Dvigi: Tecnología de ultrafiltración para un futuro más saludable y sostenible

Manuel Sauri – CEO of Agua Segura

When we think about the importance of water for our lives and development, we likely picture rivers, seas, and lakes that provide us with nourishment, energy, and recreation. If we delve a bit deeper, we might also reflect on the significance of wetlands and ecosystems that help mitigate the effects of climate change, contributing their biodiversity and richness. However, there’s a place where nearly all of the planet’s liquid freshwater is found: beneath the earth. Groundwater is crucial to human society, and its protection and sustainable management are the foundation of any development strategy.

Access to safe water is a basic human right. We only need to recall the “water cycle” we learned in school to understand that what we do on the surface directly affects what happens below. If the water cycle doesn’t function properly, terrestrial ecosystems can’t sustain themselves, leading to climate variations that impact the levels of rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans. Groundwater is the backbone of drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, agriculture, industry, and ecosystems. If, for example, it’s depleted due to excessive irrigation pumping or contaminated by pesticides or hazardous substances, the availability of this essential public good for human life is severely compromised. This, in turn, triggers a chain of challenges, including the degradation of productive soils and the wealth they generate daily. Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater resources worldwide, and the ability to feed the growing global population depends heavily on this resource and the health of the land we cultivate, irrigate, and harvest.

According to the UN, to feed a global population that could reach 9 billion by 2050, food production must increase by 60%, and today, 40% of all irrigation water comes from aquifers. Therefore, to prevent groundwater depletion, sustainable policies must be adopted that provide information on its location, availability, and condition; focus on efficient resource management; and protect its quality to preserve its diverse functionality, adding value to the human and productive development of any community. Groundwater knows no borders, and a global, collaborative, and long-term perspective is necessary to address the challenges we face.

Another critical aspect is the importance of ecosystems in creating safe environments for life on the planet. Groundwater protects our coasts from seawater intrusion and plays a key role in mitigating climate change by safeguarding ecosystems such as wetlands and rivers. The water crisis has also exacerbated the aridity of some regions that now rely almost exclusively on groundwater for survival.

We’re talking about a hidden treasure beneath our feet that we must care for, monitor, and manage with great responsibility. It’s about making the invisible visible—the infinite value of our groundwater.

Manuel Sauri – CEO of Agua Segura

When we look at a world map, it might seem like there’s an abundance of water. The vast expanse of blue gives the illusion that water is plentiful and that we’ll never need to worry about its scarcity. However, of the 1,400 million cubic kilometers of water on Earth, only 2.5% is freshwater, and a mere 0.3% of that is readily accessible for human consumption—the rest is either frozen or trapped underground. These figures highlight a stark reality: access to water is uneven, often turning what should be a guaranteed public right into a privilege for some.

The water crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, particularly their children, who suffer from diseases related to the lack of safe water, leading to nearly 1,000 child deaths per day. With climate change increasing water variability and stressing ecosystems, we urgently need new approaches to development and planning that will help us build more resilient and aware societies.

This is where circular economy and nature-based solutions come into play as strategic, timely approaches that should inform our daily actions across all sectors. In the context of the water crisis, the interconnectedness of all system actors is clear, making us all co-responsible for managing this scarce and vital resource. Although this is a global challenge—affecting 400 million people worldwide who face water scarcity—Argentina, for instance, has its own challenges. In our country, we consume nearly 500 liters of water per person per day, while in other countries, the figure doesn’t even reach 150 or 200 liters.

But in the urgent task of caring for the planet, it’s no longer enough to simply preserve, mitigate, or regulate; we also need transformative solutions. This is where nature-based solutions, or “green solutions,” come into play. These involve investing in projects that support the transition to a global well-being economy, promoting partnerships that leave positive, lasting impacts on communities. It’s about reshaping our growth perspective so that the value of positive impact on the world and its people becomes the core of any initiative.

In addressing the water crisis, for example, we can reduce runoff losses by improving the conditions and functionality of watersheds, and foster public-private partnerships to implement water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) projects, along with environmental initiatives such as soil restoration, spring protection, and the construction of rainwater harvesting systems. These “green” solutions profoundly transform business logic, generating a positive impact both on communities and within their value chains.

We face a generational challenge: to move toward a world where water, like other resources, is not a privilege but a right. To achieve this, it’s essential that we stay informed and get involved in launching new projects that protect the planet and build a better world every day.

Manuel Sauri – Director ejecutivo de Agua Segura

Los ecosistemas sustentan todas las formas de vida en el planeta, constituyendo entornos perfectos en los que conviven equilibradamente especies de todo tipo, incluida la nuestra. Del bienestar de estos ecosistemas depende la salud de toda la Tierra y de sus habitantes. Es por eso que la crisis del agua, el calentamiento global, la deforestación masiva, la intoxicación de nuestros suelos, constituyen preocupaciones de primer orden para quienes promovemos incansablemente la necesidad de una transición global hacia un modo de vida sostenible en todas sus formas. 

En muchos países, las prácticas que deterioran los ecosistemas de los que formamos parte son considerados delitos ambientales porque atentan contra la calidad de la vida en ese rincón del planeta, incidiendo inevitablemente en todo el mundo. Las acciones de hoy, determinan el futuro cercano de muchísimas personas que conviven día a día con las consecuencias de esta crisis climática. Proteger y restaurar estos entornos de los que formamos parte (y los que no), es esencial para garantizar nuestra propia calidad de vida en un mundo sano y evitar la propagación de enfermedades, desastres climáticos y desigualdades crecientes por la falta de acceso a bienes públicos.

Para visualizar el impacto, según las Naciones Unidas todos los años se deforestan 10 millones de hectáreas de bosques, una extensión similar a la de Islandia. De esta manera se pierde su biodiversidad afectando no sólo a las especies que allí habitan, sino a las economías locales que sufren las consecuencias del cambio del suelo, sus inundaciones, el incremento de temperatura, entre tantas otras cuestiones. Las aguas subterráneas absorben los agrotóxicos de esas tierras que muchas veces se utilizan para la producción agropecuaria intensiva e irresponsable, y de esta manera se contamina y extingue poco a poco un recurso vital para el desarrollo de cualquier persona y su comunidad. 

Sin embargo, así como estamos todos afectados por la misma crisis climática, también estamos llamados a implementar soluciones que nos permitan transicionar hacia una economía más sostenible y en armonía con la naturaleza. Todos somos parte de la solución. Desde Agua Segura, llevamos adelante diversos proyectos que buscan ofrecer soluciones concretas a la crisis del agua. Sabemos que a este tipo de problemática global, le caben múltiples soluciones locales que impactan positivamente en los ecosistemas provocando un círculo virtuoso de crecimiento. Nos sentimos parte de una generación emprendedora consciente de su potencial transformador y construimos alianzas que busquen aportar a una estrategia sostenible para todos.

Los desafíos que tenemos por delante nos convoca, a todos y todas como sociedad, a diseñar más y mejores proyectos para proteger y restaurar nuestro planeta. El trabajo en alianza entre el sector público, el privado y la sociedad civil es fundamental. 

Esta Tierra es nuestra casa y, como señala la consigna de los movimientos ambientales: no hay Planeta B. Cuidemos, activemos y restauremos hoy, el mundo en el que soñamos vivir el resto de nuestra vida.