BACTERIAL TECHNOLOGY AS A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO POLLUTED URBANIZED RIVERS AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS IN CHINA

The rapid industrialisation and economy growth in China has also its underpinning problems on ecological sanity. Water quality problems have become the key challenge by water managers, urban planners and decision makers. Traditional treatment methods usually end up introducing other chemicals into water or effluents from wastewater that in the end are not environmentally friendly. The recent call from Climate Change talks on providing environmentally friendly solutions especially in addressing water quality problems have also been a hot issue among scholars and researchers. Population dynamics indicate that there are bound to be more people in urban cities in the future world-wide. This scenario is evident in the large immigration from rural parts of China to urban cities. There is therefore large demand and pressure on urban water sources and wastewater treatment plants to treat polluted systems faster. This research presents the successful implementation of biological treatment method on urbanised rivers and some few selected wastewater systems in China. The results show a fast recovery of highly polluted river systems to support aquatic life and clear effluents from wastewater treatment systems. The resultant low BOD, COD, nutrient concentrations and clear aesthetics recorded towards the end of the treatment process also indicate the feasibility of the method. This paper presents some of the cases of the use of this technology around parts in China. The method proves replicable in most cities and rivers across the world and support current discussion of using green technology for river restoration and wastewater treatment. Scaling up this method for general treatment methods could provide also better options for climate change adaptation for industrialised revolutionised economies worldwide.