Fresh way to secure a brighter future

There are few global problems likely to become more acute than the lack of safe drinking water.

Indeed it is predicted that – if no concerted international action is taken – severe water shortages will affect more than half of the world’s future population of nine billion people by 2050.

Even now, across the world, some 663 million people lack access to safe water. To put it in perspective that’s around 10 percent of the total global population. The figures are stark. Which is why the development of a sieve capable of making seawater drinkable is such a potentially lifechanging breakthrough.

Professor Rahul Nair, who led the Manchester University team behind the invention, rather modestly described it as representing “a significant step forward”.

No doubt much work is still required but the implications are undoubtedly huge.

At present it is not clear whether or not the sieves could be developed on an industrial scale with anything other than prohibitive costs. If it could, this could prove to be one of the most important breakthroughs for many years.

For decades, scientists have grappled with how best to desalinate seawater.

The potential prize is huge and is to be hoped the UKbased scientists have taken a major step toward securing a brighter future for the whole world.