How some countries are saving water

Image Collab: Leo Rivas

By now most of us know saving water is key to our survival in future. This is escalating in importance as the years go by with the population increasing and water supplies decreasing. Many countries are working to prevent this disaster. Here's what some countries are doing:

Saudi Arabia, due to its location, has been a true innovator in desalination techniques making the highest production of water that has been filtered to remove salts and minerals.

Singapore is using acoustic sound technology to detect leaks in city water pipes. Sound detection devices locate leaks by characterizing and differentiating between leak sounds. Smaller leaks produce a higher-frequency sound and larger leaks a lower frequency sound.

In 2008 China improved agricultural practices on 250 000 farms creating more efficient drainage and irrigation sprinklers and wells, soil and environmental monitoring, ground leveling support and institutionalized water and soil conservation practices.

The UK is a leader in water metering technology which enhances how residents can adjust their water usage with online databases. The meters let citizens look at what their water is being used for and how much is used. Households may receive alerts if there are big increases which could signal a leak or other problem.

South Africa employs technologies such as leak detection piping, adjusted water pressure, replacement of faulty water meters and improvement of parks irrigation practices. They also convince citizens to consume less water to use water most efficiently.

Israel recycles 85% of its wastewater and 50% of its farming needs use recycled water. They have more than 300 desalination plants providing water for the country and export over $2 billion worth of filtered salt water to other countries in need.

South Korea’s government started a project in 2004 installing rainwater collection systems. These systems capture water to be recycled and used for household appliances, irrigation in parks and for industrial buildings.

Certain United States cities require all large buildings to report their water use and to do an assessment every five years to make sure water is being used effectively. They also make property owners follow water conservation practices such as using low-flow shower heads and water saving faucets and toilets.

Australia is shifting agricultural to less water intensive crops as globally the majority of water is used in producing food sources. They are moving to drip irrigation which on average saves about 50% of water used in flood irrigation.

In India, Bangalore’s lakes were at risk of being bought by private owners in 2010 which would make them unavailable for conservation and cut off them from the aquifers that provides water for the city. A government agency was set up to protect and save lakes making them sustainable and available to the urban communities and farms surrounding the city.

So there you have it, these are just some of the ways that some countries are making strides to use less water. There are many other countries doing excellent work to save water, but no doubt a great deal more needs to be done regarding water conservation to secure our future.