Sustainable Water Management

Edexcel iGCSE > River Environments > Sustainable Water Management

Sustainable Water Management

Sustainable water management involves using water resources efficiently to meet current needs without compromising future availability.

Domestic and Industrial Use

In regions with an abundance of water, low costs have often led to overuse and waste. One effective way to address this is by raising water prices, which encourages individuals and organizations, both public and private, to be more mindful of their consumption. Higher water prices could promote:

The reuse of “grey” water (previously used water)
Investment in water recycling and reclamation technologies
Increased efforts to reduce water loss through advanced systems and technologies.

However, higher water prices can disproportionately affect low-income households. Pricing water for both domestic and industrial users remains a sensitive issue, particularly in countries where water resources have been privatized. Installing water meters in homes can ensure that users only pay for the amount of water they consume, encouraging less wasteful habits such as:

Opting for showers over baths
Boiling only the necessary amount of water in kettles.

Some industries have successfully reduced their water usage per unit of production, but more progress is needed. Industries like paper manufacturing, textile production, and aluminum processing are particularly water-intensive. For example, producing 1 kg of aluminum can require up to 1500 liters of water. Countries like Japan and Germany have made significant strides in industrial water use; in Japan, more than 75% of process water is recycled.

Agricultural Use

Globally, improving the efficiency of irrigation systems would have the greatest impact on conserving water. Many traditional irrigation methods are inefficient, with at least 50% of the water used being wasted. A modest 10% increase in irrigation efficiency could save more water than is lost to evaporation across all other uses. Modern drip irrigation systems, which deliver water directly to a plant’s roots, can achieve up to 95% efficiency but require significant investment. Other approaches, such as collecting stormwater and irrigation runoff, have gained attention in recent decades. Watering crops early in the morning to reduce evaporation can also play a role in conserving water. As water scarcity intensifies globally, there will likely be greater investment in tackling these challenges.

Summary

Sustainable water management involves using water resources efficiently to meet current needs without compromising future availability.
Raising water prices can reduce overuse and waste, promote grey water reuse, and encourage investment in water-saving technologies, though it can negatively affect low-income households.
Installing water meters helps users manage consumption by only paying for what they use, promoting water-saving habits like taking showers instead of baths.
Water-intensive industries, such as aluminium processing, have started reducing water usage; countries like Japan recycle over 75% of their industrial water.
Improving irrigation efficiency has the most potential to conserve water globally, with modern drip systems achieving up to 95% efficiency.
Collecting stormwater, irrigation runoff, and timing irrigation to reduce evaporation are other methods contributing to more efficient agricultural water use.