Bibliography: p. 474-514.

Infectious disease can be transmitted via various environmental pathways, many of which are incorporated into our water and wastewater systems. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) can be a valuable tool in identifying hazard exposure pathways and estimating their associated health impacts. QMRA can be applied to establish standards and guidelines and has been adopted by the World Health Organisation for the management of risks from water-related infectious diseases. This thesis aims at presenting a holistic approach for the assessment of microbial health risks in urban water and wastewater systems. The procedure of QMRA is presented, together with the data collected for the case studies, and the results are discussed in a risk management framework. Decentralised drinking water treatment with membranes was shown to be competitive with centralised conventional treatment regarding environmental impacts and health. To attain sufficient die-off of pathogens in order to reduce risks to acceptable levels, facilities that permit the long-term storage of locally collected faeces are required. Issues of operation and mangement are likely to determine the health risks in decentralised systems. While failures in distribution are more likely to result in detectable waterborne disease outbreaks, the number of people at risk of becoming infected with pathogens passing normal treatment, calculated on a yearly basis, can be larger. Site-specific pathogen monitoring of source waters was identified as an important factor for the accurate estimation of risk. Noroviruses, an emerging waterborne pathogen, were shown to have fluctuating concentrations in surface water, with significant peaks during the wintertime. Time series analysis has potential as an early warning system if complemented by regular monitoring to discriminate peaks from random fluctuations. Groups already sensitive to infection, i.e. the elderly, the sick and children, were shown to consume higher volumes of cold tap water than the rest of the population, which may call for special atention in the risk management of drinking water systems. Microbial health risks associated with the handling and reuse of wastewater and sludge were shown to be successfully addressed within the management system Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). Most exposure points identified could be controlled through easy measures. / Copyright Agreement: Figure 6-1, page 49 and figure 6-2, page 50 in the summary/introduction are reprinted from Water Science and Technology: Water Supply 2(2) 11-18, with permission from the copyright holders, IWA. Note: the median values are missing in the article but the figures have been corrected in the summary/introduction.

Bibliography: p. 474-514. / xli, 601 p. (some folded) : ill., maps (one col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, 1995

Bibliography: p. 474-514. / xli, 601 p. (some folded) : ill., maps (one col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, 1995

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 2008. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-05, page: 2669. Adviser: R. Sue Day. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Agricultural and Resource Economics, Department of Rural Economy. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on September 20, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Literature survey shows that with, a few exceptions, the consumer behaviour of domestic water consumers has not been a common area of research. This explains the scarcity of information in this specific field. This scarcity was noted in the region and very much so in the context of Mauritius. And yet, such information is very much relevant for the management of the water sector, for the improvement of the service, for policy makers, for personal and social development and for achieving consumer satisfaction. This research brings about information that would contribute in its own way to these areas. The object of this thesis is to study the consumer behaviour in respect of domestic water consumers in Mauritius, to develop new theories and to build a consumer behaviour model. The thesis, at its outset, gives the background of the research. It contains the description of the water supply situation in Mauritius, its production, its distribution and its management. The brief on the people of Mauritius helps to put in the right context the pluricultural nature of the Mauritian society which is important for the understanding of the consumer behaviour of Mauritians. The literature survey, inter-alia, gives the historical development of consumer behaviour, its relevance to marketing, and its study as a discipline in its own right. The very scarcity of theories and models of consumer behaviour of domestic water consumers cannot be overlooked. The literature survey, therefore, covers some of the theories and models specifically on commodities. These models along with the literature review serve as theoretical foundation for the present research The models of consumer behaviour which have been literature reviewed have further enabled to construct an integrated model of consumer behaviour which serves as a framework for the discussion and analysis of the new model which is developed during the course of this research. The research is one mainly of general interest and can be classified as an exploratory research with a substantial contribution of descriptive research. The research has necessitated the collection of primary data. For this purpose, the objective approach was adopted and a consumer survey was carried out with the use of a direct structured questionnaire. The survey has been supplemented by discussions of focus groups. The analysis of the consumer survey is followed by the testing of the hypotheses, the development of theories and discussions on results obtained. The building of a new model of consumer behaviour based on the findings of the research is then undertaken and discussed. The thesis covers a wide spectrum from the need of a domestic water connection, consumption of domestic water, post-consumption behaviour to the illegal use of water in Mauritius. The thesis winds up with conclusions and recommendations. The specific topic of this thesis is a rare one. This research is but a step in the furtherance of knowledge. It stands as an original regional contribution to the science of management and to its development. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / DBL

