Effect of High-Speed Railways on City Industrial Sewage Discharge

Industrial wastewaters threatening the sustainability of society have increasingly become a key social issue across the globe. Consequently, countermeasures have been suggested across a broad range of research fields and policy cycles in both industrialized and industrializing countries. Thus, identifying factors that drive reductions in industrial wastewater discharge is a key task in the water research and policymaking fields. In contrast to previous studies that have focused on reducing industrial wastewater discharge through techniques, policy, management, and other tools, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transport infrastructure development, particularly high-speed railways (HSR), on industrial sewage discharge. Given the rapid development of high-speed railways in China and the country’s severe water pollution, China was our research context, and our sample was 298 prefecture-level Chinese cities during the period 1999–2018. The empirical results show that cities with high-speed railways have greater reductions in industrial wastewaters, and that these effects are weakened in cities with a more developed economy and information environment. The results are consistent when using different methods to test their robustness, such as time-varying difference-in-difference (DID), instrumental variables, and placebo tests. These findings offer useful guidance for practitioners and policymakers in the management of water resources and the development of transport infrastructure in cities. These results contribute to the literature in the field of water management and to the assessment of the broader effect of high-speed railways.

Priorities for intervention to prevent diarrhea among children aged 0–23 months in northeastern Ethiopia: a matched case-control study

Background The global public health problem of diarrhea is most prevalent in developing countries including Ethiopia, especially among children under two years of age. Limited information on the determinants of diarrhea among children aged 0–23 months hinders the design and prioritization of intervention strategies to address childhood diarrhea in Dessie City, northeastern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the determinants of diarrhea in order to identify priority interventions for its control. Methods A community-based matched case-control study was conducted among children aged 0–23 months during January–February 2018. Cases defined as children with acute diarrhea, and controls defined as children without acute diarrhea, were matched by child’s age (months) and place of residence (residing in the same kebele, the lowest local administrative unit, each of which has a population of approximately 5000) during the two weeks prior to data collection. Data were collected from mothers/caregivers of the 119 cases and 238 matched controls using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and an observational checklist. Data were analyzed using conditional logistic regression model with 95% confidence interval (CI); variables with p < 0.05 from multivariable analysis were considered as significantly associated with acute diarrhea among children aged 0–23 months. Results Age of mothers/caregivers (> 35 years of age) (adjusted matched odds ratio [adjusted mOR] = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.37–5.8); divorced/widowed marital status (adjusted mOR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.26–3.3); lack of exclusive breastfeeding (adjusted mOR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.15–3.70); presence of feces within/around latrines (adjusted mOR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.21–3.50); lack of handwashing facility near latrine (adjusted mOR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.30–5.30); presence of domestic sewage discharge within and/or outside the compound (adjusted mOR = 3.29; 95% CI: 1.85–7.50) and practice of handwashing at fewer than three of the five critical daily times (adjusted mOR = 4.50; 95% CI: 2.54–9.50) were significantly associated with acute diarrhea among children aged under two years. Conclusion To reduce acute diarrheal disease among children under two, priority should be given to interventions that focus on improving exclusive breastfeeding practices, regular cleaning of latrines, advocating for availability of handwashing facility within/around latrines, use of proper domestic sewage discharge methods and improving handwashing practice at the five critical times each day. Strengthening communication that promotes hygiene and behavioural change may also raise awareness among mothers/caregivers and empower them to enhance handwashing practices at critical times.

Research on the Water Environment Pollution Source Investigation and Control Technology During the Highway Construction Period of Qiandao Lake District

According to the water environment protection requirements for the Expressway Project of Qiandao Lake Area, this research combines on-site investigation with experimental detection and analysis to sort out the pollution generation link during the project construction in a systematic and comprehensive manner, analyze the source of construction sewage and wastewater, proposes special measures for sewage and wastewater treatment in the production at the precast mixing plant, bridge construction and tunnel construction. The research has achieved the goal of satisfactory sewage discharge and zero sewage discharge in the construction area, effectively ensured the safety of the water environment in the lake area during the project construction, and laid a solid foundation for Qianhuang Expressway to become a “Green Highway” demonstration project initiated by the Ministry of Transport. CLC No.: U491 Document Code: B