Water for Human Welfare
Sustainable water management means that sufficient clean water is available when and where it is needed – for example in the form of drinking water, for food production or sanitation purposes. It also means that available resources are not over-exploited, the integrity of ecosystems is protected, the costs are affordable to society, and the system as a whole is able to respond flexibly to challenges whilst at the same time having inherent stability. That is the ideal. The reality is somewhat different in many places: sanitation problems in emerging economies and developing countries, pollution from ever-increasing numbers of problematic substances, conflicts of interest between individual water sectors, and the loss of important nutrients from regional cycles are just a few examples. Eawag’s research addresses these challenges.
The departments primarily concerned with this key strategic area are:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Process Engineering
- Urban Water Management
- Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development
- Water Resources and Drinking Water
This area is also addressed in the following departments:
- Environmental Social Sciences
- Environmental Chemistry
- Environmental Toxicology
- Fish Ecology and Evolution
- Surface Waters - Research and Management
- System Analysis, Integrated Assessment and Modelling