WORLD WATER DAY 2022: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
As we celebrate World Water Day on March 22nd, 2022, we look at how Bolina makes a difference and contributes towards protecting the world’s water supplies – including this year’s focus: groundwater.
March 22, 2022, marks World Water Day – a UN initiative that has been held annually since 1993 and focuses on the importance of freshwater. The day not only celebrates the importance of water to our collective future, but also aims to raise awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.
This year, the initiative focuses on groundwater, which is found underground in aquifers – geological formations of rocks, sands and gravels that hold substantial quantities of water. Groundwater feeds springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands, and also seeps into oceans. It is mainly recharged by rain and snowfall infiltrating the ground and can be extracted to the surface by the use of pumps and wells.
It is essential that groundwater is protected as life on this planet would not be possible without it. Most of the arid areas of the world depend entirely on it, while a large proportion of water that we use for drinking, sanitation, food production and industrial processes comes from it.
Furthermore, groundwater is critically important to the healthy functioning of delicate ecosystems such as wetlands and rivers, thus contributing to the survival of endangered species and communities around the world.
Therefore, given the scale of its impact, it is easy to see why the UN has made it a priority to protect groundwater from overexploitation. If we remove more water than is recharged by rainfall or snow or allow reserves to continue to be polluted like they currently are, then we run the risk of seeing this precious resource depleted and the catastrophic effect that implies.
It is essential that we find ways to explore, protect and sustainably use groundwater as doing so will be essential to surviving and adapting to climate change, and meeting the needs of a growing global population.
Protecting waterways around the world
At Bolina, we recognise the value of this protection, and through our systems and products, work with governments and clients to protect waterways around the world. Our products have been used in ecosystems as diverse as water reservoirs in Belgium, to a river in Ecuador.
While our products and systems mainly work on filtering out physical pollutants, such as plastics and other manmade debris, we also have specially designed solutions that work to contain the impact of fertiliser run-offs, such as toxic green/blue algae.
In addition, our products have been used to protect wetlands and river habitats around the world – we are working closely with government bodies to protect and rehabilitate several key wetland sites, ensuring the recharging of freshwater and groundwater, biodiversity and a safe haven for local flora and fauna.
One example of our work is a recent Bolina project on the River Bure in the United Kingdom. Our work there focused on the installation of eel friendly screening equipment at an abstraction point on the river. Not only has the successful delivery of this project helped improve the biodiversity of the river, but as it has been specifically designed to be in tune with such a delicate ecosystem, it has helped with pollution containment.
“The new screens are fully installed, commissioned and have successfully passed through a 28 day trial period. The screens are operating really well and so far haven’t experienced any heavy loading of debris so the cleaning system is only being called to operate on a timed basis, twice per day. We’re really pleased with the performance and will continue to monitor it and optimise the process so it operates as infrequently as possible,” reported the ESW Project Manager on the Essex and Suffolk Water community portal.
As human activities continue to increase the pressure on groundwater resources, our team at Bolina continues to stress on the importance of taking care of our water resources – particularly our ever-depleting groundwater reserves. We believe that our booms and solutions form a crucial part of the protection of these sites by limiting the entrant of pollutants and preventing access to these delicate and valuable ecosystems.
For more information about how we can contribute to your water protection projects, please get in touch with us.
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Photo courtesy of Essex & Suffolk Water