Water is becoming scarcer day by day and its use by the industry is getting the attention of planners world over with a view to effect maximum economy. Recycling is often preached as one of the effective means of preventing wastage of water but this practice is not prevalent due to the investment required and lack of confidence on the quality of water reclaimed. Food processing sector depends heavily on supply of clean water for maintaining the quality of final product as per safety specifications. Though there are many patents filed for different methods of economizing on water use, very few in the industry really give priority for saving water in their operations. It is time that the industry is pinned down to measures that will ensure highest economy in water use in the interest of a world that is heading for an imminent water crisis in the not too distant a future.
"Industry, including agriculture, has been blamed as the biggest consumer of water in the US but previous estimates for water consumption on an "industry-by-industry basis" were based on incomplete data from 1982. Results from the current study indicate that, while agriculture and power generation account for a majority of direct water withdrawals (90%), the majority of water use (60%) is indirect, "virtual water" with 96% of the sectors using more water indirectly in their supply chains than directly. The study also suggests that the food and beverage industry alone accounts for 30% of indirect withdrawals. According to a Science Daily report on the study, it takes almost 270 gallons of water to produce $1 worth of sugar; 200 gallons of water to make $1 worth of dog and cat food; and 140 gallons of water to make $1 worth of milk".
In India many industrial undertakings depend on ground water extracted from underground as deep as 1000 feet and in absence of rain water harvesting programs the quality and quantity of water extracted are progressively deteriorating. Added to this, ground water quality becomes suspect at deep bore wells with high levels of contamination. Except for wailing, is there no solution to this global problem? According to World Bank water experts, pricing water at levels high enough to deter unnecessary wastage can be an answer, as is being done in some European countries and hopefully people will learn to draw water to the barest minimum, cutting down on avoidable water splurging.
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