Getting smarter about water: If we don't, it could be a thirsty future

(NC) – Water flows through everything – from the earth, to the global economy, to our bodies. Yet many people take it for granted, causing real problems today and real threats for tomorrow.

Consider these facts

• Municipalities lose up 50 per cent of their water supply through leaky infrastructure.
• The United Nations predicts nearly half the world’s population will experience critical water shortages by 2080.
• Only two per cent of the earth’s water supply is usable today, and human demand is expected to increase six fold in the next 50 years.
• The Athabasca Glacier, one of Canada’s key water sources for farming and irrigation, has receded more than 1.5 km in the past 125 years and lost over half its volume.

Already, today, one in five people lack access to safe drinking water, and water distribution systems tend to be overburdened, and often underfunded. Water infrastructure is three times more expensive to build and maintain than electricity infrastructure, but because much of is underground, out of sight, we rarely think about it until there is a crisis.

In the future

One technology company, IBM, is suggesting governments need to be smarter about how they manage this vital resource. For example, cities may install smarter water systems that can reduce wasted water from leaky pipes by up to 50 per cent. Cities could also adopt advanced water purification technologies to recycle and reuse water locally, reducing energy used to transport water by up to 20 per cent.

No more leaks

Borrowing leak detection and auto repair technology from the oil and gas industry will make finding and fixing leaks easier and more efficient, before the water pours wastefully into the streets. The installation of new technology will ultimately help to reduce the cost of retrofitting ageing water infrastructure and lessen the waste.

Smarter water

By being smarter about planning and using technology, we can create a water infrastructure to protect and preserve the earth’s most valuable and needed resource.

More information about smarter water is available online

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