Dans un contexte réglementaire incitant fortement les industriels à la réduction de la pollution à la source, l’application de stratégies telles que des bonnes pratiques environnementales et un meilleur contrôle des procédés constituent une réponse aux enjeux environnementaux. Le traitement de surface par voie aqueuse est une activité grande consommatrice d’eau et de produits chimiques et donc génératrice de rejets aqueux pollués. L’objectif de ce travail est de proposer à ce secteur d’activité une méthodologie simple de limitation des flux de pollution ainsi que de la consommation en eau. Cette méthodologie se base notamment sur le postulat que l’entraînement est le principal vecteur de pollution au sein d’une chaîne de traitement de surface.Des études expérimentales ont permis, d’une part de créer une méthode rapide de calcul de l’entraînement et, d’autre part, de montrer et de quantifier l’influence de la forme et de la rugosité des pièces traitées, du temps d’égouttage, de la tension superficielle des solutions de traitement ou encore du type et de la durée du rinçage des pièces sur l’entraînement.L’ensemble de ces éléments, intégrés à la méthodologie de minimisation de la pollution, permet d’une part de réaliser un diagnostic de la chaîne mais aussi d’estimer l’impact d’une modification de cette chaîne sur la consommation spécifique en eau, le bilan de pollution ainsi que sur la qualité des rinçages. Cette méthodologie aide ainsi à limiter les consommations d’eau et de réactifs non seulement sur la chaîne mais également en station de détoxication, diminuant ainsi les impacts environnementaux et les coûts de fonctionnement. / Currently, via the prevention principle, environmental regulations incite industries to implement strategies to reduce the pollution at the source (ICPE, IPPC, IED). Industries are sometimes lost in front of various proposed technical solutions. The application of cleaner production strategies such as good operational procedures and good practices of management allow to answer these constraints.The metal finishing activity uses a lot of water and chemicals and thus generates polluted effluents. The objective of this work is to propose a simple methodology of limitation of the pollution flows and of the water specific consumption of metal finishing workshops.Then, experimental studies have allowed, on one hand, to create an easy method of the drag-out calculation and, on the other hand, to show and to quantify the influence of different parameters on the drag-out, from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. They are, for example, the shape and the roughness of the treated pieces, the draining time, the superficial tension of the treatment solutions but also the stirring type and duration of rinsing.All these elements, integrated into the methodology of pollution minimization, allow to realize a diagnosis of the process line. Moreover, it permits to estimate the impact of a modification of this installation on the specific consumption of water, on the pollution balance assessment and on the rinsing quality. So, this methodology can help to optimize and to limit consumptions of water and chemicals not only on the process line but also in wastewater treatment plant, so decreasing the environmental impacts and the running costs.

