Head of sustainability solutions at design and engineering software firm, Autodesk, Emma Stewart has called for local governments to consider conservation policies, leak repairs, and water recycling, prior to transporting water to other areas.

“In lieu of dams or desalination plants, they could evaluate alternatives to water for cooling or fracking. Instead of discharging stormwater or black-water from a site for treatment by utilities – requiring huge networks of expensive sewage and sanitary pipes and pump stations – property owners could reuse it onsite for irrigation and other non-potable water needs,” said Stewart.

“In all of these cases, localising the water system allows for better service and reliability with lower infrastructure cost,” she added.

According to Stewart, many cities have been heading in the wrong direction when it comes to their water infrastructure. Figures show that 493 million people in cities today share their sanitation facilities, while in 1990 this number was 259 million.

Read the full article ‘In deep water: How technology can localise and restore urban water infrastructure

Leigh Stringer

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