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The Independent
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Why the environmental impacts of a boom in desalination are too big to ignore
As climate change makes rains more temperamental, and groundwater levels decline, the global water desalination industry is set for a boom period. Between 2025 and 2029, global desalination capacity is set to soar by one-quarter, shows data from Global Water Intelligence, while the value of the global desalination industry is set to increase from $15 billion in 2024 to $20bn in 2027. The projected 2029 global desalination capacity of 150 million cubic metres per day would be enough to meet current UK water demand several-times over. With some two billion people globally already lacking safe drinking water, and two-thirds of the world's population experiencing water shortages for at least one month per year, there are opportunities for desalination the world over. But it is in the nations of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) - and in particular wealthy Gulf nations - where the technology has truly been embraced. MENA is the driest region of the world, containing 16 of the world's 25 most water-stressed nations. It was in water-scarce Kuwait, which has no rivers and once was forced to ship freshwater in from its neighbour Iraq, that the first desalination plant was built in the region in 1951. Data shows that Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, and Kuwait are set to see the biggest growth in desalination capacity over the next five years. Saudi Arabia alone has plans in place to invest some $80bn in new projects, and the Kingdom consumes around 300,000 barrels of oil per day to power its desalination plants. MENA already accounts for around 70 per cent of global desalination capacity, and the region's largest plants are able to produce enough water to supply more than 1m people. Jordan is planning a project so large on the Gulf of Aqaba that it is set to supply enough water to meet the needs of a city of 2.5m people. Experts are increasingly warning, however, that the environmental costs of this booming technology are too big to ignore. The process of desalination produces highly concentrated brine as a waste product, and its disposal back into the sea in large volumes can have a devastating impact on marine ecosystems. Reports suggest that waste water can be highly toxic, while areas where the water is discharged can become marine 'dead zones'. Christopher Gasson, from Global Water Intelligence, believes that these particular concerns have been overblown. 'The brine desalination plants produce is just concentrated seawater - it might not be nice for fish next to an outfall, but that's not dissimilar to the way that it is not nice for birds to fly through the plume of a power station cooling tower,' he says. 'With the right design the brine can be managed to minimse its impact on marine life.' The other key environmental concern is the high energy demand of desalination plants. Desalination is already responsible for 0.4 per cent of the world's electricity consumption, but that figure becomes much higher in certain countries, such as the 10 per cent of grid electricity that desalination plants consume in Israel. If the process is to become compatible with a net-zero future, it must be powered by renewables. But with most desalination plants lying in countries that have grown rich from oil and gas, some 95 per cent of energy currently powering desalination comes from fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency. In 2030, the energy required for desalination in MENA is set to be equivalent to around 80 billion cubic metres per year: A figure double the current gas production from UK North Sea gas fields. The industry is working hard to improve the energy efficiency of plants, with new membrane technology in reverse osmosis now four or five-times more energy efficient than traditional thermal distillation methods of desalination. Gulf nations have also made big promises to decarbonise their energy systems with solar electricity - though for now they remain highly reliant on the fossil fuels that they hold in abundance. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and UAE used fossil fuels to generate 100 per cent, 99 per cent, 98 per cent, and 72 per cent of their electricity respectively in 2023 - compared to 33 per cent in the UK. The high energy demand and associated costs means that desalination remains largely the preserve of rich countries: Something that is a problem when the majority of the world's most water-scarce, climate vulnerable nations are low income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa or small island states. But if energy efficiency continues to rapidly improve, then it holds the possibility of becoming a solution for far more countries. Indeed, Ghana, South Africa, and Namibia have already built their first plants, while this month Senegal confirmed plans to built its own first desalination facility.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Al Dhahirah Governorate to construct 18 groundwater recharge dams
