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40% Gap Between Water Supply & Demand ‘By 2030’

As a rather stark reminder that now’s the time to prioritise commercial water saving solutions in order to protect this precious resource of ours, keynote speaker at the latest MIT Water Summit Mary Conley Egger said that come the year 2030, a 40 per cent gap between water supply and demand will be seen.

 

Which in practical terms means that for every five people, just three will have access to water, she went on to say during the summit, which saw professionals from industry, government, academia and non-governmental organisations come together to discuss ideas and share resources, as well as posit innovative solutions to the growing problem.

 

This year, they gathered at MIT to look into how resilient urban water systems could be built in order to tackle water scarcity in cities. Water companies around the world are already finding it hard to meet consumer demand, because of lack of consumer awareness about water conservation, old infrastructure and inefficient water reuse strategies.

 

And with climate change exacerbating the impact of global urbanisation on water supply, action must be taken now – or more cities could struggle in the way that Cape Town did last year, when its water supply crisis really hit the headlines.

 

Currently, around 50 per cent of the global population lives in cities and by 2050, it’s thought that this will increase to 70 per cent. And a growing demand for potable water is predicted in line with global urbanisation trends and rises in consumption because of elevated incomes – and water systems that rely on energy-intensive technology to meet this hike in demand can be both unsustainable and expensive.

 

Companies in the UK keen to do their bit where water conservation is concerned can start taking action now by having a water audit carried out across their sites. This will help you identify any potential leaks you might have, which could possibly be wasting a serious amount of water. Not only is this bad for our water supplies but water wastage through leaks can cause real damage to your premises, as well as pushing your water bills sky-high.

 

You can also adopt water conservation strategies like water recycling and harvesting, making good use of the rainwater that collects on the roof of your building to be used in place of valuable mains water.

 

This rainwater can be used in a wide variety of ways, whether it’s toilet flushing or vehicle washing, or laundry and process water. Commercial bodies do face a growing need to use their water supply more effectively thanks to a hike in demand for water coupled with increasing concerns about the environmental and social impact that businesses can have.

 

If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the team here at H2O Building Services today.

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