Water is the most important resource for life to exist and thrive on our home planet. Water is life and from my observation looking at the world’s map, major cities are geographically located a few miles from a coastline.
According to a 2015 report, 271 (52.8%) of the 513 cities with a population above one million were located less than 100 kilometres (62.1 miles) from a coastline. This was 59.4% of the global urban population as of 2015.1
The increased global population influences water demand—an essential resource ensuring food security and supporting our everyday activities. While usable water is available in some parts of the world, some regions suffer from droughts lasting for months or even years.
California for example experienced a serious drought every decade since 1917. According to the California Department of Water Resources, one of the state’s worst droughts was the 5-year event of 2012-2016. Other significant droughts in the history of California took place in 2007-09, 1987-92 and 1976-77.2
The recent Catalonia water crisis was a result of a series of heat waves in Spain and other parts of Europe. Authorities in the region described it as the “worst drought ever,” according to an article published by Aljazeera. Residents were forced to reduce their daily water usage due to the drought.3
Water scarcity is a serious environmental problem regardless of the region affected. In developing countries, water scarcity causes famine and affects livelihood in general.
What Is Sustainable Water Management?
Sustainable water management is the careful use of water as a resource to satisfy our current water needs sustainably without depleting the resources for future needs.
The idea of sustainable water management in an urban environment is to ensure the availability and quality of water for current and future generations. To achieve this, it’s crucial sustainable water management practices are prioritized.4
The idea of sustainable water consumption is complex, with both environmental and economic consequences. The focus is on a global scale to ensure everyone in the world has access to clean, drinkable water.
Human activities in the last one hundred years have contaminated the environment, making drinkable water scarce in places it was plenty. Changes in weather patterns due to climate change have made the situation worsen, with less rainfall to boost agricultural products.
Water is the most valuable resource for our survival on Earth. Conserving it plays a critical role in reducing excessive consumption. Different water management techniques are explored to conserve it.
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Sustainable Water Management in Agriculture
Arid regions are getting less rainfall by the year due to climate change. This poses a serious problem for food production in these areas. According to a 2015 study on sustainable water management in agriculture under climate change, water management in agriculture has a multi-functional role in Southern Europe—and can be achieved if farmers will take the responsibility to participate in water management and capacity building, reuse treated water, and adopt improvements in irrigation application.5
The Mediterranean region is no stranger to drought. Above-average temperatures and poor precipitation have resulted in drought conditions in the Mediterranean region. This affects different countries in the regions—Southern Italy, southern Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Malta, and Algeria are all affected.6
According to the European Commission, in January 2024, rain deficit and record-high temperatures in the Mediterranean regions affected winter crops and fruit trees. The areas affected were specifically along the coast of Italy, Greece, Spain, and the Mediterranean islands. Places like Algeria and Morocco experienced reduced crop growth according to the recent JRC MARS bulletin.6
The situation around the Mediterranean region can be improved through sustainable water management techniques. Results can be achieved through improved irrigation application, soil and plant practices, reuse of treated wastewater, and water pricing.
Access to potable water is one of the most important factors for productive development. Food production is in high demand due to the increased global population. Continuous drought in vast areas disrupts the amount of food produced.
Food production is an essential part of sustainable human development. Sustainable water management in agriculture is focused on achieving food security and maximizing food-water productivity.7
Looking at global population growth, statistics show that developing countries have more numbers by the year. The increased population in developing countries and the issue of climate change leading to drought affect these countries the most.
Some developing countries mainly rely on rainfed agriculture. Proper irrigation systems are usually scarce or unaffordable. In places like this, rainfed agriculture must expand for increased productivity to provide food for the growing population.
Food Security
Unsustainable agricultural practices also contribute to the issue of water scarcity. While agriculture is a major consumer of water, the search for fertile land to grow and maintain food destroys natural forests to meet food demand.
The growing population is the driving force behind the mass destruction of trees in natural forests in search of land for farming and ranching. Deforestation is a catalyst for climate change, which in turn disrupts weather patterns.
The poor communities in developing countries that heavily rely on rainfed agriculture to grow food are affected as dry seasons are longer. Unless their farmlands are close to a natural body of water to construct an irrigation system, the harvest season will be unproductive.
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The Importance of Sustainable Water Management
Water is the element of life and the hope of our survival on planet Earth. Water occupies the largest part of the Earth—with the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans.
According to the U.S Geological Survey, 71% of the Earth is covered in water but just below 1% is fresh water. More than 99% of water on Earth is unusable. Additionally, It’s estimated by National Geographic, that only 0.3% of our planet’s freshwater is found in the surface water of rivers swamps, and lakes.
Statistics from the U.S. Geological Survey state that more than 68% of Earth’s freshwater is found in glaciers and icecaps and about 30% is found in groundwater.
Our continuous and excessive water usage depletes our water supply. With no alternative water resources, we diminish the chances of having access to clean and drinkable water.
This is why we must adopt sustainable water management practices. It’s our responsibility to preserve resources for effective use. The idea of sustainable water management is to ensure everyone has access to potable water.
The effect of climate change is making it more difficult for people in arid areas. The reoccurring and long-lasting drought in some parts of the world has made water scarcity a norm and the most affected areas are the developing countries.
