Sustainability in Water Management
On a global scale, sustainable
water provides each person with affordable access to 20 to 50 litres of daily
water required to sustain life. This is in accordance with the United Nations
General Assembly recognition of “the right to safe and cleaning drinking water
and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of
life and all human rights”.
Nations lacking freshwater has desalination
an adequate water supply for many years. Yet, higher energy demands have
challenged the adaption of desalination as a sustainable alternative. We continue
to face real water crisis that can only be solved with sustainable consumption,
promotion of clean energies, optimization of production processes and the use
of recycled water.
In 2015, the United Nations (UN) warned that
Earth will have water deficit by 2030 if it we do not change our current
consumption habits.
A common approach to the
challenge is to work towards setting up a balance in the use and supply of
water. In simple terms to ensure sustainable water management the amount of
water used should be less or about the same as the amount of water that is
returning to the water source. It has been noted worldwide public water
suppliers have taken active measures to reduce the use of water and help pay
for keeping surface and groundwater supplies clean and plentiful by charging
extra fees for increased water use. This encourages industry and people in
their homes to conserve water. Many organizations also work to educate residents
about the importance of a sustainable water supply.
The rapid rate of population
growth increases the challenges of water and wastewater even more pressing —and
it is potentially greater threats to peace and security.
Ensuring sustainability features in water supply, is to say, three-fold goals of economic feasibility, social responsibility and environmental integrity, is linked to the purpose of water use.
These purposes compete when resources are limited; for example, water needed to meet the demands of an increasingly urban population as well as those needs of rural agriculture. Sustainable water supply is a component of integrated water resource management, the practice of bringing together multiple stakeholders with various viewpoints in order to determine how water should best be managed. In order to decide if a water system is sustainable, various economic, social and ecological considerations must be considered.