World Water Week, an event organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), is being held these days and this year's theme is "Seeds of change: innovative solutions for a water-wise world".

During this lecture , issues related to the usefulness of water as a powerful tool to address many of the problems that are affecting the planet such as climate change, global warming, loss of biodiversity or poverty, among others, have been discussed. The debates have taken as a starting point the scientific information published so far, the knowledge of the indigenous populations and the experiences related to the management of water, developed in different parts of the planet.

The organizing institution of this lecture has awarded this year Professor Andrea Rinaldo (University of Padua) with the Stockholm Water award , considered the award Nobel of water, for his contribution in the area of hydrology to the understanding of the functioning of river networks and the spread of substances dissolved in water, aquatic species and diseases.

Heat, droughts and fires

The event takes place during a summer in which several troubling records have been broken, such as the ambient average temperature reached during the month of July, 0.24 ℃ warmer than any other July on NASA's record, or the temperature average reached by ocean water, 20.96 ℃, the highest value obtained since these have been recorded data.

This information has circulated in the media together with other news reports on the drought affecting Spain (40% of the country is on alert or in emergency due to lack of water); the fires ravaging Canada (one of the coldest countries on the planet, suffering a heat wave unprecedented since records began); the unstoppable advance of the sea in countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand or Vietnam; and the overexploitation of aquifers in Spain.

The impact of all these extreme events on the availability of water is important, as they cause the following effects:

• Water available becomes scarcer, as in the case of droughts, fires and overexploitation of aquifers.

• The water cycle changes as a result of the effects of climate change and, therefore, it is more difficult to predict periods of precipitation, floods or drought.

• Drinking water is contaminated as a result of flooding and rising sea levels.

The worst-case scenario will occur when these three effects occur simultaneously, as they will threaten the sustainable development of the populations, the biodiversity of the affected area and the population's access to drinking water and to the sanitation and hygiene conditions necessary to prevent the spread of diseases related to poor water conditions.

We must not forget that only 3% of the planet's water is fresh and that, of this amount, only one third is accessible. The rest is found in the form of ice at the poles and glaciers, or as groundwater located at great depths.

Towards sustainable water consumption

Sustainable water managementmanagement is an extremely complex and multidisciplinary process. It involves technological, environmental, economic, landscape, aesthetic, social and cultural aspects to facilitate access to water for the entire current population without compromising its availability for future generations.

Agriculture and industrial processes are the sectors that consume the most water(70 % and 20 % of the total respectively) while the remaining 10 % is consumed in our homes. On the other hand, it is estimated that 80% of the water used, which therefore becomes wastewater, does not receive any treatment subject . This means that 85% of the diseases in the countries on development are due to the poor quality of the water they consume.

In order to achieve a sustainable future in the management of water, it will be necessary to promote a culture of water use manager in all areas: agricultural, industrial and domestic.

This use manager of water implies the implementation of more efficient agricultural processes in terms of water consumption resource and the adaptation of crops to the water characteristics of the area.

Industrial processes should also be modified to include technologies that reduce the amount of water and energy consumed and minimize the generation of contaminated water.

Domestic water consumption must also be adapted to current conditions, for example, by modifying our eating habits (consumption of foods that require less water for their production) and reducing the amount of water used in all domestic activities.

The development and implementation of an efficient regulatory framework that includes adequate water, energy, agricultural and urban planning, is essential to regulate water uses.

While this is happening, we should reflect on how we can contribute, individually, to preserve this irreplaceable asset that is water.

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Carolina Santamaría Elola
Researcher at Biodiversity and Environment Institute and professor at School of Sciences, University of Navarra.
24.08.2023