In China, the rate of urbanization has embarked on a fast track and old contaminated industrial areas are vacated in order to make space for residential development. Urbanization creates an increased need for assessment and evaluation of subsurface environmental issues. Wuxi is, with its 7 million inhabitants, one of China’s large cities. It is also the location at which Geo has been engaged to perform environmental assessments and delineation of contaminated soil and groundwater, as a result of activities on a former coking plant.
It’s also about relations
China is a “relations-society”, where one does not make business with companies or individuals, whom you do may not know or have trust in. Since 2007 the municipalicies Ballerup, Egedal and Frederikssund (’Bycirklen’), have been in close contacts with officials of the Chinese city Wuxi. ’Bycirklen’ has, with its large effort and well established relations to the city council of Wuxi, been the driving force behind Geo’s work relations in Wuxi.
The Chinese city Wuxi is inhabited by 7 million people on an area of 4,787 square kilometers, equal to 670,448 football fields.
The Chinese government has dedicated 650 billion Danish crowns (DKK) to contaminated land remediation.
Due to urbanization, the population of Wuxi have increased by 1 million people in a single year.
In China, 300 million people have ascended from the working class into the middleclass, which has exponentially increased the demand for residential homes.
Experts estimate that nearly 700 million Chinese only have access to contaminated drinking water.
A large part of Geo’s expertise is aimed at sharing know-how, which nowadays is more relevant than ever. We believe, that years of experience and knowledge within environmental remediation technologies, must benefit as many as possible. In addition we believe that it is important to nurture many different collaborations, as the one, we have with the city council of Wuxi, achieved by the good relations already established by “Bycirklen” and the Danish consulate in Beijing.
Geo continues to perform environmental assessments in Wuxi, and one of the criteria on the path to success, is sharing our knowledge and solutions with the Chinese through international collaboration. The environmental project has reached its second phase where the extend of the contamination is delineated through environmental assessment works and risk assessments, followed by recommendations for an optimal remediation strategy at the site. Throughout the process, Chinese engineers and university students have benefitted from observing our work in order to promote and engage in sharing of our knowledge and methods. A part of our solution is therefore focused on an education plan for the Chinese, aiming at improving their skills within environmental technology and project management.
In Denmark we have worked on solutions aimed at resolving environmental issues for more than 30 years, in order to preserve our valuable soil and groundwater and thereby our health. This knowledge is now being utilized by Geo in China. From a global point of view, there is no time to wait for China to gain their own experience. Instead we have to work together by sharing knowledge and methods with China to achieve shared goals, so future generations can live in a healthier world.
Why Geo was chosen as partner:
Quote Anders Agger, Director of Ballerup municipalicy:
”When an opening was encountered, allowing for danish expertise within soil remediation to be presented to the Chinese officials and developers, Geo was quick to embrace the business opportunity and actively participate in a close collaboration in order to make the pilot project in Wuxi a reality”.
Three central objects in order to make this happen:
| Geo Copenhagen | Geo Aarhus | |||
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| Maglebjergvej 1 2800 Kgs. Lyngby +45 4588 4444 |
Sødalsparken 12 8220 Brabrand +45 8627 3111 |
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