Dr Robin Knight, co-founder of research facilitator IN-PART, argues that collaboration will be key to addressing fundamental issues in our water systems. For the western world, clean water is something we take for granted. But 25 per cent of the world's population does not have access to safe drinking water. Just recently, UK beaches have seen pollution warnings after water companies discharged untreated sewage and wastewater into the sea. Water pollution causes 1.8 million deaths each year and many more illnesses. As well as sustaining life, water is key to a whole range of industrial and engineering processes, from chemicals and materials production, to agriculture. Few sectors do not rely on water in their value chain, but these same processes fill water with pollutants. According to UNESCO, over 80 per cent of the world's wastewater is released into the environment without treatment.
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