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    Sustainable operations and maintenance of water supplies: a conceptual model for engineers and development workers : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies and Agricultural Engineering at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1994) Thomas, Clifford James
    There have been major problems with the sustainability of many water supply projects in the Developing World. One major area that influences this sustainability is the ongoing operation and maintenance of the water supply. A number of different surveys have shown that within 12 months of a water project being constructed and handed over to the community or government water dept. between 30-70% are not functioning at all or are not producing their original design supply. The purpose of the research was to produce a conceptual model that could be used by development agencies and engineers to increase the sustainability of water supplies. A review of the literature revealed that the major factors influencing sustainable operation and maintenance of water supplies were, technology, infrastructure for parts, training of both agency and community in maintenance of the water supply, the source of funding for O & M, design, ownership and responsibility, and management. These factors were incorporated into a conceptual model, each factor fitting into one or more of the different stages of a water supply project, namely: 1. Planning; 2. Design; 3. Construction; 4. Transfer Ceremony; and 5. Operations. There were up to four major groups of people involved in this process, namely, an International Development Agency, a Government Water Dept., a Community Water Committee, and a Community or Users. Surveys were conducted in Ethiopia, looking at both urban and rural water projects. The results were used to substantiate the model and/or to revise the model. It was concluded from the survey that the following were influential upon sustainable operation and maintenance in Ethiopia: Community ownership does not equate to community responsibility for O & M; Training of the individual or group responsible for O & M is essential; A lack of infrastructure leds to O & M problems; And, community involvement in all stages of the water supply project is essential. The revised conceptual model presents the processes and factors needed to instigate sustainable O & M of water supply projects in developing countries.
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    Environmental management in medieval London : was London a 'filthy city'? : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Rouse, Barbara
    The BBC series “Filthy Cities” presented medieval London as knee deep in muck, with rivers of butchers’ waste washing into streams and chamber pots emptied on the heads of hapless passers-by. This thesis asks whether medieval London was really a “filthy city”. It also investigates medieval attitudes towards the London environment, as a living space, pollution sink and a source of sustenance. The evidence for the state of the environment in medieval London and how the environment was managed is contained in a variety of primary sources, largely court records, ordinances, complaints and directives to abate pollution. In order to provide a framework for analysis, this study examines whether environmental models currently used to manage and monitor the environment might provide a useful method for assessing the state of the environment in medieval London. A modified Driver-Pressure-State-Impact Response environmental reporting framework is proposed, taking account of the data limitations and the paucity of data on the environment per se. The selection of indicators for drivers and pressures on the environment is based on available information on the medieval economy, demography, housing, and industrial processes from documentary and archaeological sources. The key drivers are economic, cultural and demographic and give rise to pressures related to population, density, consumption, and associated resource demands and waste disposal problems. Records of regulations and complaints provide information on both pressures and responses to environmental problems. Building on and considerably extending previous work, this study provides a detailed analysis of the Assize of Nuisance court records. It focusses on cases of environmental nuisance and supplements these with information on ordinances and cases from the Mayor’s Court. As shown in the modified DPSIR framework, responses may be precipitated by environmental problems, or that have spin-off environmental benefits. This thesis assesses public infrastructure and services, and private activities, serving to reduce environmental effects. It also looks at how the city managed the Thames, and in particular the conflicts between various uses. Overall, the evidence suggests that the city’s environment was well managed other than in times of crisis such as the plague epidemics, given the resources and technology available. The inhabitants of medieval London may have tolerated a dirtier smellier environment than inhabitants of modern-day western cities, but beyond a certain threshold, they were highly intolerant of pollution of their immediate environment.