Waste not

In the most recent James Bond movie, the eponymous anti-hero stopped the bad guys as they tried to hold a country to ransom, by controlling its most precious resource. For much of the film you may have expected this resource to be oil. But the real economic, social and political leverage the villains almost had within their grasp was water.

Although the film's crisis had an arid South American setting, the water scarcity at its heart is an issue that translates easily to this region. This year's World Water Day, a UN organised awareness programme, was the most recent catalyst for local debate on the issue. In an event organised by the Gulf Research Center (GRC) and the Asia Society, the issue of water security was on the agenda, along with ways to deal with it.

Awareness and cooperation are common themes at such events. People are frequently polite and dance around water issues, so as not to make them too hard to swallow. This must change.

Yousrey Elsharkawi, food security expert at the UAE's Ministry of Environment and Water, took steps in the right direction when he used the GRC event to say that we need to start now, if we are to meet our water goals in 25 years. At the same time Saleem Ali, principal advisor for the Asian Society leadership group on water scarcity, offered a refreshingly direct view, when he described awareness as important, but overrated. In his opinion, more pressing is the need for decisions from policy makers.

The region's capacity for using a scarce resource is staggering. Its population is accustomed to some of the highest per capita water use in the world. This simply has to change. Bad habits must be broken.

The simplest and most effective way is to hit them in the wallet. For too long, the true cost of water has been hidden from the consumer. Reveal it to them and they may be more inclined to conservation. Business users will shy away from increased costs, but if they are given financial encouragement to try alternatives and rewarded for good practice, then they will respond. Water will be saved.

Losses within water's infrastructure must also be addressed. Money spent modernising systems, improving plumbing and plugging gaps, will provide an excellent long-term return and keep contractors busy.

It's time to take collective action on the issue and stop wasting water.

Stuart Matthews is the senior group editor of ITP Business' construction and energy magazines.

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