Sustainable Water Management Practices
Desalination
Desalination is a process that transforms seawater into portable and usable water. It’s a process that aims to obtain freshwater from saline water resources. The process has become a reliable one for water supply since its evolution in the 1950s. It’s an important process that offers hope to those with limited water sources. Desalination makes seawater suitable for human consumption and other uses.8
Desalination has helped to meet the increasing need for potable water, especially in water-stressed regions. Through desalination, people living in water-stressed countries are provided with a reliable source of water. 9
Desalination is not without its environmental impacts. According to a study on the environmental impact of desalination technologies, the environmental impact of the process is mainly attributed to brine discharge, which can affect both marine life and coastal water quality. 10
Air pollutant emissions are also an environmental concern due to the energy demand of the processes. Although the process of desalination can be energy-intensive and expensive, advances in technology are making the process more efficient.
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Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is an old water harvesting technique that can be traced back thousands of years. In my opinion and personal experience, rainwater harvesting is one the best water collection process for later use.
In the last decades, countries around the world have supported the updated implementation of rainwater harvesting as a sustainable water management practice. The idea of collecting rainwater will address the increases in water demand. 11
In urban areas, rainwater harvesting involves the concentration, collection, storage, and treatment of rainwater from rooftops. Rainwater is useful for various household purposes such as watering gardens, flushing toilets, doing laundry, washing cars, or other cleaning and domestic tasks.
Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable alternative to help ease the pressure on the excessive usage of groundwater.
Water Reuse
A water-reusing process similar to desalination, but this technique involves treating wastewater to become suitable for irrigation and flushing toilets in homes.
Wastewater treatment has evolved in the last decades. Water reuse provides the resource for convenient use. The treatment process helps to conserve freshwater that would otherwise be used for toilet flushing or irrigation.12
Wastewater can also contain nutrients that improve plant growth and soil health.
Greywater Recycling
Greywater recycling is a form of wastewater treatment that involves treating wastewater from showers, washing machines, and sinks. The treated wastewater can be used for laundry, toilet flushing and irrigation.
Greywater is a valuable resource that solves the issue of water scarcity. It preserves freshwater by allowing it not to be used for irrigation or laundry. Greywater is valuable in arid and semi-arid areas that experience long-lasting drought.13
Aquifer Recharge
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), aquifer recharge is a manmade or natural process enhanced by humans that convey water underground.14
It involves replenishing groundwater reserves by utilizing infiltration basins, or injection wells. While the process can replenish groundwater reserves, it can also enhance water quality by reducing the concentration of groundwater contaminants.
Aquifer recharge is a process that guarantees adequate water supply during dry seasons when water is usually scarce.
Conclusion
Water scarcity and severe drought in arid areas are serious environmental problems. Without an adequate water supply, food productivity is reduced.
The idea of sustainable water consumption is a complex issue, and drought has both environmental and economic consequences. The focus is on a global scale, to ensure everyone in the world has access to clean drinkable water sources.
Sources
- World’s Largest Coastal Cities, 2015 | Port Economics, Management and Policy. (2021, November 22). Port Economics, Management and Policy | a Comprehensive Analysis of the Port Industry. ↩︎
- California, S. O. (2024, July 1). Drought. ↩︎
- Keeley, G. (2024, February 6). Worst drought recorded hits Spain’s Catalonia, sparking fears and ingenuity. Al Jazeera. ↩︎
- Siddique, I. (2024). Sustainable water management in urban environments. Social Science Research Network. ↩︎
- Chartzoulakis, K., & Bertaki, M. (2015). Sustainable Water Management in Agriculture under Climate Change. Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, 4, 88–98. ↩︎
- Prolonged drought and record temperatures have critical impact in the Mediterranean. (2024, February 20). EU Science Hub. ↩︎
- Russo, T., Alfredo, K., & Fisher, J. (2014). Sustainable water management in urban, agricultural, and natural systems. Water, 6(12), 3934–3956. ↩︎
- Elsaid, K., Kamil, M., Sayed, E. T., Abdelkareem, M. A., Wilberforce, T., & Olabi, A. (2020). Environmental impact of desalination technologies: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 748, 141528. ↩︎
- Darre, N. C., & Toor, G. S. (2018). Desalination of Water: a Review. Current Pollution Reports, 4(2), 104–111. ↩︎
- Elsaid, K., Kamil, M., Sayed, E. T., Abdelkareem, M. A., Wilberforce, T., & Olabi, A. (2020). Environmental impact of desalination technologies: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 748, 141528. ↩︎
- Campisano, A., Butler, D., Ward, S., Burns, M. J., Friedler, E., DeBusk, K., Fisher-Jeffes, L. N., Ghisi, E., Rahman, A., Furumai, H., & Han, M. (2017). Urban rainwater harvesting systems: Research, implementation and future perspectives. Water Research, 115, 195–209. ↩︎
- Salgot, M., & Folch, M. (2018). Wastewater treatment and water reuse. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 2, 64–74. ↩︎
- Nghiem, L. D., Oschmann, N., & Schäfer, A. I. (2006). Fouling in greywater recycling by direct ultrafiltration. Desalination, 187(1–3), 283–290. ↩︎
- Aquifer recharge and aquifer Storage and Recovery | US EPA. (2023, October 31). US EPA.FF ↩︎