In a world where water is readily available, it is hard to realize that without quality water, a country’s prosperity is at risk. In this article, I raise matters that speaks to two main audiences.

The concept of the “green brand” was something associated with a handful of maverick companies not so long ago. But changing consumer attitudes, along with a realisation of the scale of the environmental and social problems we face, is putting pressure on companies to focus on sustainability as well as profits. With commercial water use […]

Small in size, densely populated and very urbanized, Belgium is a country with a high level of water usage that impacts on the water supplies of other countries when water used to produce imported goods is taken into account. This short article takes a look at how much water Belgium consumes compared to other nations, where that water goes and what can be done to reduce water use in Belgium.

Today is the World Day of Social Justice, where the ongoing need to tackle poverty, inequality and exclusion is recognized. Global inequalities regarding access to clean water supplies is something that doesn’t always receive the same coverage as other inequalities but they still persist. Universal access to clean water and sanitation is number 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to be achieved by 2030. In this article, we take a brief look at the challenges to overcome.

Wars over resources are not new. European colonialism was fuelled to a large extent over gaining control over resource-rich parts of the African, Asian and American continents. The 20th century featured many conflicts over control of oil fields. According to many experts, we now face a future where an increasing number of disputes are over the planet’s most essential resource – water.

Access to clean drinking water and a decent sewage disposal system are things that many of us take for granted, but the lack of decent sanitation in parts of the developing world is still having severe effects.

Day zero. It sounds like the title of an apocalyptic horror movie. Yet these two words have a real world meaning referring to the water crisis currently threatening a number of the world’s cities. This year, Cape Town prepared itself for a “day zero” – a dreaded day when water reserves become so low that central water supplies are turned off and the resource of water becomes rationed. This has now been put back to 2019.

With several advantages, few negatives and low costs, it’s perhaps surprising that water efficiency hasn’t garnered the same attention as energy efficiency in the green building drive. But this presents an opportunity for forward-thinking planners and developers to gain an edge and take the lead where water-related technologies and solutions are concerned, rather than waiting for the policy-makers to catch up.

BOSAQ - The Off-Grid water technology expert during a Watercircle workshop at the Aquarama trade fair

Upgrade and maintenance costs are expensive. For some countries, replacing archaic pipes could take decades. For others, it may never happen. To properly address the situation, we may need more innovative solutions. It could be time to revolutionize the way we think about how water is distributed and managed.

This can be prevented by a good layout of the water circuit. But more than often this was not sufficiently taken into account in the building process. So a good Legionella Management plan is necessary to safeguard your buildings.

With factors such as population growth and climate change expected to exacerbate current problems with global water shortages over the coming decades, we may well see more developing countries exploring decentralized approaches to find ways of improving access to water among their populations.