Tackling water shortages with wastewater

A growing body of opinion is pointing to wastewater as the solution to water shortages, with the New York Time's Jessica Yu claiming that we are not doing enough to preserve the water supplies we already have.

In the UK, drought warnings now cover areas from Cornwall to Yorkshire, covering 40 counties. The recent water shortage has raised questions about the sustainability of our water supplies, and whether we are doing enough to preserve the water that we have.

As Miss Yu puts it in NYT: "While we can’t 'make' more water, there is one solution to water shortage problems that addresses issues of both quality and supply."

Reclaiming water from sewage could be the solution to the current drought problem. Using water from showers, sinks and toilets could ensure that water supplies are both plentiful and sustainable.

One example where such policies are used is Israel.  Over 80 per cent of household wastewater is recycled in the republic, providing nearly half the water for irrigation.

A new scheme in America and a similar one in Singapore are attempting to do a similar thing. Research bodies have found that it is it’s practical to turn wastewater into water that’s clean enough to drink, which could become commonplace in drought sensitive areas, such as parts of England.

Posted by Joseph Hutton