All over the world, certain regions have passed the point of no return. In these areas, the question is no longer “which technology to choose?” but “how to react to a crisis where there is no room for maneuver?”.
When water tables are dry, the climate has disrupted agriculture and populations are forced to migrate because of water, the emergency is a question of survival, not transition. It’s no longer a question of long-term planning, but of immediate action.
Water emergencies call for simple, appropriate and rapid solutions. Perfect technologies are not the priority here. What’s needed are interventions that have an immediate and lasting impact. Not perfection, but efficiency. We speak of sober and contextual engineering.
What are the principles of effective emergency action? Think use before technology. The aim is to meet immediate needs. A water solution must be immediately functional from day one. This means thinking upstream about usage, local capacity and future maintenance, rather than complex technology.
Incorporate systemic cost The cost of a water project cannot be measured solely in financial terms. Social benefits, such as health, food self-sufficiency, and education, must also be considered. Sometimes a project costs more in the short term but provides an immediate return on social investment.
Consider replicability from the outset Solutions must be designed to be replicable in other contexts. The goal is to create sustainable, flexible models adapted to local realities that can also adapt to other regions facing similar crises.
What does this mean? Water solutions must be hybrid: fast, simple, and deeply rooted in local realities. Innovation should no longer be viewed as a quest for technical perfection but rather as a means to ensure the resilience of territories. This hybrid model should also inspire the Global North, as water crises will soon extend beyond the regions already affected.
