Published by XPrize Manager
Dear all, help us define the next Water XPRIZE, engage on different questions raise here in the discussion forum. What, in your opinion could be the greatest game changer to solve the water crisis?
Controlling losses and contamination can be a game-changer, these are extremely large in developing nations and one that is ignored even though these losses are resulting in damage to public infrastructure. A shame, yet true!
Published by Ugranath Chakarvarty, CEO at V-Spur Technologies LLP
There are many tangible approaches to solving water crisis in a much more macro and micro perspective;
The first one, reflects the conscious belief among all water users that water sources, flow, withdrawals, consumption and sustainability should be the epitome of man's desires to access, distribute, exploit and conserve this important ingredient of life.
Secondly, our respective governments alongside community leaders should endeavor to protect and provide adequate clean water to its consumers as well as availing right information to the community water users in line with water wastage, development and conservation values. This can be done by continuous engagement through media, promotional activities, and the use of community champions.
Lastly but not the least, its imperative to prioritize investments to water sector and make it more competitive so that the quality component of water as well as accessibility/supply is availed to meet the required demand of potential consumers.
Published by Carlo Atum, Researcher and Distributor at EcoloBlue
The Water Crisis driving human populations to brink of wars for survival shall be the game changer and then the world/ Governments shall wake up to the reality that organic life on earth can not take water for granted but has not only to conserve water but also process, recycle and reuse water as it is not an endless resource and its steady availability depends green cover and ecological balance. I see the game changing innovations and practices that shall come in next one to two decades as : a. Non water based scientific disposal of faeces and water closets shall be redundant in three decades b. Bio-remediation and filteration of Waste waters/ Storm waters for IRRIGATION, including atleast 5 fold increase in capacity of storage reservoirs to retain surface run offs c. Biogas collection and use, by promotion of anaerobic digestion of cattle dung and kitchen wastes/ organic wastes d. Large scale composting cum wormiculture to promote organic cultivation, especially when tree cover has to be increased to atleast double the present level e. Major Promotion of use of synthetic wood/ polymer composites as substitutes to wood.
Published by LOKESH PUNJ, A B.TECH. Agr Engg, PGDM-SPA IIMA (1977-9) 25 yrs in Water Piping / Irrigation/Infra Projects
with no cost is to reduce water flow to wash basin. Simply turn the knob below the wash basin connecting to water tap.
If Water Tap turned to max speed then
If Water Volume in one minute is greater than 6 liters then
Water tap has a defect.
Illustration as follows:
Published by NEERAJ KAPOOR, Your Well Wisher Program - Founder
Actually the water problem is very simple to understand. The development activities (particularly by the governments) have very dangerously, adversely affected and damaged the natural water resources channels and reservoirs . Mining and construction activities have heavily damaged the water resources. The solution is also very simple, which is to stop exponential growth of human population and to reduce use of water in agriculture activities. The nations having too less young population, may like to attract young people for their requirements from nations, which have lot of young people.
We have to think for new ways to reduce population, population density and use of water in agriculture. The rich and mighty people on earth are also responsible in a big way for wastage of precious water and water resource, who need to be curbed by national / international laws with provisions of snatching their wealth by the Government and and put them in prison for number of years. Every construction and obstrution in flood plain areas causing hindrance in free flow of water, should be removed and person / ministers/ politicians/ government officials responsible for it should be put in prison for several years in addition to financial punishment
Published by Yogesh Agrawal, Director (retired), Minor irrigation schemes, Water Resources Department at Govt of Rajasthan
The greatest game changer in solving the water crisis would be to reduce irrigation water in agriculture which is by far the largest consumer of freshwater. controlling irrigation water with drip irigation is a means of reducing drainge and run-off water losses. However evaporation loss is the largest segment of non-productive irrigation water in agriculture. It is also a greenhouse gas which impacts climate change by heating the troposphere.
The next game changer is to cycle saline water in areas which have limited accessibility to freshwater for agriculture.
Published by Thomas Gradek, PDG at Gradek Energy Inc
Changing how we handle waste. We currently dump human waste, animal waste, industrial waste, etc into clean water sources such as our drinking water, river water, lake water and the oceans. There must be better options than what we are currently doing.
