenol and examination of their fluorescence indicated that the compounds are rapidly degraded in the reactor. For NP, the degradation of the target proceeded via the generation (at current densities <25mA/cm(2)) of benzoquinone intermediates that yielded peaks with m/z ratios 223, 227, 235, and 241D in the mass spectra. Their breakdown at current densities >10mA/cm(2) was accompanied by the release of aldehydes that were predominated by acetaldehyde and formaldehyde. The total yield of aldehydes increased with the current density, but their speciation showed little sensitivity to it. Deconvolution of the absorbance spectra of NP solutions subjected to ozonation, and analysis for reaction by-products formed in these conditions showed the reaction pathway in the latter case was likely to be similar to that observed for the EC treatment.     

HPLC/UV analysis of chlorfenapyr residues in cabbage and soil to study the dynamics of different formulations

The chlorfenapyr analysis method of residue, its degradation and final residue in soil and cabbage were studied. Residues of chlorfenapyr were extracted from soil and cabbage with acetone/water, purified by liquid/liquid partition and chromatographic column, concentrated to a small volume, and then determined by HPLC equipped with UV detector. The mean accuracy of analytical method were 93.3% and 90.6% in soil and cabbage, respectively; the precision (repeatability) in cabbage ranging from 1.7% to 11.8%, in soil ranging from 2.8% to 11.2%; the precision (reproducibility) in cabbage ranged from 2.2% to 12.1%, in soil it ranged from 2.4% to 11.5%. The minimum detectable amount of chlorfenapyr was 0.65 ng, the minimum detectable concentration was 0.0162 mg kg-1. The degradation of chlorfenapyr formulations in soil and cabbage was determined. The results showed that chlorfenapyr nanoformulation and suspension concentration degradation in soil coincided with C=0.2538 e-0.1612t, C=0.537 e-0.1754t, respectively; the half-lives were about 4.3 d and 3.9 d, respectively. Two kinds of chlorfenapyr formulation degradation in cabbage coincided with C=4.0431 e-0.3103t, C=6.9611 e-0.2686t respectively; the half-lives were about 2.2 d and 2.6, d, respectively. When chlorfenapyr formulations were applied according to the double recommended dose, the final residues in cabbage were much lower than the USA EPA's maximum residue limit of 1 mg kg-1 in vegetables. The degradation rate of chlorfenapyr nanoformulation was faster than that of suspension concentration, and the former residue was also less in soil. Therefore, a harvest interval should be more than 5 d, and a dosage of 900 mL/hm2 was suggested for chlorfenapyr suspension concentration, which could be considered as safe to human beings and animals. Chlorfenapyr nanoformulation was safer than suspension concentration, its harvest interval and dosage can attain a high level.     

International greenways: a Red River Valley case study

Building and preserving a network of greenways can be an intricate activity requiring interdisciplinary collaboration. Greenway segments often require local input and participation. In addition, greenways are not necessarily generic open spaces, but can be managed structurally to fulfill specific spatial and temporal requirements. This paper describes local activities in the Fargo (North Dakota)-Moorhead (Minnesota) metropolitan area related to preserving and embellishing the greenway focused around the Red River Valley of the North. This greenway is part of a larger Western Hemisphere greenway, composed of riparian corridors operating as wildlife habitat migration flyways and as resident wildlife habitat. Local activities include demonstration gardens, comprehensive corridor planning, habitat analysis, and revegetation studies. From 1985 to 1990, four spatial treatment investigations were completed, one spatial planning study was prepared, and five demonstration gardens were built. The spatial treatment investigations revealed that the wildlife occupying the greenway could be divided into four habitat-use dimensions, suggesting four important habitat associations for the greenway. The study also revealed three distinct vegetation zones for re-establishing herbaceous vegetation in non-wooded planting conditions. In addition, one experiment indicated that replanting the disturbed woodland corridor was not influenced by seedling size and that Fraxinus pennsylvanica seedlings were highly successful at surviving in a gap opening within the forest corridor. In the last experiment, a seeding application rate study indicated that seeding rates three times higher than recommended rates resulted in improved vegetation cover of non-wooded herbaceous vegetation planting sites. The spatial planning study illustrated landscape patterns for the greenway composed of a continuous tree canopy corridor, augmented by herbaceous vegetation patches, food plots, and snags. To build and manage the greenway, this investigation reaffirms the importance of multi-disciplinary collaboration, local participation, and the potential individualistic structure of a greenway. The study suggests that both broad landscape planning visions and detailed site endeavors are necessary to understand and manage the greenway successfully.     