O município do Rio de Janeiro, desde sua fundação luta com o grave problema de abastecimento de água. Com o passar do tempo todas as pequenas captações no entorno da cidade foram exauridas tanto em termos de quantidade como em qualidade, afetadas pela poluição decorrente do lançamento de efluentes in natura. Solução foi a busca por novas fontes de abastecimento em outros municípios. Atualmente 80% (oitenta por cento) do abastecimento da região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro, RMRJ, é proveniente de uma única fonte: o rio Guandu. Isto foi possível devido à transposição da bacia do rio Paraíba do Sul para o rio Guandu ocorrida na década de 50. Esta fonte essencial de abastecimento, onde foi construída a maior Estação de Tratamento de Água do mundo - ETA Guandu - está à beira da exaustão. Somente uma pequena parcela de água bruta foi captada e tratada nesta última década. Visando minimizar o grave problema que já se apresenta e enquanto investimentos em novas alternativas não forem alcançados, o consumo com responsabilidade e sustentabilidade passa a ser a tônica da discussão. Neste contexto, as áreas de baixa renda do município com suas 801 favelas e mais de 1.500 loteamentos irregulares representando em 2010 aproximadamente 1/3 (um terço) da população total, consumindo de 10% a 15% de toda a produção de água tratada da região metropolitana deve ser permanentemente estimulada a contribuir com esta redução de consumo. Estudos apresentados nesta dissertação em três metodologias distintas apontam para um consumo acima da média nacional deste mesmo perfil de população. Os resultados obtidos indicam a necessidade real da redução de consumo observando, entretanto que este é um trabalho extremamente árduo e difícil uma vez que exige mudança de hábitos e a envolvimento de todos, desde a população até a Companhia de Saneamento local. / The city of Rio de Janeiro, since its foundation, struggle with the serious problem of water supply. Over time all the little sources of water around the city were being destroyed by disordered growth of population and the only way was looking for the sources of supply in other cities. Actually 80% (eighty percent) of metropolitan supplying comes from a single source: Guandu River. This was possible due the transposition of the Basin of Paraiba do Sul River to Guandu River occurred in the 50s decade. This essential source of supply, where has been built the biggest water treatment station in the world, ETA Guandu, is coming to be exhausted and we will be able only to take and treat a small portion of water more than treats today. To shift this major problem for the future, while we dont invest in new alternatives, we have to think seriously in "consuming with responsability." In this context, areas of low-income embodies 801 slums and more than 1.500 of irregular subdivisions, representing in 2010 almost the third part for the total population and consuming 10% to 15% of all water production from the metropolitan region, should be permanently encouraged to contribute to reduce consumption. Studies presented in this dissertation in three different methodologies denotes to a point above the average consumption of the same national profile population. This challenge is extremely difficult because requires behavior changes and everybody engaged, either the local Sanitation Company.

Brasil, país das águas. Este é um pensamento que pode levar a uma despreocupação quanto à conservação da água. Sim, o Brasil possui grandes bacias hidrográficas, mas, por outro lado, possui também regiões que apresentam graves crises de abastecimento. A região amazônica, com apenas 5% da população brasileira, armazena 80% do volume de água de todo o território nacional, enquanto grande parte da população concentra-se nas grandes cidades, exigindo um volume de água cada vez maior. A medição individualizada em edifícios residenciais apresenta-se como um dos meios importantes para combater o desperdício, controlar e reduzir o consumo de água. Este trabalho procura mostrar a medição individualizada como um sistema justo que permite o controle e a redução de água. Numa primeira etapa, foram estudados três edifícios que sofreram reforma, passando do sistema com medição global para o sistema com medição individualizada. Através destes três estudos de casos, foi possível mostrar a distribuição dos apartamentos em classes de consumo, a redução percentual do consumo do edifício e a viabilidade econômica para a execução da reforma. A segunda etapa deste trabalho, compreendeu o acompanhamento da medição por telemetria, associada à medição individualizada, em um edifício residencial. A medição por telemetria permitiu o traçado do perfil de cada consumidor, individualmente, funcionando como uma ferramenta importante para o planejamento de ações que visem ao controle e a redução do consumo de água. / Brazil: a water country. This thought could take the people to forget about water conservation. Although Brazil has big watersheds, it also has regions that present serious water supply crisis. The amazon region, with only 5% of brazilian population, stores 80% of water volume of all national territory, while greater part of the population is concentrated in the big cities, needing, at times, a higher volume of water. The individual measurement in residential buildings is one of the most important ways to prevent water lavishness, also to control and to reduce the water consumption. This work tries to show the individual measurement of water as a fair system of price, which permits the control and the reduction on the water consumption. In the firs part, three buildings that had changed from global measurement system to individual measurement system were studied. By these cases, it was possible to show, in the buildings, the distribution of the apartments in classes of consumption, the percentage reduction and the economic feasibility to perform the modification in the measurement system. The second part of this work was to follow a telemetric measurement system in a residential building with individual water meters. The telemetric measurement allowed to know the profile of each consumer, individually, as an important way to plan actions to control and to reduce the water consumption.