ABSTRACT
Growing water scarcity is one of the most pressing global challenges. Demand for freshwater will continue to increase significantly (~40% over the next three decades) owing to the increasing population and growing economies around the globe (United Nations 2014). To ensure safe and sustainable water quality and availability for the future, it is critical to develop innovative technological solutions and sound management strategies for the limited freshwater resources. Sustainable water management requires implementation of measures on two fronts. One is to improve the efficiency of the human water consumption cycle through the conservation, harvesting, reuse, and recycling of freshwater and wastewater. The other is to increase freshwater supply beyond what is available from the hydrological cycle, such as desalination of brackish groundwater or seawater. These diverse aspects in providing sustainable water solutions have been described in other chapters of this book.
