Sustainability - Water Resources
The Meiden Group will work on implementing measures to promote water resource conservation activities by utilizing water resources efficiently and respond to water risk that impacts business activities, as a step toward conservation of the global environment and realization of a sustainable society.
We will contribute to the solution of a range of social issues relating to the conservation of water resources through our businesses.
The Meiden Group includes “promotion of water reuse” and “water safety” as part of the medium- to long-term “Environmental Vision.” We will work to preserve water resources through water conservation and effective utilization of rainwater; take steps to respond to water risks such as water shortages, flood, and contamination; and improve sanitation.
The Meiden Group conducts evaluation of water risk for initiatives to conserve water and comply with effluent standards. Using the Water Risk Filter, a water risk assessment tool distributed by the World Wide Fund for Nature, we assessed 16 production sites in 9 countries. We found that although domestic sites were within ordinary risk levels, 50% of overseas sites were located in high-risk areas. In particular, risks related to water quantity and quality assurance were found to be high. Some sites in India and China were found to be located in very high-risk areas. For these, we will take the optimal measures for each site based on assessment results.
The Meiden Group has been in business over 125 years. As such, some of the infrastructure at production sites has significantly deteriorated.
This is particularly true of the water infrastructure, which we are rebuilding as a special priority for BCP reasons.
At Numazu Works, one of our main production sites in Japan, we will begin building a large new combination water-purification tank in November 2023. To go with it, we are rebuilding the plant’s water supply and factory effluent systems. Nagoya Works and Ota Works, two other major production sites in Japan, are likewise aging. Their updates will be planned and implemented in turn.
[Overview of Project to Rebuild Water Infrastructure]
In addition to design, construction, and execution of water treatment plants, the Meiden Group provides total support through to operation and maintenance as a general water treatment manufacturer, based on our record of involvement with construction and development of water and sewerage systems in Japan. We are contributing to the solution of a range of issues relating to the conservation of water resources through or water infrastructure systems business, which is one of our core businesses.
We delivered a flooding information system that uses smart flood level rods (automatic flood level measurement rods) to Saga City. Saga City began using this system to provide a disaster prevention information service concerning flood levels to residents and others on April 25, 2022.
Saga City developed the Saga City Basic Plan on Wastewater Measures (March 2014) to deal with increasing flood risk due to rain inundation as a result of downpours increasing in frequency and severity in recent years due to climate change. The city aims to create a “city and populace that is resilient against flooding” by implementing software measures such as creating and disseminating hazard maps in addition to hardware measures such as installing pump stations, channels, and balancing reservoirs. As one of these measures, the city installed flood level rods in 83 locations in the city, and is actively promoting utilization of information for self, mutual, and public assistance to prevent disasters as part of increasing awareness of flooding.
Until now, flood level rods have been relied on for reading and reporting by citizens and disaster volunteers. Now, real-time disaster prevention information can be used for flood protection activities due to the expand of automatic measurement. Up to FY2021, we have partnered with Saga City to conduct demonstration experiments of real-time monitoring systems using automated flood level rods. The systems were installed in practical use in 29 locations throughout the city.
We received an order from Saga City to build a flood information provision system to notify residents, etc., with the aim of further utilizing disaster prevention information obtained through automated flood level rods (smart flood level rods), and delivered the system in March 2022.
A smart flood level rod is an IoT device comprising a rod (pole) fitted with a transmitter, an antenna, and a battery. It gathers flood information in real time, and provides it via the cloud computing.
The Meiden Group, in cooperation with its stakeholders in Japan and overseas, will pursue manufacturing that helps solve challenges such as Sustainable Development Goal 6 (which seeks clean water and sanitation for all) and Goal 14 (conservation of marine resources), sustainably create value, and work to solve social issues.
MEIDEN SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. (MEIDEN SINGAPORE) has received an order from Singapore enterprise Koh Brothers Building & Civil Engineering Contractor (Pte.) Ltd. for ceramic membranes for an industrial effluent MBR* facility at the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant of the Singapore Public Utilities Board (PUB). This project is a new water reclamation plant to be built in western Singapore, scheduled for completion in 2025.
MEIDEN SINGAPORE will supply ceramic membranes with a treatment capacity of 97,500 m3/day to the plant. The Meidensha ceramic membranes to be delivered can help to save energy and will offer high durability, excellent chemical resistance, and long life.
Under a 2010 memorandum of understanding (MOU) with PUB for the joint development of water treatment technology, we have been conducting a demonstration study on industrial effluent treatment at the Jurong Water Reclamation Plant. In 2014, a 4,550 m3/day demonstration plant began operating at the Jurong site. Highly concentrated industrial effluent that had previously been difficult to reclaim was successfully reused. PUB made note of the achievements, which led to the recent order for ceramic membranes for the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant.
Tuas Water Reclamation Plant
