September_1971 — Page 20

WORLD NEWS

be provided in arranging small credits for the im- provement and expansion of building industries and plants. The idea is to promote the use of such readily available resources as bricks, adobe. con- crete elements, gypsum, timber, lime and tiles throughout South America.

The new project will be in the form of supple- mentary assistance to the current Experimental Housing Project in Lima, where the UNDP has been planning various low-cost housing schemes and developing prototypes.

Progress towards metric conversion

Australians are making good progress towards early conversion to the metric system of weights and measures. The Australian Metric Conversion Board has set up an extensive network of committees which are keeping in touch with virtually all activi- ties involved in the change.

Information from about 90 Advisory and Sector Committees of the Board is paving the way to a smooth, coordinated national changeover to the metric system. Details of the overall conversion programmes are expected to be ready by the end of 1971; conversion will begin to make an impact in early 1972 and be about 70% complete by 1976.

The programme allows all sectors to take the

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fullest advantage of natural obsolescence and de- preciation of equipment, thus helping them to in- troduce the metric system economically, efficient- ly and at the most suitable time. For this reason the Australian government has set a period of 10 years. for the completion of conversion.

Massive water supply scheme in Australia

A US$133 million hydroelectric scheme - de- scribed as the first in the world to be associated with the main water supply of a large city - is being undertaken in Australia.

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It involves a vast construction project aimed at supplying water to Australia's largest city, Sydney, and its outlying areas up to the year 2000. In that year, Sydney is expected to have a population of 5 million against less than 3 million now.

Called the Shoalhaven Catchment Scheme, it will channel rainfall from the 2,800 sq mile (7,250 sq km) catchment area of the Shoalhaven River to distribution points in Sydney and nearby urban areas. The river has a flow of 1,000 million gallons (4,546 million litres) a day. The flow will be chan- nelled through various tributaries and reservoirs.

The Scheme is being carried out by the Sydney Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board and the New South Wales Electricity Commission, with Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation as consultants.

When the scheme was being planned, it was agreed that sections of the project requiring high lift pumping of large volumes of water should also include storage facilities for the production of elec- tric power. The pumped storage principle involves the supply of electricity during off-peak periods to drive electric motors and pumps for the raising of water from a low-level reservoir to one on a higher level. Thus, during periods of peak demand, the water previously pumped can be released from the upper reservoir to generate electricity.

Japan's largest movable weir

With the completion of a movable weir across the 830 m wide Tone River last May, the rich Kan- to Plain in central Japan now enjoys an abundant supply of water. The weir also prevents sea water from flooding the fields in the area.

Construction of the weir began in 1965. Sited at 17 km from the river mouth, the weir is 834 m long, making it the largest in Japan. Its movable sections extend 465 m and its stationary sections 369 m. Its maintenance bridge has two vehicular lanes and a pedestrian walk. Other features include a 15 m wide water gate for ships, and special canals (each 7.5 m wide) on either side of the weir for fish to move upstream. The project cost about US$36 million.

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Far East BUILDER, September 1971

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