Some reflections on water for residential uses in developed countries

ABSTRACT

Although the major challenges concerning access to water are found in developing countries, the problems affecting developed countries should not be overlooked. These include non-universal access for the poorest households, deterioration in the quality of water resources, and in some cases, reluctance to accept non-conventional sources of water. Faced with this situation, it is reasonable to ask whether sufficient, appropriate efforts are being made to prevent a decline in the well-being of a growing share of the population. Finding a solution to these challenges requires a holistic approach.

KEYWORDS:

• Access to safe water
• domestic water use
• non-conventional sources of water
• developed countries

Acknowledgments

We thank Cecilia Tortajada and Asit Biswas for their comments on various versions of this research. Of course, all possible mistakes are the responsibility of the authors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Brine is also produced in normal wastewater treatments, although in smaller amounts.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación and the European Regional Development Fund (project ECO2017-86822-R); the Regional Government of Andalusia (project B-SEJ-018-UGR18) and the University of Granada (Plan Propio. Unidad Científica de Excelencia: Desigualdad, Derechos Humanos y Sostenibilidad -DEHUSO-).