The so-called “water footprint” is an indicator of the direct and indirect consumption of freshwater by an individual, a community, or a company. It represents the total volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services, measured in terms of the volumes consumed (evaporated or incorporated into a product) and polluted per unit of time. In light of this definition, it becomes clear how critical the issue of water scarcity is; an urgent problem that requires finding alternative ways to reuse and recycle water.
The Australian city of Perth, for example, is making significant strides in this area through the Woodman Point Water Resource Facility (built by “Integrate JV”, a joint venture led by the Clough company of the Webuild Group). This plant treats up to 150 million liters of wastewater daily from nearly 900,000 homes and businesses, turning it into useful products like animal feed, biogas, and fertilizers.
In a global context where more than 2.7 billion people face water scarcity for at least one month each year, it’s crucial to understand our water footprint and how much water we use directly and indirectly.
Which human activity has the largest water footprint? Agriculture ranks first, accounting for 70% of water consumption (mainly for food production), followed by industry at 19%, making it the second-largest user. Then comes domestic use: in developed countries, individuals can consume up to 5,000 liters of water per day. Surprisingly, 90% of the water we use is invisible to us; this is known as virtual water, used in the production of goods, electricity, manufactured products, and especially the food we consume. For instance, over 5,000 liters of water are needed to produce a simple 300-gram steak.
