Seen from the sky, our blue planet does not appear to be short of water. It is true that water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface – but 97% of it is salty, and only 3% is freshwater. This freshwater is essential to the balance of ecosystems and our health.To make the best use of this resource, it is important to understand where it comes from and how it is used, so that we can develop the right habits individually and collectively.
Where does water come from?
The primary source of water is groundwater, which is often not very deep (around 20 to 60 metres in most cases) and therefore sensitive to soil pollution. The second source is surface water (the Seine, for example, supplies water for the Paris region), but this, too, is highly vulnerable to pollution of all kinds.
And there is also the superimposition of hydrographic and hydrogeological watersheds, illustrating the close communication between groundwater and rivers, with a replenishment system that goes both ways.
What is water used for?
- Domestic use
- Agricultural use: crops (irrigation), livestock and their by-products, agrifood industries.
- Industrial use
- Recreation, swimming pools, water sports and games.
These uses are constantly increasing, putting ever greater pressure on the environment and thus on water resources, as do the heat waves that are becoming commonplace in our latitudes.
What is the policy regarding water?
Water management is the central, most crucial element of a sustainable regional policy. It should no longer be dictated by sudden macro-economic changes, but underpin all economic, social and political thinking.
As we can see, water lies at the meeting point of many issues, like biodiversity, adaptation to climate change, urban planning and economic development, to name but the most critical.
The production and supply of drinking water requires the mobilisation and storage of conventional and non-conventional water resources (the reuse of treated wastewater; the use of mine water, rainwater, etc.).
This is a vital necessity because, in mainland France, our water tables are low, and 20% of them are very low, at a level never seen before on this scale. The less water there is, the more the quality deteriorates. We all urgently need to control the quantity of water resources.
This is why the government’s Water Plan of 30 March 2023 calls for a 10% reduction in abstractions by 2030 for all water uses.
Food for thought
Domestic users, which we all are, can foster good practices to reduce consumption, like moderate use (showers, aerated shower heads, limited watering, giving priority to municipal swimming pools), rainwater recovery, and so on. It is worth noting that while the water consumption of a family of four used to be 120 m³ per year, it is now 90 m³ on average. So let’s keep up the good work!
As regards agricultural use, we need to move from intensive to integrated crops, with plants that consume less water and are adapted to the area, using drip irrigation at the root, and conserving wetlands. Agroforestry is developing, with practices that include restoring and regenerating agricultural areas and associated watercourses.
With industrial use, the reuse of surface water and wastewater and circular water cooling processes should be fostered.
We need to make the soil less artificial, enable every drop of water to infiltrate where it falls, and make our cities greener. Anything that helps to preserve water resources also helps to preserve biodiversity, the balance of the ecosystem and the quality of the air. Everything is linked, so we should avoid a silo mentality: water, air and soil are all in the same boat!
We can only improve air quality by preserving water resources, which will guarantee a proper balance in the environment, in a continuous, mutual process.
This article is excerpted from one of the files of the PRO BTP Health Observatory: Water. You can find other resources related to this study file here.
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