Sustainable water supply systems are a core necessity for both urban and rural planning and development. The need for potable and domestic water spans across the entire spectrum. Rural needs are additionally about agricultural usage, while urban areas must manage industrial and commercial requirements.
There are completely different economic, social and environmental issues to be addressed at the supply and demand ends in both rural and urban areas. The array of factors to be considered can be broadly categorized under either watershed management or water usage, and will vary depending on local climatic conditions, population and existing resources. The one thing that is common to every community in the world is that the presence of water is directly linked to survival and growth.
Watershed management is the main focus on the supply side. The main concern is to maintain nature's balance and the surrounding ecosystem of plant and animal life while still proving adequate supplies for human usage. This means avoiding depletion and pollution at the source. Practically speaking, it involves everything from land use and water rights to storm runoffs, drainage, cross-jurisdiction agreements and environment law compliance.
Surface freshwater is a challenge for communities because its distribution is highly unfair across the world. Canada alone hogs more than 50 percent of the world's lake-based freshwater, while the rest of the world makes do with dams built on rivers to create artificial reservoirs. The main source for most people is therefore groundwater, which accounts for more than 50 percent of global freshwater.
By comparison, rainwater harvesting is a highly sustainable method which does not deplete or pollute natural resources. There is no danger of overexploitation at the moment, and the harvested supplies are clean and suitable for human consumption. The limitations include the setup cost and the need for treatment of stored rainwater to prevent contamination.
Another possibility is desalination plants that remove salt from seawater using reverse osmosis. It's not as environmentally friendly as harvesting rainwater, but it is a far better option compared to depleting lakes and groundwater or damming up rivers. Wider use is limited because of the high installation cost and energy required. Not to mention the fact that it produces Co2 emissions and several other byproducts that may be harmful to marine life.
Other ways to ensure sustainability on the demand side include reduction in wastewater generation. This means innovation to reduce consumption by installing dual flush toilets, astroturfs, artificial lawns, waterless car washes and other such systems. Better and wider implementation of wastewater treatment systems will help, as will improving the efficiency of municipal distribution pipes to reduce leakage.
All of these aforementioned methods and aspects are just the core components of the overall mission of implementing sustainable water supply systems. Ultimately, what it needs is a major technological revolution accompanied by cross-jurisdictional cooperation and regulation updates to ensure sustainability of every community. WHO estimates that around 1.8 million die each year from consumption of contaminated water, and it is increasingly worse because of severe floods and droughts triggered by climate change. It follows that the first order of business should be to ensure a safe and adequate supply of potable water.
There are completely different economic, social and environmental issues to be addressed at the supply and demand ends in both rural and urban areas. The array of factors to be considered can be broadly categorized under either watershed management or water usage, and will vary depending on local climatic conditions, population and existing resources. The one thing that is common to every community in the world is that the presence of water is directly linked to survival and growth.
Watershed management is the main focus on the supply side. The main concern is to maintain nature's balance and the surrounding ecosystem of plant and animal life while still proving adequate supplies for human usage. This means avoiding depletion and pollution at the source. Practically speaking, it involves everything from land use and water rights to storm runoffs, drainage, cross-jurisdiction agreements and environment law compliance.
Surface freshwater is a challenge for communities because its distribution is highly unfair across the world. Canada alone hogs more than 50 percent of the world's lake-based freshwater, while the rest of the world makes do with dams built on rivers to create artificial reservoirs. The main source for most people is therefore groundwater, which accounts for more than 50 percent of global freshwater.
By comparison, rainwater harvesting is a highly sustainable method which does not deplete or pollute natural resources. There is no danger of overexploitation at the moment, and the harvested supplies are clean and suitable for human consumption. The limitations include the setup cost and the need for treatment of stored rainwater to prevent contamination.
Another possibility is desalination plants that remove salt from seawater using reverse osmosis. It's not as environmentally friendly as harvesting rainwater, but it is a far better option compared to depleting lakes and groundwater or damming up rivers. Wider use is limited because of the high installation cost and energy required. Not to mention the fact that it produces Co2 emissions and several other byproducts that may be harmful to marine life.
Other ways to ensure sustainability on the demand side include reduction in wastewater generation. This means innovation to reduce consumption by installing dual flush toilets, astroturfs, artificial lawns, waterless car washes and other such systems. Better and wider implementation of wastewater treatment systems will help, as will improving the efficiency of municipal distribution pipes to reduce leakage.
All of these aforementioned methods and aspects are just the core components of the overall mission of implementing sustainable water supply systems. Ultimately, what it needs is a major technological revolution accompanied by cross-jurisdictional cooperation and regulation updates to ensure sustainability of every community. WHO estimates that around 1.8 million die each year from consumption of contaminated water, and it is increasingly worse because of severe floods and droughts triggered by climate change. It follows that the first order of business should be to ensure a safe and adequate supply of potable water.
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