school energy&environment

Avoid polluting

In many countries to avoid pollution of water of industrial, domestic and agricultural origin in recent years have been introduced more and more restrictive laws that commit companies and public administrations to give particular attention to prevention, control and reduction of water pollution. New technologies and new products have hence been studied and introduced to allow to produce goods and services limiting and eliminating completely water pollution. Also many international organisations, including the European Commission, have dictated a set of simple recommendations for a sustainable management of water resources. Recommendations range from undertaking reforms of institutions that govern water resources to the definition of an adequate price for water to promote a more cautious and less waste-oriented use for water. Sustainable use of water, infact, is based also on waste reduction or its recycling in productive cycles: these practices can increase availability and improve quality of water existing in a given area.
The problem remains, instead, in those countries where these laws haven’t been adopted yet or where serious controls are not undertaken on their application. In this case it’s desirable that, being aware about water pollution that often is a supranational problem and not only a local one (if pollution enters in the water cycle it can spread also to substantial lengths), industrialized countries should find efficient ways to transfer clean technologies and adequate environmental laws also to poor countries that don’t apply them either due to cost issues or because necessary knowledge and training are lacking. This kind of behaviour would lead us closer to a situation of sustainable use of this natural resource at a world level.