Concern about the consumption of water is growing. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) water is a critical environmental priority in the next 20 years. By 2030, almost half the world’s population will live in areas of high water stress. According to the OECD, There is enough water in the world but it must be managed better.

Here are four water-saving inventions that can make a big impact on water conservation.

+Pool

+Pool is “A Floating Pool in the River For Everyone.” The +Pool will use the water from the river, filter it and make it suitable for swimming. The +Pool will be plus-shaped and will accommodate all swimming preferences, from swimming lengths to a kid-friendly play pool.

The +Pool project is in its testing stage and the developers are raising money to build part of the pool to test the filtration wall. The first goal of $25 000 was reached within days of initial fundraising to test the Primary Filtration Layer. This layer is the first and most crucial layer of the filtration process.

LifeStraw

The LifeStraw® is a inexpensive, portable water filtration system that can be used in places where clean water isn’t available in day to day life. According to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) 884 million people live without access to fresh drinking water. The LifeStraw® filters out dirt, germs, bacteria and parasites but does not filter out chemicals, salt, or pollutants. Still, the LifeStraw® staves off diarrhoea illness and intestinal worm infections.

The LifeStraw® is an affordable, method to improve their health and it is easy to use. Put The LifeStraw® in water and sip through the mouthpiece. To maintain The LifeStraw®, blow through it after drinking, this keeps the filters clean and prevents clogging. In the United States, donate through Rotary Water Projects.

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater Harvesting involves a storage tank, either underground or above ground, and pumps water into the building to be used for no drinking purposes. This saves precious drinking water for drinking. If a filtration system is added to it, it makes the harvested water drinkable. Charles Dickens Elementary School in Vancouver, British Columbia utilizes this system not only to reduce the school’s ecological footprint, but also to teach environmental design to students from Kindergarten to grade 8. The school utilizes an underground cistern to collect rainwater used toilet flushing and playfield irrigation. Overall water consumption is further reduced with low flow plumbing fixtures and automatic shut off faucets.

“It works really well in Vancouver, because their climate has so much rain,” said Heather Fitzpatrick, LEED AP, BD + C, Intern Architect with the AIBC. “Rainwater harvesting is actually an older practice of water conservation based on well-water systems but improved with technology, pumps and filtration systems.”

Toilet Tank Sinks

Toilet Tank Sinks save water by combining the sink with the toilet tank and combining the plumbing. The cold water comes straight from the pipes but when it runs down the drain, the dirty water from washing hands is stored in the toilet tank and used to flush the toilet. This simple but significant change can make a huge difference in household water usage. “That’s where most of our waste goes,” said Fitzpatrick. The sink can also be rigged to drain into the toilet bowl. Toilet Tank Sinks are available from Caroma.

Which invention would you try?

More Water Conservation on HalogenTV.com:

1. Video: Clean Water Changes Everything
2. 5 Water Orgs Doing Good in Haiti
3. Shaun King’s Climb for Clean Water
4. Saving the Earth, One Minute at a Time