Desalination Plant Emerges as Viable Solution to Tackle Water Scarcity
Do you know how the process of transforming salt water into drinking water works? Have you ever heard of this procedure, which is called desalination? A plant whose objective will be to carry out this task will be built on the North Coast and should serve 8 thousand people on 19 islands, in the Ilhabela region, to treat something chronic: the lack of water in cities on the coast of São Paulo, during the season, when the number of tourists in coastal municipalities significantly increases. In addition to treated sewage, it is important that there is drinking water to meet the increase in population at specific times of the year.
Professor José Carlos Mierzwa, from the Department of Environmental Hydraulic Engineering at the USP Polytechnic School, a specialist in water treatment and development of membrane separation technology, explains that the problem is old and desalination can help with the water supply in the region.
The idea of building a desalination plant in the Ilhabela region, on the North Coast of the State, is the solution for places that do not have a reservoir. The USP professor explains how this process of using seawater to transform it into fresh and drinkable water works and informs that the first desalination unit was built in Brazil in Fernando de Noronha, an island on the northeastern coast that also faced water shortages. . The subject has been discussed and studied in the country since the 1970s.
First in the State
It will be the first desalination plant in the State of São Paulo. The construction of this type of unit could be the solution to water scarcity, which has been a challenge in large urban centers. The North Coast is an environmental preservation area, which is why there is concern for the environment and the Poli/USP engineer reassures the population.
When you think about cost, the engineering technology used is already much more accessible to the population. The question to ask is how much does it cost to not have water? Another positive point highlighted by Mierzwa is the quality of the water, which leaves nothing to be desired for reservoir water.
According to the United Nations (UN), by 2050 it is estimated that the world population will reach 9.5 billion people. By 2025, absolute water scarcity is likely to affect around 2 billion inhabitants of the planet. Although the natural resource is found in abundance, only 2.5% of the total volume of the liquid is sweet.