“There is enough fresh water in Africa for everybody, but the management of water resources is less than optimal”. 

This makes us understand that we have enough water resources, but we don’t know how to use them efficiently so that they can be conserved for later use. We need to understand the way we are depleting our water resources because human activities are causing many diseases and health problems.

Water is one of the essential resources to sustain life on earth. We need water for almost everything from bathing, washing clothes to drinking water. The importance of freshwater cannot be denied. But are we taking care of our water resources? I think the answer would be no. The way we are dumping garbage and plastic in the water, the dumping of industrial waste from the factories, etc. have all led to contamination of water resources and led to water pollution.

It is affecting not only human lives but also the flora and fauna that exist in the oceans. They are fast depleting and becoming extinct because of the contaminated water. It is, therefore, necessary that the water is conserved in an efficient manner to prevent water pollution. The hazardous effects of water pollution are known to everyone now. It is essential that we keep our water clean and pure so that we can protect the water for future generations to come. So there are 11 innovations for curbing water pollution.

What is Water conservation?

Water conservation means using a limited water supply. We have to learn more about water conservation because clean water is a limited resource. Pollution of groundwater causes loss of resources of fresh drinking water. In addition, the natural regeneration of contaminated groundwater can take years to refresh. 

Water is vital to all life. Conserving water saves energy. Using less water, we can be more flexible when there is a water shortage. Many communities are already enforcing water restrictions. However, you can do a few simple things at home to ease the strain on your water supply and save money.

How Water Conservation Helps Us in Protecting Nations Water Supplies?

As we all know, using water-saving techniques can save us money. In addition, efficiently using water will take us a long way in curbing water pollution and water wastage.

This can also reduce water and wastewater treatment costs and the energy used to treat the heat and pump water. In addition, skipping this cycle lowers energy demand, which helps prevent air pollution.

It’s not just the dry areas that should strictly make a way towards water conservation. Even areas that have adequate supply should turn on the opportunities to conserve water. For example, homes with high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and appliances save about 30% of indoor water use and yield sustainable savings on water, sewer and energy bills.

Innovations for curbing water pollution:

Water conservation is quite necessary to curb water pollution. These specific techniques need to be employed to improve the quality of water and save the environment. Practices like waste management, recycling, banning plastics can help in reducing water pollution. But over the years, seeing the alarming situation at which the water is getting polluted many innovations both at the individual and government level have been undertaken to curb the water pollution levels.

Let’s discuss some innovations for curbing water pollution.

1.Recycling Plastics

The first and foremost way is to think of innovative ways of recycling plastic or prevent plastic waste from getting dumped into the water. Many countries have come up with brilliant innovative techniques to combat plastic and avoid water pollution. One such innovation is done by the Czech Republic, where they have developed an app where the consumers can order the exact amount of groceries they want and are using reusable packaging to deliver groceries to the home. Among the best innovations for curbing water pollution.

2.Use of Seaweed material

Another innovation is by an Indonesia based firm Evoware, which makes food wrappings and sachets made out of seaweed material that can be dissolved and eaten later. This will prevent the filling of the ocean with sachets of different products that do not get recycled and thus pollute the environment.

3. Reusable Coffee Cup

Approximately 100 million tons of disposable coffee cups are used every year, and most of them are not recycled.  A united kingdom-based firm Cup club has come up with a reusable coffee cup subscription where the reusable coffee cups can be dropped off at any such store. The use of reusable coffee cups is among the best innovations for curbing water pollution.

4. Aquatic Plants

Adopt an island initiative, has been started by an ecological engineer, Tarun Nanda who is using natural ways to clean water bodies in Delhi. He has used aquatic plants to construct floating wetlands. The plants are placed on mats made from plastic bottles and drainage pipes. When these plants are placed on the surface water, they absorb minerals like magnesium, iron, and other contaminants through their roots and foliage which purifies the water. 

