It seems that the issue of water stress and scarcity is becoming more well-known, with a new study revealing that 69 per cent of Americans would consider water scarcity to be a major environmental concern.
Carried out by SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions, and reported on by WaterWorld, the study also found that 74 per cent think more action must be taken in local communities to conserve more water.
This could be done through increased use of recycled water, which – according to the survey – has widespread acceptance, with over a third of those asked saying they would drink recycled water, while almost half saying they would be happy for it to be used in irrigation.
CEO of SUEZ Yuvbir Singh observed that world leaders are currently engaged with the global pandemic, which is as it should be, but one day the economy will recover and other challenges like water scarcity and climate change, which existed before the coronavirus crisis, will still be there.
“I think the world will emerge from this crisis more prepared and eager than ever to tackle big problems. There’s a bit of nuance here, because it seems that while most Americans accept the use of recycled water, they aren’t sure their communities are ready to take the plunge,”
“This really highlights the need for broader educational campaigns about the safety of this technology, and further investment in sustainable infrastructure and industrial projects,” he said.
While this study relates to the US, it’s important to remember that water stress and scarcity is a global issue and one that affects us all. Because of climate breakdown, the UK will see increasing instances of drought and flooding, which will have a big impact on the way the country works – and we could see the effects of this in just ten years’ time.
As such, it’s important that businesses and consumers alike look at their water usage to see if there are any improvements that could be made in order to reduce pressure on this very necessary resource.
Looking into alternative water resources is a great idea if you do want to reduce your reliance on mains supplies.
What about rainwater harvesting, which is where you collect and store rainwater that falls on the roof of your site? This water is then filtered and reused instead of mains water for applications like toilet flushing, vehicle washing and laundry and process water.
You can also use greywater – that which is lightly contaminated through the use of sinks, showers and washing machines – instead of mains supplies. You can use this water for irrigation and toilet and urinal flushing, which reduces the amount of water taken from fresh sources but also reduces the amount of wastewater being sent to treatment facilities.