Ibri: Acting in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, citizens in wilayats of Al Dhahirah Governorate joined hands in the construction of 18 groundwater recharge dams as part of a community partnership project. The project aims to boost groundwater reserves and ensure the sustainability of water resources for future generations. The step reflects the growing trend of community awareness about the importance of community-enhanced management of water resources. The dams' construction was funded by local citizens and the Ministry in a gesture that embodied the success of integrated efforts in the field of water resources management. Eng. Mubarak Salim Al Jabri, Director of the Water Resources Department in Al Dhahirah Governorate, said that work is currently underway to construct 7 new groundwater recharge dams as part of the community partnership initiative, as follows: 3 dams in the wilayat of Ibri, 3 dams in the wilayat of Yanqul and 1 dam in the wilayat of Dhank. The ministry contributes 20 percent of the cost of the project, while the citizens bear the remaining 80 percent. Al Jabri told Oman News Agency (ONA) that dams are a key element in improving water supply in wells and aflaj, and this helps raise agricultural productivity and provide water in a sustainable manner for the community. Al Jabri added that this year also saw the completion of maintenance of 8 existing dams in Al Dhahirah Governorate. Al Jabri said that Al Dhahirah Governorate has 36 dams ('groundwater recharge dams' and 'flood protection dams'):18 are government dams and 18 are community partnerships-based dams. He pointed out that these dams represent a fundamental pillar in supporting the infrastructure of water security and water resources. The dams achieve sustainable agricultural development in the governorate's various wilayats, he explained.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Are Warning of A Brand-New Kind of Acid Rain
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: While acid rain caused by sulfur dioxide is an environmental threat of the past (at least, for now), a new kind of acid is proliferating in rain water—as well as groundwater, ice cores, and even human blood. Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is a subclass of 'forever chemical' that's been steadily increasing in concentrations around the world. With calls to consider this rise in TFA a planetary threat, some governments are starting ban chemicals linked to TFA—but the threat will require global cooperation. Acid rain may have a sequel, and like most sequels, it's arguably worse. While the world's first bout of acid rain (at least, in modern times) came from increased concentrations of sulfuric acid produced largely from coal plants, this new anthropogenic source is possibly more pervasive, more persistent, and more sinister. Its name is Trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a kind of 'forever chemical' that, for decades, has been steadily increasing in rain water—but not just rain water. Countries around the world have found increasing concentrations in groundwater, arctic ice cores, wine, and even human blood. In fact, TFA is likely the most pervasive form of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl (PFAS)—technically, a subclass known as ultrashort-chain perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA)—on Earth due in part to the fact that longer-chain PFAS degrade into TFA via incinerators or sewage treatment plants. They're also used in refrigerants instead of chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which were famously known to deplete the Earth's ozone layer. In October of 2024, a team of European environmental scientists raised the TFA alarm, stating that a rise in concentration could be considered a threat to 'planetary boundaries'—a system designed to make sure the planet remains habitable for human life (which we are doing a real bang-up job at following). 'Since the 1990s, it has been suggested that hazard-related concerns of TFA and other short-chain PFAAs are much lower than those of PFAAs with longer perfluoroalkyl chains, which are more bioaccumulative and generally more toxic,' the authors wrote back in October. 'However, these early reports did not consider TFA's ubiquitous accumulation in the environment, in particular its observed accumulation in water resources and bioaccumulation in various plants, including crops.' One of the most dangerous things about PFAAs is what we don't know about them. Unlike other PFAS (of which there are, sadly, thousands of different kinds), TFA is so small (a.k.a. ultrashort) that it's water-soluble, meaning it likely passes through the human body pretty quickly. A new Nature article reports that some scientists find this evidence compelling enough to not even consider TFA a kind of PFAS, but a growing chorus of voices are raising concerns that increased concentrations of TFA in water and food sources could render TFA's fast-moving nature a moot point. In fact, TFA's water-solubility could be a long-term headache. If scientists and governments eventually decide that TFA does need to be removed from drinking water and other sources, current filtration technologies are not up to the task. In other words, ridding the world of TFA will not only be immensely difficult, it'll also be incredibly expensive. Current regulations to eliminate certain forms of PFAS are already proving to be fiscally onerous. Thankfully, some governments are taking action. Denmark, for example, banned 23 substances earlier this month known to contain PFAS that contribute to rising TFA concentrations. Meanwhile, the U.S. is lagging behind—the Environmental Protection Agency doesn't even define TFA as a 'forever chemical,' much to the dismay of environmentalist groups and to the merriment of many industry leaders. Rising concentrations of TFA is the acid rain sequel no one wanted. But just like every terrible sequel ever made, it seems like we're getting it anyway. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Central Valley town could sink because of farming giant's groundwater pumping
