China can offer its expertise in water conservancy and treatment

Editor's note: This article is part of the Preview Policy Report for the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, to be published by China Watch, China Daily's think tank.

When you think of Africa, the manifold wonders of nature and its captivating landscapes come to mind.However, with rapid population growth and the acceleration of urbanization, Africa's ecology is under threat. In particular, thewater resources and environment are under severe stress due to human activities, and many countries face serious problems such as shortages and worsening pollution.

To address such crises requires sufficient capacity intechnologyand economy. Developed countries have advanced technology in some aspects, but the high price makes it prohibitive. In China, mature cost-effective water treatment products and technologieshave been developed, which arein a good position to offer solutions to improve people's health and quality of lifein Africa. At the same time, it can also help to promote domestic technology and equipment localization in Africa.

Over the past 15 years, I have made more than 50 trips to the continent to help local engineers learn and useChina's water treatment technologies, especially in the communities. Withsupportfrom the UNEnvironmentand ChineseMinistry of Science and Technology, I ledteamsto Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Morocco, Sudan, Uganda and other African countries forsurveysof water resources and water treatment demonstrations. From the Nile and Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria river basins, we sampledwater to test for reagents,make fieldvisits towater factories, established longstanding partnershipswith the UN Environmentand the UN-Habitatas well as governments, universities and businesses in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.

The Nairobi water quality improvement projectis an example of good progress. The Ngethu Water Treatment Plant, which processes 400,000 tons of water a day, is the largest waterworksin East Africa. But in the rainy season, theconventional water treatment chemicals or water purifier treatment couldn’t getgoodresults.When turningon the tap, the water is often yellow or cloudy. We started working with Nairobi water expertsseven years ago. In 2013, we developedefficient coagulants(coagulant/water purification chemicals)toeffectively deal with the big fluctuations of raw water turbidity in therainy season, reducingabout 20percentof the water treatment costsandimprovingthe water rate above 15percent.Now the water quality has met theWorld Health Organization standards.

In sewage disposal, a Chinese research team in 2014 participatedin a demonstration project of artificial wetland processing sewage technology in Kenya's third biggest city, Kisumu.Usingthe currenttechnique, processing efficiency was low, resulting thata large number of pollutants flowsinto the Lake Victoriaandthreatenswater quality. We established 600 tons/day-capacity artificial wetlands in the city, and selected several local natural plants forin-depth sewage treatment, thus reducingthe nutrients entering the Lake Victoria. The project has been completed and long-term water quality monitoring will be carried out in the operation of artificial wetlands.

With innovative technologies being developed, the efficiency of water conservancy and treatmenthas been largely improved. However, accelerated urbanization has imperiled water resources, sanitationand the whole ecosystemsin Africa. We should pay close attention tothe status quo of the water resource and management. Through field investigation and data search, Chinese research groupshave accumulated rich knowledge about the water resource situationin Africa. For example, we have investigated and evaluatedwater environment of seven typical cities and basins in Africa, including the Nile and the Lake Chad basin. Chineseresearchers are poised to contribute their experience and wisdom to solving the water problems facing Africa and protecting the ecosystems.

On the other hand, African countries needs to cultivate professionals in water treatment and climate change, and the awareness of protecting water resource should be promoted. Since 2006, Tongji University and the UNEnvironmentco-launched master'sand doctoral degree programsin sustainable development catering tostudents from developing countries. Most graduateshave returned to their home countries and worked in such fields asenvironment, land and resources, agriculture and international organizationslike United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

China has been striving to realize the "Chinese dream", while Africa is also striving to realize its"African dream"of "seeking strength through unity, development and rejuvenation". The Chinese Dream and the African Dream are closely linked and mutually reinforcing, whichwill contribute to building a community of shared future for mankind.