Non-conventional Water Resources Economics and Experiences in Developing Countries (II)

This two-part article gives an overview of the use of non-conventional water resources in developing countries. The first part (published in the January 1985 issue) reviewed United Nations involvement with the subject, and its relationship to the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. The main emphasis of the first part was on the development of technology and markets for the various desalination processes — distillation, electrodialysis and reverse osmosis. The general costs of the various processes were compared.
The second part of the article (presented here) concentrates on the other non-conventional water resources: transport of water by tanker and iceberg, wastewater reuse and weather modification. For all of the processes examples are given and economic comparisons made. It is concluded that it is always preferable to use conventional resources where available.
However, in water-short areas, consideration might be given to non-conventional resouces.