Researchers call for a rethink of water management in cities
Published: Tuesday, Aug 13th 2024, 12:00
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According to Swiss experts, cities need to rethink their water management. Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) say that new approaches are needed to increase resilience to increasing drought problems.
Major cities around the world such as San Francisco, Cape Town and Barcelona are struggling with recurring water crises, as Eawag wrote in a press release on Tuesday. The reasons for this are climate change, dwindling water resources and the rapidly growing urban population.
According to the researchers, one solution could be to recycle the water locally in order to have an additional source of water during periods of drought.
For a new publication, researchers from Eawag and Berkley University examined major cities around the world that have successfully adopted such circular approaches in recent years. "The aim is to show that not every city has to start from scratch if it wants to plan, build and operate innovative water systems," explained Christian Binz from Eawag.
Sewage treatment plant in the building
One possible solution is therefore to equip individual buildings with their own small wastewater treatment plants and treat the water directly on site. There is a corresponding project in San Francisco. The treated water is then reused in the building to flush toilets, wash clothes or for irrigation.
Another approach to urban water management is the development of a circular economy at the level of city districts. In addition to service water, electricity, fertilizer and heat could also be produced.
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