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standards would enormously reduce excavation and pipe costs compared to conventional criteria'. |
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The biggest danger seems to be that acceptance is going to be seriously impeded if sceptics see the protagonists quarrelling over details which, while important, do not invalidate the general principle that revised design criteria are urgently needed and would result in great economies. The first 'message' to communicate to the profession in general therefore would be: |
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Under a wide range of conditions, sewers designed to standards that reflect modern knowledge and which are carefully tailored to meet site conditions will be much cheaper, and just as effective, as sewers designed to conventional criteria. |
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In parallel, there needs to be a major effort to discover precisely what has been done in the past 35 years, and how well it has worked. This Conference has obviously been an important first step in this process. It needs to be followed by: |
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1. An inventory of alternative sewer systems, worldwide. |
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2. A compilation of alternative technical approaches and design criteria for the more important of these (importance being ranked primarily on innovation, not size). |
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3. An evaluation and comparison of the technical performance of systems representing alternative design approaches, distinguishing as far as possible between technical and institutional factors. |
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4. A synthesis of these findings (this needs to be an 'internal' meeting initially, so that any disagreements can be ironed out as far as possible before 'going public'). |
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5. Presentation of this synthesis at an international workshop. |
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6. Endorsement of the approach by sector professionals and funding agencies, and agreement to initiate trials in those countries where it is unfamiliar. |
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7. Finally, implementation through a wide range of activities: country-level adoption of new policies; preparation of revised standards, model specifications, manufacturer's application guidelines, etc.; development of appropriate training and |
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