Mott MacDonald Appointed for Shanghai Water Project

Mott MacDonald has been appointed by the Shanghai Water Authority for a project that aims to improve the city’s water quality. Mott MacDonald will be providing technical support for the project, which will also seek to make improvements in terms of supply levels.
The water quality project forms part of a wider urban environment initiative aimed at making improvements to the city of Shanghai. The effort to improve water quality and supply will form the third phase of this project, which has funding from the World Bank.
The primary source of water supply for Shanghai is the Huangpu River. Before it reaches the city, this river flows through a number of other Chinese administrative provinces. Before water from the river enters into the city’s water supply network, the Shanghai Water Authority has to identify any contamination in the river and assess its quality and suitability.
According to Paul Lengthorn, project firector for Mott MacDonald, “This project will make a remarkable contribution to Shanghai’s water operation. Mott MacDonald previously worked on the first two phases of the project which involved the initial set-up of the central water control centre and we’re proud to be involved again. ”
Mott MacDonald, a major engineering consultancy which is headquartered in London but provides its services across the globe, will support the latest phase of Shanghai’s urban environment project in a number of ways. Chiefly, these put the consultancy in a technical advisory capacity. They will carry out an assessment of the Shanghai Water Authority’s current regulations for managing water supply, and aim to propose developments and improvements to this regulation. They will also study the degree and nature of water loss in the system, aiming to prevent water from becoming lost before reaching customers.
The consultancy will also be tasked with development and improvement of the Shanghai Water Authority’s current water reclamation programme. It is hoped that with Mott MacDonald’s help, the city will be able to make use of waste water more productively, efficiently and effectively. This could potentially prove a powerful tool in helping meet Shanghai’s demand for water supply of suitable quality.
As well as these technical tasks, Mott MacDonald will also carry out a risk assessment in relation to the city’s water supply. It is hoped that this will help to improve the safety and security of Shanghai’s water provision network. The assessment will comprise a study of strategic planning for water resources, training in emergency planning for staff working in the water supply network, and vulnerability assessment in relation to utility companies providing water to homes and businesses in the city. “Following our studies and findings we will propose the policy, measures and suggestions necessary for the sustainable development of Shanghai’s water resource utilisation.”
Author: Matthew Scott