SJV Water is a nonprofit, independent online news publication covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Lois Henry is the CEO/Editor of SJV Water. She can be reached at The website is While some groundwater managers in the beleaguered Tulare Lake subbasin look for ways to come together on pumping limits in order to comply with state mandates, the giant J.G. Boswell Farming Company has remained silent and intractable. The company, which controls the El Rico Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), still plans to allow so much groundwater pumping within its boundaries that it could sink the old Tulare Lake bed — including the small town of Corcoran — by another 10 feet. That's only a foot less than it planned back in 2021 when the subbasin, which covers most of Kings County, submitted its first management plan required under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). While El Rico wants 10 more feet of subsidence, other GSAs in the subbasin have agreed to allow less than six extra feet of subsidence, according to multiple presentations by Amer Hussain, the subbasin plan manager and an engineer with Geosyntec. The issue has become pressing as three of the region's five GSAs are looking at conducting a study of the subbasin's 'native yield.' Native yield refers to how much water naturally accumulates through rainfall and runoff that's otherwise unaccounted for, not including imported surface water or river flows that are owned. Setting the region's native yield is crucial to know how much pumping can be allowed without causing negative consequences, such as subsidence. But the group must first agree on a maximum subsidence limit then divide it between themselves, Hussain said. That could be difficult with one member, El Rico, holding out for significantly more subsidence than the rest of the group. Even knowing the current land elevation of each GSA is difficult as El Rico has not shared that information with the rest of the group and its boundaries are blank on satellite maps. Department of Water Resources satellite data from 2015 to 2024 show land elevations for every other GSA in Kings County, except El Rico, which covers most of the old Tulare Lake bottom. 'There's just nothing out there to calibrate,' Hussain said. A representative of El Rico could not be reached. 'Boswell doesn't want to share information. They don't like us to be in their business, but they need to answer to the state,' said Doug Verboon, a Kings County Supervisor and board member of the Mid-Kings River GSA. In 2024, the Water Board put the Tulare Lake subbasin on probation for lacking a coordinated plan that would, among other things, stop pervasive, damaging subsidence. 'I don't know how we haven't coordinated; we're on our 11th year,' Verboon said in reference to SGMA's passage in 2014. 'I don't see this coming together.' It's not just Boswell and the El Rico GSA, several GSAs aren't comfortable with each other, he said. 'One (agency) won't have meetings, we aren't involved in what El Rico does, Mid-Kings is trying to be transparent, South Fork Kings is on its second Proposition 218 election. We aren't there yet.' Verboon referred to the Southwest Kings GSA, which has canceled three of its scheduled meetings in 2025 and seven of its 11 meetings in 2024. Southwest Kings is controlled by the subbasin's other major farming entity, Sandridge Partners, which is helmed by John Vidovich. It's unclear if either El Rico or Southwest Kings will participate in the planned native yield study. Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Their Water Taps Ran Dry When Meta Built Next Door
After Meta broke ground on a $750 million data center on the edge of Newton County, Ga., the water taps in Beverly and Jeff Morris's home went dry. The couple's house, which uses well water, is 1,000 feet from Meta's new data center. Months after construction began in 2018, the Morris's dishwasher, ice maker, washing machine and toilet all stopped working, said Beverly Morris, now 71. Within a year, the water pressure had slowed to a trickle. Soon, nothing came out of the bathroom and kitchen taps. Jeff Morris, 67, eventually traced the issues to the buildup of sediment in the water. He said he suspected the cause was Meta's construction, which could have added sediment to the groundwater and affected their well. The couple replaced most of their appliances in 2019, and then again in 2021 and 2024. Residue now gathers at the bottom of their backyard pool. The taps in one of their two bathrooms still do not work. 'It feels like we're fighting an unwinnable battle that we didn't sign up for,' Ms. Morris, a retired payroll specialist, said, adding that she and her husband have spent $5,000 on their water problems and cannot afford the $25,000 to replace the well. 'I'm scared to drink our own water.' The Morris's experience is one of a growing number of water-related issues around Newton County, which is a 1.5-hour drive east of Atlanta and has a population of about 120,000 people. As tech giants like Meta build data centers in the area, local wells have been damaged, the cost of municipal water has soared and the county's water commission may face a shortage of the vital resource. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
