Water – Urbanisation and Modern Life

Become an Aquanaut and help engineer our water future...

55% of the world’s population currently live in urban areas and this is expected to increase to 70% by 2050.  More people means more water than ever will be needed and whilst rainfall is set to increase as a result of climate change, it’s more of a conundrum than a cure because of the risk of flooding…

Hi. I’m Arno. I’m with the Aquanauts.

We’re wild about water and how to make sure there’s enough for everyone who needs it now and in years to come.

Here at Aquanaut HQ, we’re checking out water in urban areas.

In the future, we’re going to need more water and the crazy thing is that we can expect wetter weather in years to come! 

Now, with all that extra rainwater, you’d think it would be an easy fix to increase supply but it’s not as simple as that. 

Embed from Getty Images

It’s pretty handy living in urban areas, that’s places like towns and cities. Think about it, there’s shops, cinemas and nice places to eat, as well as road and trains to help us get around. The trouble is, these places aren’t natural and moving away from nature can cause BIG problems when it comes to water.

Out in the countryside, with its fields, woodlands and mud, when it rains, water soaks into the ground, making its way back into the water cycle. That’s because the ground is permeable, meaning water can find a path away from the surface. 

Embed from Getty Images

In urban areas, much of the ground is covered by concrete, tarmac and paving which aren’t permeable, and water can’t soak away naturally. It runs along roads until it reaches a drain but too much rain can lead to water collecting and if the drains are overwhelmed… well, that can lead to flooding. Because cities can be dirty places, surface water can be dirty, picking up things like fuel residue and animal waste before it enters the water system. 

Embed from Getty Images Embed

Now, we can’t stop the rain and with our need for more water, we don’t necessarily want to but we can slow the flow and work out how to make water work for us!

A natural way is to have more trees along our roads to capture water in their canopy of branches and leaves. At ground level, rain gardens allow water to naturally soak into the ground. 

Trees and plants have the added benefit of improving air quality and reducing temperatures, as well as making urban areas much nicer places to be! 

Embed from Getty Images

Another way we can bring nature into urban areas are green roofs and walls – structures that are covered with grass and other greenery which soak up rainfall, reducing the amount reaching the ground. Whilst some water will naturally evaporate, excess water can be stored in tanks for reuse. 

Embed from Getty Images

An engineering solution is ‘sustainable drainage systems’ or SUDs, which with nature-based designs, can mimic the way rainwater naturally drains away. Permeable materials, like clay, for pavements and roads allow water to soak through into the ground or again be stored for reuse.

It’s not just our streets that need to change, but also how we design and construct buildings in smart ways to reduce water use and manage flooding.

Embed from Getty Images

Sport venues from football pitches and cricket grounds to golf courses all use a lot water to keep the grass pristine. Don’t forget the large numbers of spectators who’ll use significant quantities for food, drink and using the toilet! 

New venues and stadiums are factoring in ways to reduce and reuse water, from water efficient fittings in kitchens, bathrooms and changing rooms to rainwater harvesting from stadium roofs and parking areas, saving the water in large underground cisterns before using it as greywater to keep the grass watered and the loos flushing. 

Embed from Getty Images

Talking of toilets, another big change is to replace or upgrade old infrastructure. London’s 150-year-old sewer system was built for a population less than half its current size but things are improving.

Aquafact – The Thames Tideway Tunnel is London’s new super sewer – it runs for 25 kilometers from west to east London, largely under the River Thames, and is designed to reduce sewage pollution in the river and improve public health. It’s a massive 7.2 metres wide – that’s equivalent to three London double decker buses! And has a storage capacity of 1.6m cubic metres – that’s around 600 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Changes are extending right down to the building blocks of our new homes – after all there’s millions of new homes that need to be built.

Aquafact – 15% of global freshwater is used for buildings and construction. In the UK, over 12 million litres of water are used each day in building construction.

Who would have thought the traditional brick uses a load of water, nearly half a litre per brick! We can reduce this by changing the clay mix and using more sustainable materials – such as SUPERPLASTICIZERS! Yep… sounds a BIT like a superhero but it’s just a way to create strong durable concrete using 40% less water. New housing developments will also have smarter drains to cope with excess rainfall, like perforated pipes in gravel-filled trenches to capture and redirect groundwater away from the buildings, again, storing it to water plants. 

Embed from Getty Images

There’s plenty of ways to make a difference and YOU can be an Aquanaut too!

Take a leaf out of nature’s book! Instead of fake grass or paving for our gardens, use real grass which allows water to soak away.  Inside, you can install dual flushes to your toilet and when it’s time to replace the washing machines, look for one that uses less water.

Embed from Getty Images

Water Workers

You can also think about a career in water tech. There’s a wide range of jobs across the water sector and today’s water worker is Material Engineers!

Materials engineers create and study materials at the atomic level. They use computers to understand and model the characteristics of materials and their components. They solve problems in several different engineering fields, such as mechanical, chemical, electrical, civil, nuclear, and aerospace.

Material engineers develop cool new greener technologies such as 3D concrete which uses fewer resources including water in its production.

Take the challenge!

It’s time to build an Urban Flood Defence Model to demonstrate how urbanisation impacts flooding and the effectiveness of nature-based solutions in reducing flood risks. Ready? Download here!

Want to know more?

‘This is Engineering’ is an initiative led by the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with EngineeringUK and major engineering organisations to encourage young people from all backgrounds to consider a career in engineering. Click HERE to find out more… or perhaps visit the Museum of Engineering Innovation.

Stick with us and we’re gonna be helping you understand the challenges ahead, discover some of the cool engineering and careers that are solving problems today and find out how we can all make a difference with more tips so YOU can be an Aquanaut too!

AQUANAUTS! CREATED WITH SUPPORT FROM A ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING INGENIOUS GRANT AND CARDIFF UNIVERSITY.

Add a comment