ETA brings Vacuum Sewer Technology

Zenath, an ETA Ascon division, will introduce alternative Japanese vacuum sewer technology to the UAE later this month. An agreement to this effect was signed between the Dubai-based group and the Sekisui Chemical Company of Japan.

Vacuum sewers offer operational, fiscal and construction advantages over traditional gravity-based collection systems, and are an ideal solution for areas with restricted construction conditions, unstable soils, flat terrain or sensitive ecosystems, and for remote communities.

With the UAE's rapid urban growth, and its flourishing resort and offshore community development, the alternative technology is ideally suited for the emirates, said J.S.A Bukhari, Executive Director of Zenath.

'With the UAE's cities growing at a tremendous pace and the increasing interest in luxury suburban communities, the country deserves the very best infrastructure technology available,' Bukhari explained.

'The Sekisui vacuum Sewer system is cost-effective, low maintenance, efficient and reliable, and offers a great deal of flexibility.'

Unlike conventional sewer systems, the vacuum sewer networks use gravity only to move wastewater from homes to the vacuum pit packages, located near homes. A pressure differential in the system then moves the wastewater to a vacuum station, Dr Altaf Khan, Sr Manager of Zenath Environmental Engineering Services said.

'Cost-effectiveness is one of the major benefits of this technology, but it is by no means the only advantage. The vacuum system offers much shorter construction periods, flexible pipeline construction, smaller diameter pipes at shallower depths, versatility around obstacles, and a closed atmosphere so sewers and water mains can be laid in a common trench. Also, a central vacuum station replaces many pumping stations.'

The vacuum sewer technology system, he explained, can be used in potentially problematic areas with flat or difficult terrain, adverse gradients, nearby bodies of water, or in places like holiday facilities where wastewater flows are highly variable.

'The importance of the vacuum sewage system is increasing in the Gulf area, and the next few years will witness widespread application especially in remote sites and offshore projects,' said Dr.Altaf Khan. 'Some of the unique benefits of this system are its usability in areas where houses and buildings are not close to each other, and its ability to cross major roads and bodies of water.'-(TradeArabia News Service)