One of the key cornerstones of our development, the industrial sector, is also impacted by climate change. Consequences such as the inability to supply the water required for production due to drought, operating industrial facilities below their capacity, and decreased quantity and quality of products offered to users are just the tip of the iceberg.
As in all sectors, ensuring sustainability in the industrial sector depends on resource efficiency. Water is an important resource without an alternative that is involved in most production processes. For this reason, efficient use of water at every stage from resource to end user is extremely important to protect environmental health and ensure economic efficiency. Within the scope of the Water Efficiency Campaign, efforts are ongoing to raise awareness among all stakeholders and to disseminate the determined measures in all sectors.
According to the results of the industrial water efficiency initiatives conducted in 30 major activity sectors with high water use, water savings of up to 50% in industrial water use can be achieved by disseminating clean production practices and efficiency measures such as using pressurized systems for equipment cleaning, assessing reuse alternatives for treated waters, optimizing backwash frequency in water softening systems, improving production planning, establishing action plans for water saving, monitoring water and wastewater quantity and quality, considering rainwater harvesting, utilizing closed-circuit cooling systems, ensuring the recovery of boiler blowdown, minimizing spilling and leakages, and enhancing steam systems.
In our country, it is anticipated that the amount of water equivalent to Burdur Lake can be saved by using clean production technologies in the industrial sector. In this context, sectoral water efficiency guidance documents and action plans are being prepared, primarily for industries with high water consumption.
Considering the growing needs with climate change, increasing population, urbanization, industrialization and agriculture, each and every drop of our water resources is extremely precious.