5.Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence and robotics by Asim Bhalerao and Nidhi Jain is also an innovative step to control water pollution. The use of artificial intelligence is among the futuristic innovations for curbing water pollution. They have developed a robot that has helped in diverting approximately 600 MLD (Million Liters a Day) of raw sewage from entering water bodies. The robot can also detect and inspect underground pipelines.  This data can be of help to the authorities to understand the structural defects, maintenance failures, etc.

6. 0rganic filter

Yet another innovation made to control water pollution is the development of organic water filter by two partners Anto P Biju and Thomas Cyriac. The filter can convert up to 30 litres of sewage water into freshwater within a few hours by using activated carbon. The innovation also adds minerals to the water, which is good for the overall health of the people. It is almost the size of a finger has the power to convert contaminated water into freshwater with the help of micro-reserves that are fixed over a disc inside the cartridge.  It also doesn’t involve any maintenance cost.
 
7. Taraltec Disinfection Reactor

A Taraltec Disinfection Reactor has been developed by an engineer named  Anjan Mukherjee to address the issue of providing clean water to the farmers for their crops. The device is installed inside a handpump or borewell and purifies the contaminated water in just 30 minutes. It also kills 99% of the germs inside the water. The device is cheap and effective and doesn’t require any maintenance cost. Among the best innovations for curbing water pollution.

8.Cheap water Filter 

An efficient and cheap water filter for iron and arsenic contamination has been developed by Obin Kumar Dutta  S Bordoloi, AJ Bora, S Nath and Sweety Gogoi which is quite simple and can remove contaminations of iron and arsenic from the water for less than a paisa. It uses two filters for the process. The first filter performs a chemical reaction on the contaminated water, and the other container has sand and gravel in it to extract pure water. As many as 75 schools and households have started using this filter to obtain freshwater.

9. Road lying Technique

Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan, a Tamil Nadu college professor, developed a road laying technique which uses plastic. This way, the excessive plastic that cannot be recycled can be prevented from contaminating the water.  The method uses plastic along with the stone used for road building which melts the excessive plastic to construct one kilometre of road. The idea has also been patented in 2006 and has been used by more than 11 states.

10.Decentralised wastewater treatment

Decentralised wastewater treatment is used to divert wastewater from the municipal sewage in constructing buildings.  The wastewater of the building is collected and processed and recovers the organic solids and converts them into high-quality soil for growing crops and adding scenic beauty to spaces. This water can also be used in the building for purposes like toilet flushing, irrigation, and cooling towers. It also reduces the buildings sewer connection fees as the wastewater is diverted from the municipal sewage and utilised for other purposes. 

11. Mudwizard

Mudwizard is a simple and efficient water and mud treatment system. The system is easy and convenient to use and doesn’t require any previous knowledge. It needs to add clarification tablets in the contaminated water every 2-3 days. It separates the suspended solids continuously without any external support. The treatment is relatively robust and straightforward, and the treated water can then be re-processed, and solid waste can be recycled.This is among the simple innovations for curbing water pollution.

Conclusion

Innovation is the mother of invention. So it was 11 innovations for curbing water pollutions. Innovations in all fields are mandatory to bring changes and make things better. Water pollution is one of the major concerns across the world and is also one of the goals of sustainable development. To preserve our water resources and provide for our future generations, it is necessary that such innovations are thought and appreciated so that we can make the environment a cleaner and greener place to live in. There are also some inventions for curbing air pollution.

SOME FAQ’S

Question– What are some of the other innovative ways to curb water pollution?

Answer – Treating Water With Human Hair- This might initially seem weird, but this unique and cost-saving method is an indigenous way to curb water pollution. 

How it works- It is usually done by mixing motor oil and lubricant with water, and then a layer of hair is deposited on the top within 3o seconds, hair absorbs most of the oil and this way, it’s an indigenous way to treat water at home. 

Question– What are some of the best innovative ideas to address water and sanitation?
Answer– *Digitise your water supply- this is an effective way to water conservation.
*Use affordable and efficient water filters to curb that water wastage.
*By using a graphene-based water filter, water crisis to be curbed up to 50%