A test house study of pesticides and pesticide degradation products following an indoor application

Preexisting pesticide degradates are a concern for pesticide biomonitoring studies as exposure to them may result in overestimation of pesticide exposure. The purpose of this research was to determine whether there was significant formation and movement, of pesticide degradates over a 5‐week period in a controlled indoor setting after insecticide application. Movement of the pesticides during the study was also evaluated. In a simulated crack and crevice application, commercially available formulations of fipronil, propoxur, cis/trans‐permethrin, and cypermethrin were applied to a series of wooden slats affixed to the wall in one room of an unoccupied test house. Floor surface samples were collected through 35 days post‐application. Concentrations of the pesticides and the following degradates were determined: 2‐iso‐propoxyphenol, cis/trans 3‐(2,2‐dichlorovinyl)‐3‐3‐dimethyl‐(1‐cyclopropane) carboxylic acid, 3‐phenoxybenzoic acid, fipronil sulfone, fipronil sulfide, and fipronil desulfinyl. Deltamethrin, which had never been applied, and chlorpyrifos, which had been applied several years earlier, and their degradation products, cis‐3‐(2,2‐dibromovinyl)‐2,2‐dimethylcyclopropane‐1‐carboxylic acid, and, 3,5,6‐trichloro‐2‐pyridinol, respectively, were also measured. Propoxur was the only insecticide with mass movement away from the application site. There was no measurable formation or movement of the degradates. However, all degradates were present at low levels in the formulated product. These results indicate longitudinal repetitive sampling of indoor degradate levels during short‐term studies, is unnecessary.     

旧机场用地再开发的规划前期研究探析——以武汉王家墩机场为例

1机场外迁背景及其遗留问题分析 随着航空事业的日益发展,机场已成为现代城市的重要组成部分,国外一些大城市如纽约、伦敦。巴黎、莫斯科等．民航机场已多达3-4个。我国机场建设则起步较晚、主要集中于上个世纪的三个发展阶段．是抗战时期,机场建设以军事用途为主;二是建国初期,由于国家建设的需要．各地建设了一批军用、民用及专用机场。     

Mercury in some commercial fish from Kuwait: a pilot study

We investigated the total mercury content in the muscles, liver and gonads of eight commercial fish from Kuwait. Mercury concentrations in the muscle of all the fish were below the action level of 1 microgram g-1 (wet weight) set by the United States Food and Drug Administration. However, large specimens of Epinephelus tauvina (Hamoor) and Lutjanus Coccineus (Hamrah) showed concentrations which were close to the action level. The relationship between mercury concentration and fish age and length was in the form of an exponential correlation (Y = aXb), in which concentration increases with an increase in fish age or length. Correlation coefficients obtained ranged between 0.65 and 0.86.     

Spectroscopic study of degradation products of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and lomefloxacin formed in ozonated wastewater

This study addressed the formation and properties of degradation products of ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and lomefloxacin formed during ozonation of secondary wastewater effluent containing these fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The generation of the degradation products was interpreted in the context of transformations of effluent organic matter (EfOM) tracked via absorbance measurements. The structures of 20 degradation products were elucidated for ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, respectively. 27 degradation products were identified for lomefloxacin. The prevalent oxidation pathways were suggested based on the structures of the identified products formed in the absence and presence of the hydroxyl radical scavenger t-butanol. These pathways were largely similar for all studied fluoroquinolones and involved attacks on the piperazine ring and the quinolone structure. The quinolone ring remained intact in the presence of t-butanol thus indicating that this functional group could only be oxidized by OH radicals while the piperazine ring was readily oxidized by molecular ozone. The cleavage of the quinolone moiety that resulted in several identified degradation products occurred via the attack by hydroxyl radicals on the carbon-carbon double bond adjacent to the carboxylic acid group. Lomefloxacin had more diverse oxidation products due to the presence of a methyl group on its piperazinyl ring. The concentrations of the identified degradation products behaved non-monotonically as a function of ozone dose or treatment time, yet exhibited interpretable correlations versus changes of EfOM absorbance. Examination of these correlations allowed developing a novel approach for elucidating the transformations of fluoroquinolone antibiotics during ozonation.     

Heterogeneous UV/Fenton degradation of TBBPA catalyzed by titanomagnetite: catalyst characterization, performance and degradation products

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a widely used brominated flame retardant, could negatively affect various aspects of mammalian and human physiology, which triggers effective techniques for its removal. In this work, the degradation characteristics of TBBPA in heterogeneous UV/Fenton reaction catalyzed by titanomagnetite (Fe_3−xTi_xO₄) were studied. Batch tests were conducted to evaluate the effects of titanomagnetite dosage, H₂O₂ concentration and titanium content in magnetite on TBBPA degradation. In the system with 0.125 g L⁻¹ of Fe_2.02Ti_0.98O₄ and 10 mmol L⁻¹ of H₂O₂, almost complete degradation of TBBPA (20 mg L⁻¹) was accomplished within 240 min UV irradiation at pH 6.5. The titanium incorporation obviously enhanced the catalytic activity of magnetite. As shown by the XRD and XANES results, titanomagnetite had a spinel structure with Ti⁴⁺ occupying the octahedral sites. On the basis of the degradation products identified by GC-MS, the degradation pathways of TBBPA were proposed. TBBPA possibly underwent the sequential debromination to form TriBBPA, DiBBPA, MonoBBPA and BPA, and β-scission to generate seven brominated compounds. All of these products were finally completely removed from reaction solution. In addition, the reused catalyst Fe_2.02Ti_0.98O₄ still retained the catalytic activity after three cycles, indicating that titanomagnetite had good stability and reusability. These results demonstrated that heterogeneous UV/Fenton reaction catalyzed by titanomagnetite is a promising advanced oxidation technology for the treatment of wastewater containing TBBPA.     

