Water is the essence of life on our planet, but it’s also a fundamental asset in the economic development and social well-being of countries. As an essential daily resource, addressing its scarcity during shortages is a top priority for governments.
As reflected in our text about its value, water is a strategic and essential resource worldwide, and it plays a crucial role in economic development, social cohesion, and the stability of international relations. It’s also cross-cutting to many Sustainable Development Goals and is fundamental to SDG 6, which calls for ensuring clean water and sanitation for all and warns that billions of people will not have access to safe drinking water by 2030 (currently, two billion do not).
Several factors exacerbate this risk, such as population growth, intensive water use, precipitation variability, and pollution. To adapt to this reality and promote sustainable and resilient water management, initiatives are underway to address shortages and build a less vulnerable future. These measures are starting to show promising results in different scenarios. Despite their specificity, these techniques require a collaborative approach between governments, communities, and businesses to be truly effective.
- Water planning in large cities. As we noted in a recent article, large cities pose significant challenges to water management, but they also offer an opportunity to join forces to create a positive environmental impact. Renaturalizing spaces, adapting infrastructure, and establishing hydrographic confederations to manage river basins that span multiple regions are some of the practices helping to improve water quality and combat droughts.
- Water desalination. Building desalination plants that convert salt water into potable water in coastal areas has become a prominent solution globally. Countries like Saudi Arabia, where four out of every five liters of water consumed comes from desalination, along with the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Japan, and Spain, lead the world in installed capacity. In Spain, the EU’s largest desalination plant is located in Torrevieja (Alicante), with a nominal capacity of 240,000 cubic meters per day and authorization to expand to 360,000 cubic meters. Thanks to international cooperation, developing countries are beginning to implement smaller-scale desalination facilities.
- Advanced filtration. Nowadays, there are state-of-the-art techniques for filtering water to make it suitable not only for irrigation but also for drinking. In an interview Baltasar Peñate, a researcher at the Canary Islands Institute of Technology (ITC), told us about the most popular method: reverse osmosis. This semi-permeable membrane filtration technique is gradually replacing traditional methods like distillation, offering key advantages such as lower energy consumption, reduced human intervention to minimize risks, and significant cost savings.
- Innovative technology and practices. Investing in research and development of innovative technologies is essential for safeguarding water bodies and optimizing the efficient use of available resources. Several techniques have already been successfully implemented: advanced sensor systems that detect and measure moisture levels at the surface and in deeper layers, providing alerts for potential leaks; digital platforms that leverage mathematical models, predictive analytics, and Artificial Intelligence to optimize water distribution, anticipate adverse weather events, and map supply networks in urban or industrial settings; and digital twins, which can be used during the design phase of water infrastructure as well as for preventive and reactive maintenance.
- Groundwater recovery. In contrast to surface water, significant volumes of groundwater are available for treatment and subsequent use in human consumption and agriculture. However, to ensure sustainable practices, it’s essential to implement appropriate measures that prevent the over-exploitation of these resources and mitigate any negative environmental impacts. With this goal in mind, the Polytechnic University of Cartagena has developed a technology that recovers brackish groundwater through methods such as denitrification and evaporation, harnessing renewable energy and minimizing waste generation.
- Restoration of ecosystems. Protecting wetlands, reforesting forests, and recovering degraded soils can mitigate desertification by regulating the water cycle (even with increased rainfall), improve moisture retention, and increase resilience to droughts. Beyond restoring natural areas, these practices can be applied to agriculture, cultivating climate-appropriate crops in sustainable quantities while respecting the region’s biodiversity.
- Water collection. Modern architecture is integrating innovative methods for rainwater collection and storage for later use into the designs of both large and small infrastructures. These solutions, which are simple to implement and blend seamlessly with their surroundings, can significantly reduce the water demand of buildings and communities. Notable examples of successful models include drainage and dispensing tanks, underground reservoirs, and modular tanks, which are particularly beneficial in agricultural settings.
- Education and policy. To address water misuse and harmonize economic development with responsible water management, it’s crucial to foster a collective commitment and heightened social awareness. While educational initiatives emphasize instilling water-saving habits, these efforts must be reinforced by policies that encourage sustainable and efficient practices in both industrial and agricultural sectors.
