Desalination Technology - Solution for water crisis

As the global population increases, the demand for water for human production and living will also increase significantly, but there is a solution that can help provide clean water to the world and at the same time help reduce CO ₂ emissions. The solution is to desalinate by atomic energy.

Lake Mead water level - a source of clean water for 22 million Americans, is declining.Photo: Telegraph

Many parts of the world are facing a clean water crisis. Not only developing countries but also developed countries like the US are also facing this situation. The water crisis in the western regions of the United States is taking place more and more seriously.

Las Vegas may become one of the first US cities to face a crisis of lack of clean water. 90% of the water supplied to this city comes from Lake Mead. But now water levels in Lake Mead and the Colorado River - the main source of water for Lake Mead, are declining, especially in the dry season. Scripps Institution of Oceanography believes that Lake Mead's water level will be reduced by 50% by 2021 if climate change is still present and waste water is not prevented.

Clean water plays a very important role in the development of the world. As the population is increasing and the demand for clean water also increases. This will increase future conflicts in the world. According to World Water Council (WWC), there are 260 rivers in the world shared by more than 2 countries.

WWC points out some areas where conflicts may occur such as the Parana Canal in South America, the Arabian Sea and the Danube. Tensions about clean water not only take place between countries but can take place between regions in a country.

On Dec. 3 in India, a man was killed and dozens of others were injured in a demonstration against the redistribution of water in the Mumbai area. This proves that conflicts over water resources are gradually becoming a reality. However, atomic energy can be an effective solution to help the world solve this dangerous problem.

Oil countries in the Middle East are focusing on developing nuclear power plants (nuclear power plants). Anwar Gargash, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said that nuclear power plants are the best way to meet the country's energy needs. Estimates of the UAE's electricity demand will double by 2020.

Saudi Arabia has also planned to increase its electricity production from nuclear energy, which accounts for a quarter of its electricity output over the next 15 years. Saudi Arabia has a relatively scarce clean water source and it seems that global warming and population growth are making the shortage of clean water worse.

Therefore nuclear power plants will be an effective solution to help Gulf states solve this difficult problem because in these power plants, the heat generated by nuclear reactors can be used to produce electricity and they can also be used to desalinate water.

Atomic energy desalination is a proven new technology in Kazakhstan. The country built a small nuclear reactor in the Aktau region and during the period from 1972 to 1999, it produced 135 megawatts of electricity and 80,000 cubic meters of water per day. In addition, atomic energy desalination technology has also been adopted in India and Japan.