Heavy metals in urban soils: a case study from the city of Palermo (Sicily), Italy

Concentrations of V, Mn, Cd, Zn, Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg and Sb were measured on 70 topsoil samples collected from green areas and parks in the city of Palermo (Sicily) in order to: (1) assess the distribution of these heavy metals in the urban environment; (2) discriminate natural and anthropic contributions; and (3) identify possible sources of pollution. Mineralogy, physico-chemical parameters, and major element contents of the topsoils were determined to highlight the influence of 'natural' features on the heavy metal concentrations and their distribution. Medians of Pb, Zn, Cu and Hg concentrations of the investigated urban soils are 202, 138, 63 and 0.68 mgkg(-1), respectively. These values are higher, in some case by different orders of size, than those of unpolluted soils in Sicily that average 44, 122, 34 and 0.07 mg kg(-1). An ensemble of basic and multivariate statistical analyses (cluster analysis and principal component analysis) was performed to reduce the multidimensional space of variables and samples, thus defining two sets of heavy metals as tracers of natural and anthropic influences. Results demonstrate that Pb, Zn, Cu, Sb and Hg can be inferred to be tracers of anthropic pollution, whereas Mn, Ni, Co, Cr, V and Cd were interpreted to be mainly inherited from parent materials. Maps of pollutant distribution were constructed for the whole urban area pointing to vehicle traffic as the main source of diffuse pollution and also showing the contribution of point sources of pollution to urban topsoils.     

水与绿的灵动--南京文化名园住区规划设计构思

1概况文化名园住区位于南京市江宁区城区中心,距南京主城中心新街口约7km,与城区中美丽的城中湖——百家湖相毗邻。百家湖湖水清澈,岸线曲折,远山近水,风光怡人。作为江宁城区重点开发建设地段,百家湖周边用地经过多年开发建设,已形成了具有滨湖特色的商业文化休闲场所和中高档的住宅社区。而文化名园住区基地正处于被称之为百家湖湖滨最后一块风水宝地的百家湖西南角(图1),约14hm2的建设用地北侧临湖,狭长形的基地沿千米蜿蜒曲折的湖岸向西展开;其间一处突入湖中的用地,三面环水,宛如仙岛。得天独厚的地形条件,有利于住区环境充分利用天然…     

Solubility of uranium and thorium from a healing earth in synthetic gut fluids: A case study for use in dose assessments

The aim of this case study was to estimate the bioaccessibility of uranium (²³⁸U) and thorium (²³²Th) from a healing earth by analysing the solubility of these radionuclides in synthetic gastric and intestinal fluids. An easy applicable in vitro test system was used to investigate the fractional mobilization of the soil contaminants being potentially available for absorption under human in vivo conditions. These findings provided the basis for a prospective dose assessment. The solubility experiments were performed using two different in vitro digestion methods. The concentrations of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in the solutions extracted from the soil were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The dissolved fractions in the synthetic gastrointestinal fluid ranged in average from 10.3% to 13.8% for ²³⁸U and from 0.3% to 1.6% for ²³²Th, respectively, depending on the digestion method. Subsequently, the committed effective doses from intake of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th after ingestion of the healing earth during 1 year were evaluated for adult persons. Thereby ingestion dose coefficients calculated as a function of bioaccessibility were used. The dose assessments ranged between 4.3 × 10⁻⁷-1.9 × 10⁻⁶ Sv y⁻¹ for ²³⁸U and 5.6 × 10⁻⁷-3.3 × 10⁻⁶ Sv y⁻¹ for ²³²Th, respectively. On the basis of the assumptions and estimations made, the present work indicates a relatively low radiation risk due to ²³⁸U and ²³²Th after internal exposure of the healing earth.     

Electrochemical degradation of perchloroethylene in aqueous media: An approach to different strategies

An approaching study to the electrochemical degradation of perchloroethylene (PCE) in water has been carried out using controlled current density degradation electrolyses. The different electrochemical strategies to degrade perchloroethylene in aqueous media (i.e. cathodic, anodic and dual treatments) have been checked using divided and undivided configurations. The influence of the initial concentration, pH and current density on the general behavior of the system has been studied, and special attention was paid to the nature of the byproducts formed and to the analysis of the closed mass balance at the end of the reaction. Results from several analytical techniques have been compared. Undivided configuration provides the best results in these experimental conditions, with degradation percentages higher than 50% and with only 6% of the initial perchloroethylene concentration remaining in the system.