Looking at our earth shows that it is a predominantly blue planet; it consists of over 70% water. However, a closer look shows that less than 2.5% is freshwater, and less than 1% of that is accessible for drinking to our huge population of 6.8 billion inhabitants!
“Water consumption is increasing exponentially as industry and agriculture compete with our drinking needs. It means the importance of water sustainability is increasing with every passing day.”
United Nations water sustainability report
The science behind Water Sustainability
Clean water is a necessity for life. Unfortunately, most people do not pay attention to the quality of drinking water. In developing countries, availability of clean and safe drinking water is a serious issue which leads to crisis. Millions of children die each year due to lack of access to safe drinking water.
Here are a few ways we can ensure water sustainability at a small level.
Where we can store clean water
In the first step of maintaining water sustainability, you need to learn to source and store water for the long term. It will allow us to build the supply of water storage. It requires a safe container for storage.
- The general standard is to use food-grade plastic containers or drums.
- Glass containers are a good option but you have to protect it for long term usage.
- Stainless steel is reliable but you cannot treat water with chlorine in such containers.
- ensure that you seal the container in which you store water.
How to reduce our water usage
Preventing water from running out starts at home, so avoiding waste plays an important role in water sustainability. We also have to reduce our general usage of water. – in our day to day life we often think we are efficiently using water when really we are being excessive.
By making a few simple changes at home we can collectively save a huge amount of water as a community. Here a few steps everyone can take.
- Check toilets for any leakage.
- Do not use the toilet as a waste basket.
- Fill the sink an inch or two for rinsing your razor when shaving
- Turn the tap off while brushing your teeth
- Check pipes and faucets have no leakage.
- Use the dishwasher for full loads only, or only partially filling basins to hand wash dishes or clothes
- Do not let the water run while washing vegetables or dishes.
- Use drinking water bottles from the refrigerator.
- Do not leave the tap on for water to cool down.
- Water lawn only when required.
- Avoid soaking the lawn because it wastes water and damages roots.
- Water plants during the cool evening or morning time.
- Have drought resistant native trees and plants which require less water.
- Take short showers, and user a timer to help you stay under 2 minutes.
- Use a bucket of water and sponge to wash cars rather than the hose
- Use a broom to sweep pavements clean rather than hosing them down
- Restrict children’s use of water for playtime
How to recycle or reuse water
As a society we focus on recycling many important things such as glass, plastics and metals, but water is often ignored. There are some interesting ways to recycle and reuse water instead of wasting it like letting it drain down the plug-hole!
- Place a bucket under the shower while you are waiting for water to cool down or warm-up. You can use this water for washing clothes, to flush toilets or in the garden
- If you are boiling pasta or other vegetables, use the boiled water for plants.
- You can similarly use the water for washing vegetables and dishes for watering your plants.
- Look at installing a grey water recycling system for your garden (this directs laundry, kitchen, shower and bath run off into a tank for the garden)
- Have a rain barrel outside in your garden to save and recycle rainwater for use.
How we can keep our water clean
It is essential to keep the water clean for long-term usage. Here are ways we can all work towards to help keep the water clean in our ecosystems
- Reduce devastation and deforestation of grasslands or fields. Trees are natural filters of water and provide pure drinking water.
- Reforestation is essential to regrow fields and forests. It can protect water from going into erosion.
- Provide farmers with new techniques and tools to keep dangerous chemicals out of the clean water sources such as ground water.
- Support the development and reform of regulations to ensure industries will manage their waste. This prevents dangerous by-products from being discharged into water sources or be allowed to seep into the earth to mix with groundwater.
- Restoration of wetlands and flood plains will restore water in the groundwater supplies. This process also naturally filters out contamination from waterways.
- Adopt an innovative approach to preventing pollution and contaminants and finding new ways to protect water reserves.
How we can use wetlands and aquifers
Wetlands and aquifers can be used by our community to help with water sustainability by helping to capture, clean and store water.
Wetlands can protect from water pollution by naturally cleaning water reserves by filtration and aeration using plant life. This also reduces water sent downstream and provides protection from flooding. Besides that, during dry conditions, wetlands can hold water for protection against drought.
On the other hand, aquifers are layers of rocks underground. These rocks are often fractured and saturated with ground water which can be pumped to the surface through wells and bores, but which also comes out through natural springs. Groundwater moves through rocks and sand that remove contaminants and the result is clean water
We need to focus on preserving wetlands and aquifers, and work with local government and councils on how best to use them to provide clean water to the community. Besides that, these are natural ways of storing and cleaning water for long-term usage.
Are desalination plants a sustainable option?
In various countries, authorities are installing desalination plants. Desal plants have the potential to provide adequate safe water to areas that are freshwater poor (Ghaffour, et al., 2012). However, these plants are highly expensive to build and operate; they require high energy consumption to power reverse osmosis pumps and evaporators which helps with the removal of salt and other minerals. Thus, the adaptation of this technology is a challenge.
- The average cost for the installation of a small sized desalination plant is around USD $100 Million, capable of producing 10 GL of water per year.
- Energy cost to desalinate water is around 1 kWh per 1000L
- Total cost of treated water ranges from $1-4 per 1000L
- Desalination should be powered by efficient renewable energy technologies such as solar to increase sustainability
- Currently, this process is only increasing the operation cost because of its intensive energy requirements. Most municipalities only have desalination as emergency backups for city water as it is not cost effective to run them at full capacity or full time
- Desalination plants harm marine life because it discharges warm brine pollution back into the sea environment.
- It can become a major cause of air pollution due to carbon discharge if powered by non renewable energy sources (i.e. thermal coal).
- Desalination plants often use chemicals for water treatment.
Final Verdict
To preserve clean drinking water, we need to focus on water sustainability solutions. Thus, it is essential to work together and all do our part to stop stop wasting water, become more efficient and reduce our usage, as well as recycling water wherever possible. If we take personal responsibility, as well as work collectively for new and innovative infrastructure projects and supporting sustainable agriculture and industry, our future generations will not suffer from a water crisis.
