Water - a Resource for Life

Water is the most important aliment. About half of all hospital beds in threshold and developing countries are occupied by patients, who suffer from diseases spread and caused by contaminated drinking water. The heads of states and governments of the United Nations obliged themselves in 2000 to halve the number of humans without access to safe drinking water until the year 2015. With "integrated water resources management" (IWRM), surface water, aquifers, and coastal water resources shall be better and more carefully used through sustainable management.

Drinking water in abundance can by no means taken for granted even in our lines of latitude. After the technological achievements of the Romans in ancient times it took well into the 19th century that a safe water supply was available all over Europe. Waste water treatment remained often incomplete in 20th century still. For a long time, bathing in rivers was considered hazardous to one's health. The condition of the rivers and their water quality only slowly approaches harmless levels.

The demand for clean drinking water can today safely be met in the industrialized countries - particularly in the temperate zones. Nevertheless, the resource water is often carelessly handeled. The water supply generally meets the highest quality standard for drinking water, although the predominant part of the water is used for purposes like flushing the toilet.

Technological progress has brought new methods for processing drinking water and for waste water purification in recent years. These methods allow new solutions no longer coupled to centrally structured systems for water supply and disposal. Water-saving installations lower consumption without loss of comfort, new filters supply water in good quality, the establishment of recycling systems for industrial waste water reduces overall water consumption.

These new approaches also open up chances for new applications in threshold and developing countries. In areas with a shortage of water, it remains the most urgent task to find access to water sources. The efficient and economical use of water resources there, however, is just as crucial. Water is available in many of these countries, however often in the form of brackish water - in coastal regions - or as untreated and unhygienical water from polluted rivers and other sources. For these regions, the local processing of water is an insufficiently used way to ensure a supply of safe drinking water.

Research focus integrated water resources management

With the principle of "integrated water resources management" (IWRM) a sustainbable management of the interdependent water resources surface water, aquifer, and - if to be taken into account - coastal waters shall be reached. Thus both the social and economic development and the functioning of vital ecological systems are to be supported.

The BMBF started an appropriate research programme to develop, adapt and develop further new techniques and solutions in suitable model regions with appropriate size - thus in residential areas alongside rivers and associated bodies of water.

In this way, the water supply of the regions involved shall be secured while producing results that are transferable to other regions. The developed solutions ease the entrance to new markets for German enterprises in the water and environmental sector.