The shortage of clean water affects millions of people living in different regions of the world. For instance, one can mention Northern Africa and the Middle East since these regions are adversely affected by draughts. Moreover, this problem results in numerous diseases that can take thousands of lives [1]. This is the main reason why this issue should not be overlooked. Additionally, it is important to remember that the lack of clean water impairs the economic development of many countries.
In particular, one can speak about the needs of farmers and industrial enterprises [1]. One should keep in mind that in many cases, this problem is not directly related to climate, since very often people cannot get access to water due to political conflicts and economic difficulties. Overall, this issue is great concern to governmental and non-governmental organizations. These are some of the main details should be considered.
This topic is closely related to engineering since it is necessary to find technological solutions that can make water more accessible. In many cases, the countries, which are affected by this problem, may lack the technologies that can be used for water purification. While working on this problem, engineers will need to consider various factors.
For instance, very often it is necessary to remove a specific contaminant from water, and it is necessarily to design products that can be applied for this particular purpose. Additionally, one should consider such a criterion as cost-effectiveness since these technologies must be affordable to various communities. So, it is possible to say that this problem still presents a challenge to engineers. More importantly, these professionals can develop solutions that can benefit thousands or even millions of people.
Overall, there are several solutions that can be used to alleviate problem. For instance, one can speak about the desalination systems which are based on such a process as reverse osmosis (RO) [2].
The use of RO membrane facilitates the extraction of salt. It is important to remember that this technology has become more cost-effective. At present, the desalination of 1000 gallons of sea water costs approximately $2 [2]. This is why this option should be overlooked by coastal communities that can significantly increase the amount of clean water which is available to them.
Additionally, it is important to consider recycling technologies. In this way, people can increase the amount for water that can be used for industrial production or irrigation [1]. Admittedly, the water recycled in this way may not be suitable for personal uses. However, it can be of immense value to farmers and manufacturing companies that are strongly dependent on the supply of clean water.
Furthermore, the use of nano-membranes can also be useful because they can remove specific pollutants from water [1]. These technologies can be of great use to the communities that struggle with such a problem as water contamination that could have been caused some industrial activities.
Therefore, this discussion indicates that there are effective technological solutions that can increase the accessibility of clean water. Furthermore, in some cases, the cost of applying these technologies has considerably declined. Therefore, they can be of great use to low-income communities. Moreover, one can argue that engineers can work on the technological solutions that can benefit thousands of people. These are the main arguments that can be put forward.
References
- “Provide access to clean water,” n.d. Web.
- J. Menningmann. “RO Membrane Technology Advances Improve Global Access to Clean Water,” n.d. Web.