O waste of water it is a socio-environmental problem with serious consequences for humanity, given that, of all the water available on Earth, only 3% is originally suitable for consumption. However, of these 3%, only a smaller part is in easily accessible places. Therefore, it is necessary to better understand this issue in order to find possible solutions.
Generally, in the press, in the media and also in everyday life, it is common to associate the idea of wasting water to habits household, such as indiscriminate use in the shower, poorly closed tap, misuse of water, non-reuse, between others. However, this issue can go far beyond residential waste.
There is, for example, the waste during water supply, often caused by technical failures in pipes and public distribution systems or even illegal diversions carried out by some people for their own benefit. In Brazil, according to a report by the Ministry of Cities, around 41% of all treated water in the country is wasted, which is equivalent to an unimaginable number of unused liters and about BRL 4 billion of prejudice.
Much of the waste happens in public supply systems and pipes
At the São Paulo state, about 32% of the water distributed is wasted, according to the Regulatory Agency for Sanitation and Energy of the State (Arsesp), which makes a total of almost 990 billion liters lost. In countries like the United States and Germany, the level of waste in water supply does not exceed 9%. Therefore, maintenance measures are required for the compromised piping, in addition to greater inspection of irregular hydraulic connections.
Another type of water waste happens in the agriculture. In many cases, inadequate irrigation or exploitation systems cause much of the water used in the fields is not used, either due to incorrect use or high rates of evaporation. In addition, the contamination of soils, the water table and some rivers due to the use of pesticides is also an aggravating factor for the problem in question. to fight the water waste in agriculture, it is necessary to use irrigation methods aimed at this purpose.
At industry, similar problems also occur. In some types of production, water is used to cool equipment, which could be better done with reuse water and other methods of greater economy. Furthermore, cases of leakage or incorrect handling in the capture of local supply systems can also generate a large amount of waste. For this reason, it is important to have a great inspection of the factories so that they also participate in the process. conservation of water resources, which also applies to other sectors, such as civil construction, commerce etc.
Therefore, the various sectors of society, including the State, must adopt measures to reduce water waste, as success in this task would bring more positive effects than any other water use policy, thus ensuring its use sustainable. Of course, even if domestic use is equivalent to less than 10% of the water used, it is still necessary that homes do their part, avoiding spending beyond acceptable limits.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/desperdicio-agua.htm