Access to water is a fundamental component for life on the planet and is essential to achieve the economic and social development of people; allowing safe and easy access to water is a basic human right. Within the framework of World Water Day, it is important to reflect on the ways to contribute with the purpose of making the world a safer, more sustainable, comfortable and affordable place.
The current panorama of this resource revolves around the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): Clean water and sanitation. Although progress has been made in terms of access to drinking water; there is still a long way to go and several challenges to meet.
Water scarcity affects more than 40% of the world’s population and 3 in 10 people still do not have access to safe drinking water, while 6 in 10 lack access to safely managed sanitation facilities.
In Costa Rica, according to 2020 data, 92.4% of the population has access to drinking water, a reality that places the country with one of the highest percentages in the region. However, it is necessary to advance in various aspects that allow for greater development in the future.
Reuse rainwater as an alternative
The importance of access to water in the world is that it can generate positive impacts in the social, health, education, economic and environmental sectors. Faced with this context, AmancoWavin joins in proposing actions in search of facing some of the biggest challenges in the world related to water supply and offering innovative products and systems that contribute to improving the water system in Costa Rica.
One of the most efficient methods to guarantee access to water resources is to reuse rainwater. This is a sustainable alternative to the shortage of water. For this, polypropylene modules designed for the permanent or temporary storage of rainwater can be used. It can also be used to solve flood problems by temporarily stopping the surplus, and allows the reuse of water for different purposes when required.
With this system, the water can be infiltrated into the ground or it can be retained for a time before being discharged to the drainage network or conserved for future use. Its 95% void ratio allows it to store close to 200 liters per cell.
Airports, educational centers, hospitals, shopping centers, buildings, parks and cities are some places where the system could be installed to improve the quality of life of people and the environment with which they interact. “Innovating in products and solutions that help solve or mitigate the great challenges of rainwater collection and use with technology that allows for less environmental impact is one of our objectives”, said Jorge Jean, director of Urban Climate Resilience in Latin America.
If the rains are prolonged, excess water can be controlled to avoid the risk of flooding. This system allows the filtration of water into the soil. The collected water can be reused with a view to a long life without contamination.
