From the perspective of a ...
Published by Sergio González Arraño, Engineering Manager, Water Mining at Black & Veatch
From the perspective of a water treatment professional, I think the water industry is in need for more innovation in order to reduce energy requirements, minimize waste generation associated to water treatment (liquid effluents, sludge, and/or solids), and make water supply more affordable.
The integration of power generation and water treatment can help to reduce the carbon footprint of water treatment, specially with water treatment technologies that demand a high power consumption (e.g. reverse osmosis and evaporation, among others). A legal frame can promote this integration.
Education is clearly a need in most places in the world. Education to respect and take care of the environment, education to understand the impact that we have in the water cycle, education to protect our water sources and make a better use of water.