Water conservation and sustainability

It’s been a hot and dry summer, and the plants in grandma Ellen’s garden are not doing great. Leon is helping his grandma water them, and starts wondering - is it possible to run out of water completely? Water is a renewable resource, and the amount of water on Earth has been the same for millions of years. So there is no risk the planet will run out of all water. However, only a very small fraction of water is freshwater that is available and usable.

And even though water is a renewable resource, it does take time to replenish. It’s mostly because of overuse and pollution by humans, that freshwater sources can’t renew themselves. This reduces the amount of usable water. So there is a risk we might run out of usable freshwater. Humans are the greatest threat to water resources, but we are also the ones who can fix the situation.

The key is to make sure we make the best possible use of the water that is available. This can be done through water conservation. Water conservation includes different strategies and solutions for increasing the amount of freshwater available, improving water quality, and preventing water wastage. Water treatment is a big part of water conservation. Water treatment involves a number of processes that filter and purify water, and improve its quality.

This makes it possible to restore some water that has been polluted and make it usable again. One solution involves microorganisms, for example bacteria. These microorganisms feed on certain pollutants and this removes them from the environment. Purifying and recovering freshwater using microorganisms in this way is called bioremediation. However, many pollutants are very difficult to remove.

Therefore, we should prevent harmful chemicals from entering and affecting water resources in the first place. This can be done by reducing the amount of dangerous chemicals used in farming, industry, and even in our homes. Some solutions allow us to increase the amount of available freshwater. For example, saltwater can be turned into freshwater, in a process of desalination. In this process, salt is removed from saltwater to make it suitable for human consumption.

Desalination, however, is quite costly. Desalinated seawater is one of the most expensive sources of freshwater. A much cheaper and simpler method involves collecting and using rainwater. This is rainwater harvesting. Collected rainwater can be stored in big tanks and used, for example, for farming.

Rainwater can also be used to refill groundwater sources. For example, rainwater runoff from rooftops or streets is collected in a hole in the ground - a percolation pit. From there, the water will seep into the groundwater and refill it. You can contribute to water conservation too. Make sure you don’t use more water than you need, and that you don’t waste it, for example letting water drip from a tap.

Also, be mindful about what you eat and what you buy, because everything we use needs water to be produced. The more involved we are in protecting water resources, the better the chance that there will be enough water for everyone. Leon has an idea. He is going to make a rainwater barrel! So next time it rains, he can collect water for the plants in the garden.