umanity is stepping into hard times. The world’s demand for water has never been this high. The global population is using 8 times more water than it used to a hundred years ago. One would argue that water is a renewable resource, but it takes time to… well, renew. The demand for water in territories, home to over a half of the global population, exceeds the rate of its renewal, which translates into a crisis.

Rapid population growth, urban development and inefficient management of water resources are all adding fuel to the controversy. Lifestyle inflation also leads to an increase of water consumption. Although it would be unwise to ban living a comfortable life, one must also keep in mind that backyard pools, trees and lawns all mean water demand. Producing a glass of beer requires 300 glasses of water. We use 20 litres of water for a single shower. Doing the laundry takes up to 130-150 litres per wash. As the standard of living increases, people tend to shower and change their clothes every day. But it is not only the standards of people that are increasing. Their number is also on the rise.

Crisis knocking on the door

The UN forecasts the Earth population to exceed 9 billion by 2050. This means a 70% increase in water demand and 20% for food. The problem is that food sequentially also means water. For example, producing a kilogram of grains requires 15,000 litres of water . The cultivated lands have doubled in the past 50 years and the figure continues to grow. If the water resources of the planet are divided equally, everyone would get 750 cubic metres of water a year. The number will drop to 450 in 2050.

The crisis will only worsen without action: by 2030 approximately 5 billion, 67% of global population, will not have access to clean water. 80% of countries will live in what the UN has termed ‘water scarcity’. Azerbaijan is one of them.

The World Resources Institute reports that Azerbaijan is already among 13 countries with the gravest water situation. The interactive water map, designed by the University of Utrecht in Netherlands and US scientists, depicts the zones where demand for water is higher than its rate of recovery. 

Azerbaijan has been monitoring the state of water resources in the country through satellites. The images taken from space shows that 15% of the country suffers from extremely high risk of droughts, 8% from high risks and another 28% from moderate risks. 6% of the country is in high and 15% is in moderate risk of desertification.

Monitoring conducted since 2017 reports that the mountain glaciers in Azerbaijan are gradually decreasing, which are crucial reservoirs of drinking water.

Climate warming is apparently causing glaciers to melt faster in spring, thus reducing supplies and bringing about floods and landslides.

Our neighbouring countries don’t have it better. Aizhan Skakova, candidate of geographical sciences, environmentalist, and MP at the Majilis of the Republic of Kazakhstan explains in her interview to AzVision.az that the average water consumption per production unit in the country is around 109 m³, which is thrice as much as in Russia and the USA (44 m³) and 6 times more than in Australia (21 m³). Daily water consumption per capita in Kazakhstan is 3,499 litres, whereas it is 855 in Germany and only 348 in Britain. Kazakhstan is currently reconstructing its water policy to save water both in economy and public consumption. They have established the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and are building the new Water Code.

One degree increase in the temperature across the planet translates to a 20% shrink in drinking water resources. Preventing global warming has turned into an existential problem for the humanity. But we are only able to reduce the anthropogenic effects we have caused. We, in no way, can alter the cycles of the planet.

In any case, we must learn to live with imminent water scarcity. So, what can we do about it? The options are not plenty.

1.   Reduce water losses

2.   Reuse wastewater

3.   Desalinate sea water

4.   Switch to less water-intense methods in agriculture.

Most water-consuming fields are agriculture (70%) and industry (19%). We have elaborated on some of them in The Liquid Problem longread, while we would now like to go into deeper detail on both.

The Sea Route

Only 30% of Azerbaijan’s water resources originate within our territories, 70% arrive from without, which creates dependence on the water policies of our neighbours. Ramiz Kalbiyev, associate professor, head of the department of energy efficiency and green energy at Azerbaijan Technical University explained in his interview to AzVision.az that desalinating sea water could be one of the ways to change the situation.

The Earth is also called the Water Planet. In fact, this blue planet does not have any water problems, the problem is the salinity of it. 177 countries around the world are currently operating over 20,000 plants to desalinate ocean and sea water. Every day, they freshen the volume of an average flow of Niagara Falls. Some island countries, such as the Bahamas, Maldives and Malta, are thus fully covering their water demand. Saudi Arabia with a population of 34 million provides for a half of its drinking water needs through the ocean. The Rabigh 3 station built by ACWA Power desalinates 600,000 cubic meters, in other words, 6 million litres of ocean water a day. this is the largest facility in the world.

The sea covers 15% of drinking and 50% of technical water demand in Israel. Both the number and efficiency of sea water desalinating stations will be on the rise quite soon. Countries such as Japan, China, and India are working on mega-facilities that will process over 1 million litres of water daily.

A litre of ocean water contains 35 grams of salt, while drinking water should contain less than 1. Since the Caspian Sea salinity level is several times lower than that of the ocean, it will be easier and cheaper to desalinate.

There are two current approaches to desalinate sea water which are distillation and membrane (filtration) methods. There are also chemical, freezing and electrolysis procedures, but they are not widely applied on an industrial scale. Distillation – evaporating and then recondensing water – is the oldest of these methods, which was described by Aristotle back in his time. Some plants are hybrid, meaning they can employ both distillation and filtration methods simultaneously, such as the Ras-al-Khair (1,036,000 cubic metres per day) in Saudi Arabia and Fujairah-2 (591,000 cubic metres) in the United Arab Emirates. They produce both water and electricity (2,400 MW and 2,000 MW respectively).

10-15% of all desalination plants around the globe are also power plants, which is quite logical. Thermal and nuclear power plants require water as a cooling agent, which is then evaporated as steam. This means it can be then distilled and purified. At the same time, Thermal Power Plants (TPP) are adding vastly to the environmental pollutions, which means there will be no place for them in the new green world. They are gradually ending their life cycle. NPPs, on the other hand, are entering a new stage of development.

