Water Wheel May/June 2023: Desalination

Abstract

DESALINATION But as this miniscule slice of the water pie chart comes under greater pressure from the Anthropocene, as urbanisation, population growth and climate change take its toll on our freshwater security, it surely begs the question: “What about the abundant 97% of planetary water that is saline, found in the sea and salty lakes and aquifers? Could that not be accessed?” And yes, quite simply, the technology exists, it is quite mature, and it is already being done on a vast scale in a select few markets, mainly in the Middle East. As it stands now, desalination adds about 24 billion cubic metres per year to the global water supply and serves about 300 million people. This contribution grows at a compound annual growth rate of about 7.9%, according to Global Water Intelligence (GWI). Projecting this growth rate forward to 2030, desalination should be adding about 3.6 billion cubic in new supply each year by the end of the decade; equivalent to 4.5 times the yield of phase one of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project in new supply, each year.

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