There is nothing more essential to life on Earth than water. Yet, there is a global water crisis. People are struggling to access the quantity and quality of water they need for drinking, cooking, bathing, hand washing and growing their food. Rapid industrialization, population growth and unplanned urbanization have contributed to severe land and water pollution. The main sources of freshwater pollution can be attributed to direct discharge of untreated toxic industrial wastes and dumping of various industrial effluents. More than 40% of the world’s population resulted affected by water scarcity, and this problem is also featured in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), “clean water and sanitation”. Currently, about 3 in 10 people lack safe drinking water and 6 in 10 lack inadequate sanitation systems. Globally, 844 million people lack access to clean water resulting in families and communities being locked in poverty for generations. Access to clean water as a stepping stone to development changes everything. Safe, secure, affordable and equitable access to clean water in particular for the poor is among the most relevant challenge to be faced in the next years. In 1993, the UN General Assembly designates March 22 as World Water Day and recognizes the importance of addressing the global water crisis each year with an amazing progress in making clean drinking water accessible to 2.6 billion people in developing countries from 1990 to 2015. There are still opportunities to multiply the benefits of clean water through improved sanitation and hygiene education <...>

Le Crétacé inférieur de LEstramadura, au Portugal, m'apparaissait, lors-que j'en entrepris Vêtude, comme un thème de recherches à la fois séduisant et redoutable. Séduisant, car tout examen systématique avait été abandonné depuis plus de soixante ans, en dépit de la présence de classiques ensembles stratigraphiques, de la richesse des faunes et de la variété des fácies. Redoutable, car il m'amenait à suivre les traces de cet illustre géologue que fut Choffat. II était bien évident que je ne pouvais mener cette tache à son terme que grâce à de nombreux et bienveillants appuis. I'en ai large-ment beneficie, sinon même abuse. II m'est donc particulièrement agréable de remercier aujourd'hui tous ceux qui, durant les longues années de travail, m'ont aidé, conseillé et encouragé

In the 1970s, members of the U.S. National Committee on Tunneling Technology (USNCTT) recognized a need to review and improve contracting practices for underground construction. The committee conducted an intensive study and several workshop reviews, ultimately publishing a set of recommended practices in 1974.

Mining reconciliation is the comparison of estimated tonnage, grade and metal with actual measurements. The aims are to measure the performance of the operation, support the calculation of the mineral asset, validate the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimates, and provide key performance indicators for short and long-term control (Morley, 2003). Ongoing, regular and efficient reconciliation should also highlight improvement opportunities and allow for proactive short-term forecasting by providing reliable calibrations to critical estimates. The concept is that of “measure, control and improve”.  <...>