Singapore, China Have Megaprojects But Iraq and Eastern Europe Beckon

摘要

The worldwide need fpr water and wastewater infrastruc- ture continues to yield ample demand for a wide range of services, from basic treatment in emerging nations to multibillion-dollar programs in mature markets. "We're pretty bullish and pretty excited about the water market because it's truly a market based on demand, and not so much on mandates," says David L. Backus, president of Parsons Water and Infrastructure Inc., Pasadena, Calif., which is focusing on the Middle East, China, "and a possible move into Russia and some of the former Eastern Bloc countries," he says. But executives also sound cautionary notes. "We have definitely seen in the last year and a half that economic conditions have had an impact on spending by industrial clients," most of which are U.S.-based multinationals, says Curt Cramer, environmental division director in the Southfield, Mich., office of Arcadis. A notable trend is decreased demand for environmental projects in Southeast Asia. "We're seeing less spending by our key clients," he reports. "There doesn't seem to be any market that's completely resistant."