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.

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.

BOSAQ uses membrane technology for its systems. Within the BOSAQ off-grid drinking water production devices, use of chemicals for membrane cleaning is reduced to an absolute minimum by means of smart deployment of innovative ‘green’ fouling prevention methods.

Have you ever wondered why water drops have that circular form instead of, for example, a squared one? The answer is simple, circular shape allows molecules to hold the liquid together by occupying minimum surface area, resulting into spherical drops, as we already know.

We are all aware that water is our planet’s most valuable resource. Without enough of it, the human race would cease to exist. Which is why recent research predicting that there won’t be enough water to meet global demands by 2040 is deeply concerning. However, although current freshwater levels are depleting while the global population continues to grow, the looming crisis is not one that cannot be averted.

For many years, sustainable water management was not a top priority for real estate companies. Sustainable construction was considered expensive and nothing more than a way to comply with the regulations. Today, however, sustainability has become a key aspect in the sector and an opportunity to create added value. Sustainable buildings are more profitable, and not only for the obvious reasons.