Two major exhibitions of equipment and technologies for the water industry and utilities opened in Moscow at the Crocus Expo exhibition complex.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
Two major exhibitions of equipment and technologies for the water industry and utilities opened in Moscow at the Crocus Expo exhibition complex. This is the 17th International Exhibition of Technologies and Equipment for Municipal and Industrial Water Treatment, Water Supply, Water Disposal and Wastewater Treatment “EquaTek-2023”, as well as the 15th Anniversary Exhibition “ WastTek”: the achievements of waste recycling and the environment. protection industry.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
“Improving the quality of the environment directly depends on the timely implementation of innovative solutions in technological processes of water management,” said Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia Mikhail Ivanov, opening the joint exhibition. – The production volume of domestic water treatment equipment at the end of 2022 increased by a quarter and amounted to almost 35 billion rubles. The share of domestic equipment on the Russian market is constantly increasing.
Regarding waste treatment, in the last five years, according to the deputy minister, there has been a significant change: the proportion of household equipment has increased by 20%.
Both exhibitions have become twice as representative as last year. This is understandable: suppliers from hostile foreign countries have left and new opportunities have opened up for domestic producers. For example, a lot of equipment for the production of pipes for water supply networks was presented. As noted at the exhibition by Deputy Director of the Ministry of Construction Alexey Eresko, in Russia there are more than 900 thousand kilometers of utility networks, of which approximately 400 thousand need to be replaced.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
FRESH BREATH FROM TREATMENT PLANTS
Special attention was paid to units for wastewater treatment plants. According to Rohydromet, contamination of surface fresh water was detected in 55 regions of the country last year. At the same time, the stretches of rivers on the borders with Norway, Ukraine and Kazakhstan became the dirtiest.
Environmental protection work is also carried out in Moscow. For example, the reconstruction of the Lyubertsy and Kuryanovsky treatment facilities was completed.
In total, more than 400 companies from 30 regions participated in the EquaTek exhibition, as well as foreign participants from Belarus, China, Turkey, Singapore and Taiwan. The exhibition of neighboring WasteTech was also representative: more than 70 companies from 15 regions of Russia, as well as companies from China and Turkey. They presented their advanced solutions in the field of collection, sorting, burial and processing of various types of waste, creation of zero-waste production technologies, water treatment, collection and processing of ferrous and non-ferrous metal scrap, etc
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
“THE TASK IS TO PROVIDE THE DPR WITH DAILY WATER SUPPLY”
Particular attention was paid to the exhibition by public service companies of the new Russian regions. In the halls of Crocus Expo, KP journalists met with the chief engineer of the Donbass Water State Unitary Enterprise, Sergei Mokry. He told how the region is establishing water supply in the context of hostilities.
“The main problem for us is achieving a sustainable supply of quality water to the population,” said our interlocutor. “We came here to see what our and foreign companies can offer to our water supply system, which was completely destroyed as a result of hostilities.
According to Sergei Mokroy, hydraulic structures and pipelines were damaged and the main source of water supply was unusable.
“Our region received water from the Seversky Donets River through the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal, built in 1956,” Mokry continues. – As a result of the fighting, it was seriously damaged and cannot function; Most of the channel is located in the combat contact zone.
Sergei Mokry, chief engineer of the State Unitary Enterprise “Donbass Water”.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
-Where do you get the water from?
– From all surface sources that have close access to the canal, so that the water can reach the canal and, through it, to the filtration station. The treatment facilities are in good working order, although they are significantly damaged: they are located 2 to 3 km from the site of the fighting. Carrying out repair work is very difficult due to constant bombing. Repair work on the main pipes that transport water from filter stations to cities is also difficult. After all, many areas of Donetsk are under fire.
– Is there enough water?
– After all the destruction, between 21 and 23% of the need remained. Until recently, water was supplied for 3 hours every three days. Now, after repair work and partial commissioning of the Don-Donbass oil pipeline, another 30% has been added. Huge works were carried out, including the tapping of underground water in the village of Kipuchaya Krinitsa, and another 50 kilometers of pipelines were laid to Donetsk. This generated additional volumes and a month and a half ago we were able to switch to supply once every 2 days from 5pm to 8pm. It’s convenient, people come home from work and can get water. It is not guaranteed to reach all consumers due to the pressure, but there is water on the lower floors, in the basements or on the street in areas of private buildings. Now in test mode we try to supply water every day for 3 to 5 hours.
Photo: Ivan MAKEEV
– How is the quality of the water?
– We have reagents, filter stations carry out all technological cycles, constant monitoring is carried out, laboratories operate, we carry out water sampling and we are in contact with health services. But working in such a broken mode, when supplied and then turned off, leads to the fact that when starting, the water initially has a ferruginous color and a characteristic metallic taste. It takes about 5-10 minutes to drain the water before it looks normal. We take all disinfection measures, but we still recommend boiling the water and performing additional disinfection, since the pipes are in a combat zone and when they break, various soil particles are released.
– What do you expect from the exhibition?
– Most of our equipment is obsolete or destroyed. So we are here looking for equipment that can actually be implemented. And what is also very important is that we would work remotely: the risks for workers must be eliminated as much as possible. We are experiencing a catastrophic staff shortage and there has been a departure of specialists. There are not enough pump station operators, welders and mechanics. Therefore, I would like to see what measures can be taken to modernize the equipment so that one operator can service several objects.
