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The
water and wastewater treatment industry is one of the
most crucial infrastructure sectors globally and in
Asia. Water stress and scarcity are increasingly affecting
nearly all emerging as well as developed economies in
Asia. The global water market is expected to grow substantially
in the coming years as it is underpinned by environmental,
societal and technological
drivers.
1.
Environmental drivers
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More stringent environmental laws:
Environmental policies in many developing
countries, underpinned by deep concerns over
environmental degradation, climate change
and sustainable economic development, are
now dominant drivers for the growth of certain
infrastructure projects, such as those which
promote greater access to clean water and
water treatment services |
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Ramping up of environmental investment
targets: Many countries are undertaking
substantial investment programmes to support
their environmental policies. Countries such
as the PRC and India, for example, now recognise
that environmental protection is fundamental
to their long-term development prospects |
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2.
Societal drivers
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Rapid industrialisation: Higher demand
for wastewater treatment plants as a result
of increasing wastewater discharge volumes
consequent to economic growth, industrial
expansion and the setting up of more factories,
particularly in developing countries |
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Increasing urbanisation: Increasing
population in urban areas translate to a higher
demand for potable water and higher volumes
of domestic wastewater discharge |
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Deteriorating
water quality: Increasing amount of contaminants
being introduced into wastewater discharge
and even raw water sources due to a higher
standard of living |
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Growing
public sophistication: Increasing public
awareness in the differences and importance
of water quality with rising incomes and standards
of education |
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3.
Technological drivers
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Growth
of high-technology manufacturing: Advent
of high-technology products such as silicon
wafers, microchips and pharmaceuticals which
require ultra-pure water as key components
of the manufacturing process drives greater
demand for clean water |
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Yield and cost concerns: Corporate
entities are paying more attention to the
yield-cost balance of water treatment processes
as privatisation of the water sector gradually
increases, leading to greater efforts in research
and development and upgrades of processes
to improve the financial yield of their operations.
In addition, development in water treatment
technology has lowered the cost of the use
of membrane technology in water treatment |
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Growing
ability to detect water contaminants:
Better detection and assessment methods have
allowed previously unknown water contaminants
to be detected, prompting the water sector
to step up to deal with such newly-detected
contaminants |
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