Access to safe and reliable water is a fundamental human right, yet many rural communities in Nepal face persistent challenges in achieving water security. Women are disproportionately affected due to their primary role in household water management. Over the last decades there has been an increase in gendered studies on women's water burden. This study examined women’s perspectives on domestic water access and use in four villages within the Bardia National Park buffer zone in the Terai region of southwest Nepal. Most households rely on hand pumps for water, though some have intermittent tap water access. Using Q methodology, this research explored women’s perspectives on domestic water access and use using a set of 30 items. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and varimax rotation resulted in a three-factor interpretation explaining 71\% of the study variance. The main findings were first of all that the importance of good drinking water quality was shared across factors, but that this did not lead consistently to the adoption of household water treatment (HWT). Second, piped water was envisioned for various uses, shaped by economic considerations and differing levels of concern about fluctuating water quality and seasonal scarcity. Lastly, community meetings played a central role to the adoption of water hygiene and HWT by only one factor, which suggests that their potential may be underutilized.

WASH interventions are essential to support human health, prosperity, and dignity, as they provide the base for an adequate standard of living. In many low- and middle- income countries, especially in rural and low-income areas, decentralized wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS) can offer a solution to convey, treat, and dispose of or reuse wastewater closer to the source and through smaller conveyance networks. In Indonesia, and as such in the Brantas basin in East Java, focus area of this study, the government has recognized DEWATS as their best available option for improving sanitation in dense low-income urban settings. Although the percentage of households with access to proper sanitation in the province of East Java has been increasing steadily, service coverage and the quality of sanitation systems still need to be increased to reach the desired coverage by 2024. Similar to other fields of application, within WASH and concerning DEWATS, stakeholder engagement is key to develop and strengthen integrated and sustainable approaches. Nonetheless, it is challenging to formulate targeted interventions in the watershed since they depend on the willing support of various stakeholders who may have different priorities (even within their own institutions), having diverse (and sometimes conflicting) viewpoints. This may result in stakeholders strongly contesting the appropriateness of various solutions. An exploration of stakeholder priorities is therefore needed to facilitate the application of wastewater treatment technologies. Due to its participatory approach and the type of interpretation that the method allows, Q-methodology was selected to explore this situation. Q-methodology is a set of techniques which allow for the study of ‘subjectivity’, combining statistics with the depth provided by qualitative data. It is composed of the data collection technique (called Q-sorting) and a data analysis step via correlation and factor analysis. In this research, the perspectives and priorities of various stakeholders regarding decentralized wastewater treatment solutions are explored to assess the applicability and acceptability of DEWATS in the Brantas river basin. This aims to identify context-based criteria and challenges to the implementation of DEWATS in the Brantas watershed. Although findings from Q-methodology cannot be generalized for a general population, the findings from this study show strong indication that Surabaya government workers tend to prioritize similar criteria, that Malang community members think more similarly than their Surabaya counterparts, and that if a respondent prioritizes the elements describing the 4-F1 perspective (Basic current needs; Long-term sustainability; Socialization and collaboration; High awareness; Economically conscious) then they are likely to be some type of specialist. Additionally, four distinctive perspectives were identified: a focus on long-term sustainability of the system, although with less defined stakeholder responsibilities; a pragmatic, need-based approach; a preference for community-led approaches with user-friendly systems and greater subsidy availability; and a collaborative, but still community-run, approach with a high feeling of ownership. Further research is needed nonetheless to identify how the levels of agreement and disagreement among the different groups for the various statements presented could be integrated into the design and decision-making process for DEWATS in the region.

This design report outlines a preliminary masterplan for developing a sustainable village in Patagonia, Argentina, addressing the unique challenges of remote living within a sensitive natural landscape. The project centres on creating a resilient, socially sustainable community that coexists harmoniously with its environment. A key objective is to assess multiple sustainable options for essential infrastructure, encompassing energy supply, accessibility, water and wastewater management, and other critical systems.
The report begins with an exploration of the site’s distinctive environmental conditions, informed by a two-week site visit, as well as an analysis of key stakeholders, including residents, tourists, and potential investors. This groundwork establishes both community needs and environmental constraints, forming the guiding principles for the design. The preliminary masterplan then proposes practical solutions to meet these requirements, including infrastructure development such as jetties for enhanced accessibility, a hybrid renewable energy system to support off-grid living, and water and waste management systems that minimise ecological impact.
The proposed design is evaluated for economic feasibility, ensuring the village can support sustainable eco-tourism and community growth over the long term. This project could be used as an example for future developments in rural areas by prioritising sustainability for all social, environmental and economic aspects. This preliminary masterplan aims to contribute to ongoing research on environmentally conscious and socially inclusive development in challenging environments.

Globally, drinking water sources are polluted with poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The toxicity and persistent properties of these industrial chemicals raised concerns about environmental and public health. As a result, drinking water companies are removing PFAS from drinking water using separation technologies. Anion exchange and nanofiltration membranes have been proven to be effective drinking water treatment methods for the removal of PFAS. However, these drinking water technologies produce large volumes of PFAS-containing waste streams, which poses new challenges for the drinking water industry. To prevent toxic PFAS from re-entering the environment, these waste streams must be treated. This can be done by PFAS destruction, however, due to the large volumes of the waste streams, this is very expensive and energy-intensive. Therefore, concentrating the drinking water waste streams before destruction is desired. This research examined existing PFAS-concentration technologies and compared their PFAS removal efficiency, volume reduction, and cost-effectiveness in concentrating the PFAS waste streams produced during drinking water treatment. These waste streams include the concentrate of nanofiltration and the brine from anion exchange. The analysed concentration technologies are foam fractionation, adsorption of PFAS onto DEXSORB+ and all-silica BEA zeolites, and nanofiltration.
Foam fractionation removes PFAS from the waste stream by injecting air bubbles. Two laboratory setups were made for the injection mechanism of the air bubbles. First, by passing pressurized air through an air stone, and second, by adding pressurized water (i.e. white water) to the waste stream. The adsorbents were tested in the laboratory by conducting equilibrium batch experiments with different adsorbent dosages. The laboratory experiments were performed on both drinking water waste streams. The performance of concentrating the anion exchange brine solution with nanofiltration membranes was evaluated with the use of IMS Design models.