Published by Hans Hummel, Lonza Inc. - Global Marketing Manager
Published by David W Pressler, Owner President at DRD Enterprises Inc of Davie
Mindset: We have the ability and the necessary funds as a whole to deliver safe drinking water to the entire world; but we do not have the mindset to make it happen. We have to change the overall opinion of water from simply consuming, wasting and abusing to using, protecting and conserving. If we can change the world's mindset, we can all work together and get safe drinking water where it needs to be.
Published by Johnny Rudisill, General Manager Nevada Special Utility District
If water is used for flushing toilets, I do have a tried idea of a low cost long life BIOREACTOR that can not only digest up to 80% of organic solids but also generate biogas and leave sewage water less loaded for conveyance to main sewers of smaller size/ needing lesser slopes/ lower capacity STPs. Such Bioreactor can be much more meaningful for community toilets..
However, eventually, one has to innovate and move on to non-water based scientific collection and disposal systems for faces....World will not have the luxury of using water for flushing....Most likely--.....
Published by LOKESH PUNJ, A B.TECH. Agr Engg, PGDM-SPA IIMA (1977-9) 25 yrs in Water Piping / Irrigation/Infra Projects
Streamlined continuous data collection that provides decision makers with actionable insights.
Published by Michelle Nadboy, Content Writer at Ayyeka
Reducing the costs of seawater desalination through innovation would be the biggest game-changer in solving the world's water crisis. Seawater desalination is the best way to produce large volumes of water to serve a growing world population. (see chart below) Desalination is being restrained by politically-driven low water prices, below the cost of desalination. The market failure is that water is priced at unsustainably low levels, so the market's hands are tied: water prices are regulated, not set by the market, and is no market signal to users that water is valuable. Utilities generally price at the treatment and delivery cost only, not the replacement cost of the water. The water itself is instead considered to be "free". The aquifers that are being depleted around the world are masking the true cost of water, which is the cost to replace it so the water supply is sustainable. When the wells go dry it will be because the low prices maintained by governments didn't signal users that they are running out of water. Raising water prices to replacement cost will vastly increase the use of seawater desalination. Greater desal use in turn will drive down costs through increased development of innovative desalination techniques, which will be the real game changer.
Published by Robert Bergstrom, Seven Seas Water Corporation - Founder/past CEO
SUMMARIZING THE FIRST 26 POSTS: I could fit the posts to 8 categories, with their respective writers.
No method has majority so far, No 8 got more votes than others.
The first three categories are not technical, and not especially water-specific, so it seems unprobable for me to win a price with them. I can try to compare the other six categories by estimating the likelihood of their global succes using simple Bayesian analyses. To do this I need answer from their supporters to the following two questions:
Published by Arpad Lorberer, Geoscientist
UV LEDs have seen similar trends of visible spectrum LEDs in that they grow in power output and efficiency and decrease in cost. Because of this an obvious trend of more efficient systems will be available in the coming years. Although systems are now available they typically have low flow rates and require pretty advanced reactor designs to compete with conventional UV systems. In the coming years (possibly less than 10) these UV-C LED systems will be similar in flow rates and initial cost but with all the energy savings and design benefits they currently have. I would say there is a 90% chance of this technology advancing to the point of a breakthrough.
Within the water crisis, disinfection only plays a portion of the solution. Apart from screens, filtration, COAS/SEP. disinfection is broken down further to options such as: chemical, heat, ozone, and UV. That being said, UV LEDs could have a big impact on how we treat water after filtration.
I mentioned in another thread that the population breakdown of access to water is obviously more nuanced then people with and people without. The top 1 billion people have access to lots of clean, cheap water. The bottom 1 billion have little to no access to clean water. But the middle 5 billion people have access to water but rarely is it treated to be potable. This causes the middle group to buy drinking water from vendors even though they have running water in their home.
Given this addition to the water crisis, disinfection can bring more to the table for a larger portion of the population. Because other technologies and policies would be needed this technology could solve 20% of the current water crisis.
Published by Mitch Hansen, E-Marketing Specialist at AquiSense Technologies
Tie Foreign Aid to achieving minimum water goals. Cash to implementing bodies of sustainable projects or PPPs, not to governments directly.
