Centralized water systems dominate in economically advanced nations. However, alternative models are now emerging that may save substantial amounts of money and help alleviate pressure on water supplies across the globe.

A million single-use plastic bottles are purchased every minute...

Boil-water alerts, sometimes called boil-water advisories, can occur with public drinking water supplies at certain times if it is considered that there is a risk to drinking water, e.g. after a storm or power outage. If these happen, you should boil water before consuming it and follow issued guidelines to avoid the risk of illness. Alternatively, you can access alternative drinking water supplies. Here is a brief guide on what to do.

Most industrialized countries use a centralized water supply approach to control, treat and distribute water among their populations. This has proved an effective way of reaching the various regions in nations where a developed infrastructure is in place. However, there are problems with centralized supplies including leakages (which amount to 45 million cubic metres a day), bacteria that can develop when water stagnates, and uneven water quality across different areas.

As the worldwide consumption of water goes up, the amount of wastewater produced also rises and global pollution increases. Only the most economically advanced countries have sufficient wastewater treatment systems in place, meaning that the majority of water used worldwide is released back into the environment untreated. This not only has adverse effects on the environment and human health but also exacerbates the global water scarcity problem.

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.