Are Desalination Plants the Saviours of Coastal Communities?
With nearly 1% of the earth’s available water supply being safe for human consumption, the supply of drinkable water has become a priority for many countries. Two of the most accepted methods of successfully achieving this objective are harvesting rainwater and removing salt from seawater. Observations of the latter’s experiments have proven to be extremely fruitful. Consequently, a coastal community using a desalination plant to complement its original supply of the resource may not only survive but thrive and grow.
5 Ways a Desalination Plant Could Aid Communities
How can a desalination plant help communities?
- A coastal settlement investing in a desalination plant increases their fresh water availability almost immediately. Increased supply of the resource may bolster efforts towards a town’s water security, and water security creates business opportunities. Microeconomies might evolve both in the town and on previously barren land surrounding it.
- Creating arable land from previously infertile plots using desalinated water provides landowners with opportunities to grow fresh produce or fodder for livestock. Agriculture would occupy previously vacant property and livestock farming would increase exponentially.
- Intelligent land use of farmland would result in surplus produce. With a community well-fed, the surplus could be sold to neighbouring regions, increasing profits and adding to the town’s GDP.
- Small businesses relevant to the surrounding area’s commerce and that related to the town itself would flourish. Employment opportunities would increase, drawing labour from the local community and skilled labour from further afield. Added skills and job creation promote community wellness and decrease crime rates.
- The increased GDP in the municipal area allows for town maintenance and growth planning. Intelligent town planning and responsible management of funds would make allowances for the growing community’s needs. Adding infrastructure and additional public services such as adequate healthcare, schools, and municipal services would contribute to the overall success of the community.
Provisions for fresh water for a local population’s subsistence are necessary. Increasing current fresh water supplies and establishing a sustained supply of the resource during drought or dry periods could be the difference between a dusty town and a successful community with a thriving economy.
Creating Communities through Desalination and WaterIcon
Many African countries share the advantage of having long stretches of coastlines. Many small and developing towns dotting these shores enjoy unblemished beaches without realising the hidden potential a desalination plant may unlock in their community.
At WaterIcon, we pride ourselves on our industry-leading reverse osmosis desalination technologies. Advances in the development of the process in the last ten years have reduced capital outlays and operating costs while significantly reducing energy consumption.
We are careful to select the most appropriate solutions for communities so that we may minimise costs and reduce the environmental impact of the solution. Choosing WaterIcon is the first step in converting dusty towns into thriving communities.
