Planck Foundation




GLOBAL FUTURE ANALYSIS


WATER | DOMESTIC


Only 13% of the global clean sweet water use is used for domestic purposes. Water use rises equally with the rise of prosperity. As water bills rise, people will start to use less, start to harvest roof water and start to purify and recycle waste water. Harvesting roof water is very simple (just a concrete basin under the garden or under the house). An other huge development in this domestic water process is the Ecosave (domestic) and WaterIndus (industrial) integral water model which make 95% biological purification possible, by a very small volume low tech device. The technological principle this technology is based on is internal surface expansion, similar like the human lungs: 90 square meter in just 9 cubic decimeter. This device gives each house a green garden for free, that's also suitable for food production as food prices continue to rise further. Sauna will gain more popularity against showering. Governments starts to legislate roof water storing more and more (Belgium, Germany, etc). Governments starts to legislate waste water purification more and more (EU surface water quality norms). Surface water quality is crucial. Bacteriological pollution gives huge health risks. By the decline of ground water levels (build up in thousands of years, drowned in just 50 years time) surface water becomes more and more the main clean sweet water source. The difference between the 'first' and the 'third' world in this is fading: good micro/local integrated water/sanitary solutions is main issue for each household on the earth. Water is no longer a 'third' world issue anymore. Or Spain and many other developed countries must be considered 'third' world countries. Developed countries has not only a good water infrastructure, but also a good sewage infrastructure with purification facilities. The sewage infrastructures in the whole developed world are very old and leaking more and more polluted waste water into the groundwater. This is globally both a local pollution as an municipal investment time bomb, that needs to be addressed rapidly. By this all domestic water bills will go only one way: up. And the solution for higher prices are higher prices: water demand will be kill/avoided severe by these higher prices. The impressive role of Prince Alexander of Holland in this area is remarkable: asking all African leaders to let them been photographed by rural/domestic/local sanitarian facilities as part of highlighting the importance of both clean water supply and good waste water treatment (two things that meets each other very direct in water/toilet facilities).


Author: Gijs Graafland


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