Reducing use and abstraction: cutting water consumption and loss

In France and around the world, the effects of climate change on water availability are already being felt. In terms of both quantity and quality, water resources are increasingly less able to meet the needs of different users over long time periods. This situation is giving rise to a shortage of water relative to demand, with drastic restrictions imposed during periods of drought that can lead to sometimes dramatic economic or health consequences.

It is therefore necessary to implement various techniques and measures to reduce water use and relieve pressure on resources, at different spatial and temporal scales. Some of these water-saving measures may involve domestic users changing their habits (pools, baths, showers) and making sounder use of drinking water (using recovered rainwater to water gardens or washing cars, for instance).

This trend is particularly prominent in France, where drinking water consumption per capita is on the decline.

Other measures can lead to even greater savings, such as fixing leaks in distribution networks, switching to industrial processes that reuse discharges or limiting water use in manufacturing and cleaning operations.

Sustainable agriculture, controlled irrigation and the use of drought-resistant crops will also help to significantly reduce water use. It is becoming clear that, everywhere on the planet, adopting these new technologies and practices is the most efficient and cost-effective way to preserve increasingly scarce resources under the impact of climate change.