Desalination involves removing the salinity (dissolved salts and minerals) from water. There are a number of ways of doing this, but the only process that ticks all the boxes in terms of catering for large volumes, environmental impact and cost, is reverse osmosis.
The Basin Plan, at its core, is about reducing the amount of water that can be extracted from its streams, rivers and aquifers. It includes an environmental water strategy to improve the conditions of the wetlands and rivers of the basin.
Water crisis: towns and cities
(April 7 2018) There are 11 major cities on the Blue Planet that are most likely to run out of drinking water—exactly like Cape Town. Those cities are:
For more than 25 years, Water.org has made it their mission to bring water and sanitation to the world. Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, they pioneer market-driven financial solutions to the global water crisis.
Special Report on the Global Clean Water Crisis.
This extensive article features: the crisis in Cape Town, South Africa, Asia, Flint Michigan (lead contamination) . Although the article is lengthy, the information is excellent and sectioned using subheadings which makes it easy to find relevant information.
Providing safe water around the globe is a huge undertaking. But several solutions – from drinking straws to a 'drinkable' book – are making a difference.
In an effort to solve the crisis, an international team of scientists have developed a prototype “water chip”, which has the potential to cost effectively desalinise seawater for drinking, bathing and irrigation on a huge scale.
What should we do? Responses inevitably turn to preventative engineering solutions such as raised groundwater wells or disaster resilient reservoirs. But could a point be approaching where the sheer scale of catastrophes overwhelm even “hardened” buildings and infrastructures?
