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Would You Drink This Water?
theodp writes "NEWater looks like any other glacier-clear bottled H20. Except, reports Salon, it gushes from the toilets of Singapore instead of a bubbling spring. NEWater is the product of Singapore's new water-treatment system, and it's wastewater that's been purified through advanced synthetic membranes called ZeeWeed, which could help 20% of the world's population that doesn't have easy access to clean water."
I'd drink the water.
All the water you've ever drank has been:
:D
Shat in
Peed in
Had babies made in
Had things died in
So... don't get so squeamish now
-Jesse
Nothing says "unprofessional job" like wrinkles in your duct tape.
While the UK is lucky in that it always rains (you can afford to make jokes about it!), Australia isn't so. We're effectively a desert continent with green patches around the outside. Water is a very scarce resource here, and right now, most of our major cities have water restrictions on them (can't wash cars, can't water except during restricted hours, can't hose down paved areas).
;)
How do we solve this? Well, one Australian state is doing what the Singaporeans are doing - they're recycling the water. But a number of other Australian states are afraid to follow the lead of Victoria and South Australia, simply on the "yuk" factor of recycled water.
The problem is that if something isn't done soon for the rest of us - we're going to be turning the taps on, but nothing will be coming out.
The importance of water recycling can't be overstated. It can help avoid dams (which just kill the environment); because the water that is used just keeps going round in a virtually endless cycle. Rivers can start running free again. We won't be held captive to the rain gods.
So, next time you're about to make a joke about water recycling, spare a thought for those of us not living in the British Isles, with its endless wet season
-- james
Iran has endorsed
If you live near a reservoir, go and look at that. Scum floats on it, fish crap in it, the odd sheep or wading bird dies in it. And then it gets treated and you drink it. What exactly is your problem with what Singapore is doing, people?
Panurge has posted for the last time. Thanks for the positive moderations.
We freak about purified water that comes from a questionable source, yet most of us probably think nothing about cooking with tap water (I certainly have no idea where my tap water comes from, other than the faucet).
I like big butts and I cannot lie.
While the UK is lucky in that it always rains...
The climate may be wet, but don't think that there isn't also a great deal of treatment/recycling going on. Legend has it that in central London, the water coming out of the taps has on average passed through seven bodies before it reaches you.
This becomes a particular concern when you think about what people put in their waste water that can't easily be filtered by treatment plants, drugs such as antibiotics or contraceptives, for example.
My next sig will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush
Many commenters have pointed out that all (more or less) water is recycled. No problem there.
I think many readers are capitalizing on the wording of the headline: "it gushes from the toilets of Singapore instead of a bubbling spring". The connotation of that wording makes it seem as if the water is being bottled from the toilet bowl.
I seriously doubt that that's the bottling process, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Giventhe degree this nonsense is accepted by the mainstream, it's no surprise that these recycling systems are controversial.
Even distribution is a big assumption. You assume that each molecule has an equal chance of being anywhere else in the world given enough time. That is not so. Given infinite time, yes, but we only have a couple thousand years give or take a couple hundred depending on which Caeser you refer to with certain distance, weather, and local problems. Again, I do not argue with the possibility, I argue with the 100% part which would only occur with the lifting of certain restrictions to the dispersion of the water molecules AND infinte time (in the absense of a water molecule dispersion model).
B O R I N G
There is a major distinction between being rainy and getting a lot of rainfall. Rainy applies no matter how much is actually coming down and can extend for days without much water actually coming down. However, actually rainfall is an exact matter that can come down over a very short period of time.
The interesting thing about Singapore is that most of the country's water comes across a bridge from Malaysia. They are in an interesting Military / Strategic dilemma where their dependence on another country for fresh water is a severe national security issue. To be able to recycle waste water and use it for drinking is a huge deal that could lead to aqua independence from Malaysia. If only the US could make gasoline out of CO2!
--------- I have no signature
London's rainfall, at around 600mm/year is about half of what Sydney's is, and the same as Melbourne. Don't be fooled by your preconceived ideas (my preconceptions would have picked Melbourne as rainier than Sydney if I hadn't just looked that up).
Look at a map of Australia. Maybe http://www.theodora.com/maps/australia_map.html. Then notice that Sydney and Melbourne are around the outside. Then read the grandparent who says "We're effectively a desert continent with green patches around the outside."
So the parent did good research but only on the rainfall bit not on the location bit (which is just as important) making his comparisons irrelevant.
Of course I would drink it. It's water. On the other hand I would never pay a dollar for a bottle of it, just like I would not pay a dollar for any a bottle of any water. Cut the sensationalism.