WHAT TO DO TO RECOVER AND REUSE THE WATER IN THE ENVIRONMENT? - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The recovery and reuse of water from the environment is one of the most popular techniques to combat drought in areas with a lack of water. For this, the water can be treated, accumulated, among other actions that we will explain to you.

The recovery of used water is also one of the objectives of large cities. As citizens of the world, it is our responsibility to learn to manage the planet's resources.

Specialists on the subject continue to insist that water will be one of the great problems of the 21st century. Below, you can see some of the solutions proposed by the experts.

What to do to recover and reuse the water in the environment?

1- Water treatment

The most widely used alternative today is water treatment. The technology already exists to manage water in such a way that it can be reused for some human activities, which is why developed and developing countries have opted for this measure.

The only problem with water treatment is that the technology to make it totally potable is still in the experimental phase in some countries like Singapore.

2- Collect rainwater / accumulate it

The second strategy that countries have chosen to obtain water is collection through rain. Although the idea seems simple, there are certain technical difficulties that must be faced to make this method totally efficient.

In addition to these problems, collecting water also requires treatment technology. Not all the water that falls from the sky is crystal clear (especially in cities), it requires a purification process so that we can consume it.

3- Convert air into water

Another idea that has been present in entrepreneurs and specialists in the treatment and obtaining of water is the achievement of the same through the air that circulates in the air. Today there is technology to obtain water from the air that circulates in the environment.

This has been one of the main solutions for countries with very high water scarcity. Efforts have focused on making the technology inexpensive enough that other poor countries can adopt it as well.

4- Desalination of sea water

One of the most abundant elements in the world is water. Unfortunately, the vast majority of it is neither potable nor useful for planting. This is because the high concentrations of salt in it make it impossible for humans to take advantage of it.

That is why salt mines and devices have been designed that can desalinate water so that it can be fit for human consumption. Experts believe that it will be one of the most viable solutions in the future, as long as the ocean waters remain clean.

What has been done so far?

There are many alternatives to the global water crisis. Academic research has focused especially on recognizing the problem locally in order to propose an appropriate solution for the place.

For example, in Mexico City, the shortage of water has been due to the way in which the resource is captured to the city and the enormous amount that is wasted along the way.

The area in which it is located facilitates the collection of water thanks to the constant rains that occur throughout the year. However, much of the resource that falls goes directly to the drains.

The water used by the city comes from very distant places, in which the nearby towns are left without water from where it is extracted.

In other parts of the world there is a shortage due to the climate in the country or region. In various regions of Africa, for example, temperatures are so high that water evaporates or decomposes easily.

If population growth increases and urban conditions do not improve, scarcity occurs. Associations such as World Wild Life have made an analysis of the seriousness of the situation and possible solutions. This NGO estimates that by 2025 around 2/3 of the world's population will suffer from water shortages.

What WWL highlights is that, although there is still a lot of fresh water in the world, the vital liquid is suffering from pollution and climate change.

In other words, various countries are polluting their water reserves, either because of mining extraction, poor treatment of their wastewater and other industrial activities that pollute rivers and lakes.

To make the problem bigger, the polar caps are melting and melting with the salty water, causing the largest reservoir of fresh water to be lost.

Agriculture is also a problem for water. It is estimated that around 70% of the water used in the world goes into irrigation for crops. This implies that risk and crop care techniques have to improve since in the long term it could become unsustainable.

This without counting the large amount of pollution produced by agriculture itself due to the use of pesticides whose use not only pollutes, but also affects other species.

All of these problems have been attacked through government actions that seek to create awareness in people about the problem. Through measured water use campaigns. Avoiding the waste of water could be a first step towards its conservation.

Meanwhile, the scientific community has turned to proposing more complex solutions in which more water can be extracted without the need to contaminate other resources.

Bottled water, for example, has been criticized by various environmentalists because it eliminates the government's responsibility for providing drinking water for its inhabitants. In addition, it produces a large amount of plastic waste that could be avoided if there was drinking water everywhere.

Other studies see this as an opportunity and have published an article in which they propose that bottled water brands contribute a part of their profits to various projects to avoid a global water crisis. They even argue that bottled water could be the solution to the problem.

First world countries have also had to deal with water problems. In Flint, Michigan, in the United States, there was a water problem because the pipe contaminated the city's water with high levels of lead.

Thousands of people, inhabitants of the city, suffered from diseases related to high levels of this metal in the blood. Now former president Barack Obama had to intervene in the matter and make the city leaders resign.

This case proves that, even if the resource exists, the possibility of it being contaminated by poor city planning is present.

Countries with desert territories, where water is scarce, will be the first to suffer the consequences. If widespread poverty is added to this, the problem will get much worse.

Organizations for the preservation of water

Some specialists consider that the best solution should be made in conjunction with other countries. Studies have been published in which it is assured that the lack of water in parts of the world such as the Middle East will be the key to peace in the region.

The lack of water in the future is almost a fact, due to the increase in population, the continuous pollution of the environment and climate change.

So far there are more than 27 international organizations fighting against the looming crisis. Either through awareness raising, the generation of technology for the treatment and obtaining of water as well as coordinating local efforts with governments and the civil population.

What these organizations have made us see is that there must be a joint effort to achieve a change in the use of this precious and vital resource.

The role of citizens

As a citizen of the world, it is possible to contribute to saving water in the world. On the one hand, carrying out individual actions (reusing water, bathing in less time, rationalizing its use, avoiding leaks), in addition to implementing homemade technologies for collecting water on your own and lobbying local governments in such a way that they are taken actions that guarantee water in the long term.

The joint actions could be summarized in three: preserve, generate and care. Each country has the obligation to carry out projects that allow its population to have water in a self-sustainable way.

Sustainable companies

Companies also have the responsibility to support all actions carried out by NGOs and other forms of civil organization. Especially those that use this resource for the realization of their products.

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other large multinational industries have an obligation to help local people conserve the resource.

References

1. Hawkins, R. (2014). Paradoxes of ethically branded bottled water: constituting the solution to the world water crisis.. Cultural Geographies, 727-743.
2. Mears, DK (2017). Flint, Michigan: An essential lesson for state drinking water regulators.. Trends, 6-9.
3. Newcomer, L. (March 22, 2013). Greatist. Retrieved from 27 Water Crisis Orgs to Follow Right Now: greatist.com.
4. Salcedo, A. (November 12, 2015). The Guardian. Retrieved from theguardian.com.
5. WWF. (April 08, 2017). Water Scarcity. Retrieved from worldwildlife.org.