Since 2015 the SinoGerman research project SIGN supports water quality improvement in the Taihu region, China

authored by

Kathrin Rachel Schmidt, Tim aus der Beek, Xiaohu Dai, Bingzhi Dong, Elke Dopp, Florian Eichinger, Monika Hammers-Wirtz, Regina Haußmann, Andreas Holbach, Henner Hollert, Marc Illgen, Xia Jiang, Jan Koehler, Stephan Koester, Andreas Korth, Stephan Kueppers, Aili Li, Matthias Lohmann, Christian Moldaenke, Stefan Norra, Boqiang Qin, Yanwen Qin, Moritz Reese, Edmund Riehle, Beatrix Santiago-Schuebel, Charlotte Schaefer, Anne Simon, Yonghui Song, Christian Staaks, Joerg Steinhardt, Guenter Subklew, Tao Tao, Tingfeng Wu, Daqiang Yin, Fangfang Zhao, Binghui Zheng, Meiyue Zhou, Hua Zou, Jiane Zuo, Andreas Tiehm

Abstract

The Taihu (Tai lake) region is one of the most economically prospering areas of China. Due to its location within this district of high anthropogenic activities, Taihu represents a drastic example of water pollution with nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate), organic contaminants and heavy metals. High nutrient levels combined with very shallow water create large eutrophication problems, threatening the drinking water supply of the surrounding cities. Within the international research project SIGN (SinoGerman Water Supply Network, www.water-sign.de), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), a powerful consortium of fifteen German partners is working on the overall aim of assuring good water quality from the source to the tap by taking the whole water cycle into account: The diverse research topics range from future proof strategies for urban catchment, innovative monitoring and early warning approaches for lake and drinking water, control and use of biological degradation processes, efficient water treatment technologies, adapted water distribution up to promoting sector policy by good governance. The implementation in China is warranted, since the leading Chinese research institutes as well as the most important local stakeholders, e.g. water suppliers, are involved.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management

External Organisation(s)

Tongji University
Hydroisotop GmbH
RWTH Aachen University
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
DAHLEM Consultant Engineers
Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES)
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)
Forschungszentrum Jülich
bbe Moldaenke GmbH
Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology Chinese Academy of Sciences
Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health
F.A.S.T. GmbH
Inge GmbH
Steinhardt GmbH
Jiangnan University
Tsinghua University
TZW: DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser
IWW Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wasserforschung gemeinnützige GmbH
TZW Water Technology Center

Type

Article

Journal

Environmental Sciences Europe

Volume

28

ISSN

2190-4707

Publication date

01.12.2016

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Pollution

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-016-0092-7 (Access: Open)