Published by Trudi Schifter, CEO and Founder AquaSPE
I could see UV-C LEDs having a big role in the future of water treatment. The physical features of the devices being small, light weight, durable, low energy needs (solar/battery options) makes them a good candidate for needed solutions. Even though they use the same methods of disinfection as traditional UV lamps, they are different in every other way as they are solid state technology.
Published by Mitch Hansen, E-Marketing Specialist at AquiSense Technologies
Awareness in people that it is not perpetual resource as they take it as.
Awareness in poor people to fight for their right to safe water,
Awareness in rich people to wiser and minimal use of water even though they have the capacity to pay in the form of money!
For above, MEDIA (any form) along with water-related organisations can play a quick, effective and long-term positive impact on the problem associated!
Published by Sabina Khatri, Ms.
Education about water conservation from school level, continual improvement in water and sewage treatment practices, tough municipal by-laws against violation of source water deterioration will have vast and long term impact on water crisis.
Published by Rupen Mistry
Voy a profundizar un poco despues de mostrar que la falta de agua en algunos lugares no es por falta de tecnologia.Hay una cuestion importante alrededor del agua, si en un lugar disponen de agua, hay evolución, y crecimiento, a traves de la agricultura, ganado y demas, a partir de ahi una sociedad puede crecer y conseguir su propia desarrollo, tal vez lo que no interesa es que algunos paises o sociedades sean sostenibles, porque aquellos que tienen el monopolio del agua, dejan de hacer negocio, y entonces dejan de enrriquecerse, creo que lo que hay que plantear es que el agua es un derecho como la vida misma, si no queremos corrientes migratorias, que parece que algunos les molesta y provocan el caos como esta pasando en europa, no es mejor hacer que esos paises vayan evolucionando? El negocio no debe estar en el agua, debemos dotar de la posibilidad de que aquellos territorios que no tengan agua, dispongan de ella a traves de la tecnologia, y que esos pueblos puedan creceer, hemos cometido muchos errores en el pasado pero parece que no aprendemos de ellos, luego nos quejamos del terrorismo, de las corrientes migratorias, etc... hay que hacer negocio? Naturalmente, pero no con la venta del agua, hay que hacerlo con la venta de la tecnologia y las estructuras, pero nuestra obligación es hacer llegar esa agua ha esos pueblos, un estudio que hice en africa, con nuestra tecnologia, y aplicada a una familia que destina un miembro a jornada completa para ir a buscar agua, es una perdida de trabajo directo para la economia de esa familia, cuando aplicando nuestra tecnologia en una aldea, hicimos los calculos de la aportación economica, es decir en su productividad y nos dimos cuenta que eso hacia subir el producto inerior bruto de africa y no fuimos capaces de calcular su importe por el gran impacto que eso representava, solo el hecho de tener el agua cerca, en un año esa aldea seria capaz de costear el precio de la tecnologia, asi que hay que pensar que futuro queremos? No es mejor gastar dinero en abastecer a esas `personas de medios para que ellos evolucionen y crezcan como sociedad, que tener que costear la vigilancia de las fronteras, el coste de los refugiados, mas policia, mas recursos etc...el agua esta en todas partes, esta en la atmosfera, mas que en los mares y rios del mundo, solo debemos bajarla del cielo, a traves de la condensación y repartirla, tan dificil es entender eso? a demas de equilibrar los territorios, dotaremos de recursos naturales, madera, alimentos, industria etc...No les demos el pan, proporcionemos las semillas y ellos ya haran su pan.
Published by Xavier Doló Masnou, President, R+D Chief, and Docto
The reduction in world population. We have too many people in the world.
Published by Steve Williams, The Water Guy
Composting Toilets is the solution to pollution. Human waste the elephant in the room nobody speaks of. Alternative energy and alternative human waste disposal should be spoken about in the same sentence!
Published by David W Pressler, Owner President at DRD Enterprises Inc of Davie
Data data and data. We need more data sharing to better understand catchment level dynamics in an increasingly uncertain environment. Demand and supply forecasts are key not only to ensure the right level of investments in much needed infrastructures but also to ensure robust management practices!
Remember, bad news in always better than uncertainty because when you know the state of the water resource then you can evaluate your risks and your opportunities as a user and collectively as a community!
Published by Alexandre Le Vernoy, Water & Food Resource at SABMiller