Water crisis

There is much talk of a coming crisis, with wars predicted over water.

However, unlike fossil fuels, water is never used up - it simply changes form. It can be returned to usable form through various water recycling options, using:

• Technology, e.g. advanced water treatment including reverse osmosis
• Natural ecosystems, e.g. through rivers and groundwater recharge, allowing the water to be reused at a later stage
• Artificial ecosystems, e.g. constructed wetlands, or
• A combination of these, e.g. an advanced water treatment plant discharging to an artificial wetland, which discharges to a river.

Water efficiency is obviously critical, including:

• Using water multiple times - e.g. water from basins, showers and washing clothes being used to flush toilets and to water gardens.
• Reducing losses (leaks) in the water distribution system.
• Using water efficient appliances. These are sometimes low cost (e.g. efficient shower heads) but sometimes expensive (front loading washing_machines^W).

Interwiki links

• Wikipedia:Water crisis