Atom for Water

Russia’s Rosatom offers its partners to build NPPs, capable of desalinating 170,000 cubic metres of sea water daily, on top of its main operational functions. The main issue, however, is not the hybrid technologies, but the energy source. Any seawater desalination plant requires electricity to operate. Alternative energy sources do not prove useful, as the plant must be operational despite the sunless and windless weather. TPPs cannot also be a solution, as burning gas to produce pure water would not necessarily count as a smart choice. The best and most feasible option is to build a Nuclear Power Plant. 

Interestingly, the Caspian coast has already been home to such experiment. The Soviet Union built a nuclear plant in Shevchenko (now Aktau) in Kazakhstan in 1967 to desalinate sea water. The BN-350 reactor produced 120,000 cubic metres of water and 150 MW electricity daily. The station was a success for 35-40 years and completed its service life. Similar facilities operated in Israel (Ashdod) and the USA (Southern California) in the 80s.

Azerbaijan absolutely needs to desalinate sea water, because the Caspian Sea is the only water source in the Absheron. Pumping water from the districts to the peninsula would not be a practical method, because it would, first and foremost, disturb the water balance in those districts. Secondly, the rural population is growing with industries and agriculture on the rise in the districts, which translates to a bigger water demand. The smartest solution would be to build desalination plants for the Caspian and an NPP that would supply them with energy.

These circumstances make founding and developing nuclear energy in Azerbaijan the demand of the times. The neighbouring countries – Russia, Türkiye, Iran, and Armenia – already have nuclear power. Azerbaijan has never before felt a seriously practical need for nuclear energy as we boast plenty of fossil fuel. But the current demand for desalinating sea water is changing the situation.

Islam Mustafayev, correspondent member at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), General Director at the Institute of Radiation Problems and Doctor of Chemistry, says in his interview to AzVision.az that the countries with opposing views on nuclear reactors are reconsidering their positions.

‘Rafael Grossi, General Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the countries that switch to renewable energy may face instability, because the field does offer opportunities, albeit very limited. The weather may not be favourable, for example. These instances introduce a need for a more reliable source, where nuclear energy comes to play. Grossi reported that countries have allocated trillions of dollars to reduce the impact of greenhouse gases on climate change. If a small portion of the amount is spent on ensuring safety, countries can develop reliable nuclear energy, which will become a very reliable source both for energy consumption uses and desalination of sea water. It poses very few negative effects for the environment. Water desalination, on the other hand, is a huge energy intensive field’, Mustafayev explains.

Professor reminds that they had decided to build a nuclear plant in Navai, Azerbaijan in mid-1970s. they had even laid the foundation of the reactor at the time. The 17 cottages built for the staff are still there. The project was frozen after the Chernobyl incident.

Therefore, building a nuclear plant can play a major role in solving the water problem. Desalinating sea water is also crucial to maintain water balance in the country. Absheron does not have sources of drinking water, but it has the Caspian Sea. Pumping water from other districts will disturb the water balance around the country. Spain followed the same logic, when they decided to keep the Jucar River waters for the local population and start desalinating the water in the Valencia Bay. Spain is currently thus covering 9% of its water consumption. 

Furthermore, transporting water over long distances, especially through open channels, entails losses. But obtaining water does not suffice. The priority is to use it correctly in megacities like Baku.

‘Green Building’

Urban infrastructure and planning are very important in terms of water resources management. The field is in need of serious innovations. For instance, the ‘sponge city’ urban planning concept is quite popular in China. This model allows collecting and reusing over 70% of rainwater.

Fuad Bagirov, CEO of Green Building Council Azerbaijan says in his interview to AzVision.az that saving water resources in the country is linked to ‘green construction’, which offers numerous technologies for energy efficiency and reducing water consumption. For example, green buildings boast three sewerage systems: one for soapy water from the washing machine, shower and washbasin, one for the greasy water from the kitchen sink and the dishwasher, and the third for ordinary sewage water. The soapy water, which is termed the ‘greywater’, can be reused for toilet cisterns in green buildings. Why do we insist on flushing tons of clean water down the drain every day? The greasy water collected separately in tanks can be put into use to produce biodiesel. Many countries have prohibited dumping such greasy waters into the sewer.

‘Unfortunately, there is no certification system for ‘green buildings’ in the country. Economizing water consumption requires changing established thought patterns. Car washes around the country, for example, still use drinking water, while the practice abroad is to reuse filtered water for carwash. We must absolutely adopt the experience in Azerbaijan and oblige carwash owners to save water. You do not need to be an expert to see that car washes in Baku consume a huge amount of water daily’, he explains.

The water pipes in Tokyo are 20,000 kilometres long, which is half the length of the equator. The water loss along these pipes, which provide water to a population of 13 million, is as low as 3%. For comparison, the same number can reach up to 20% in London.

Saving water, desalinating sea water, updating water infrastructure and restructuring water policy must all be implemented simultaneously to achieve a sustainable result. Be that as it may, the most important change must happen in the mindset.

Conclusion

Water, food and energy are interrelated resources, which is why they are managed by the same ministry in some countries. The Thirsty Energy program launched by the World Bank also envisages a joint approach to water, energy and food resources. As seawater desalination becomes more urgent, this approach grows even more crucial, because we will not be able to get what we need from the sea without the nuclear energy. Sea water can also become a source of numerous minerals which can prove to be an additional bonus for the industry in the future.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery famously wrote in his Little Prince: ‘When you’ve finished washing and dressing each morning, you must tend your planet.’ It was easy for the Little Prince to do; he was the only inhabitant of his planet. It gets more difficult on a planet, which is home to eight billion. But if everyone starts with themselves, their own house, city and country, we might find ourselves capable of tending to our entire planet.