By Rosie Spinks
The benefits of erecting large storage tanks in water-deficient areas are clear; they collect low-impurity rainwater and don’t contribute to groundwater depreciation. But there is a rather befuddling logistical challenge standing in the way of making it efficient. When shipping heavy tanks over long distances, the main commodity being transported is air.
This is the precise issue that GreenCo Water, an Australian company, set out to address when they designed their Pak Flat Tank. It’s a 1,000-litre water tank that packs down flat for efficient delivery, and instead of the usual concrete, the tank is made out of plastic. Weighing just 20 kilograms, each tank can be put in back of a car – or carried by a single person – and be assembled in situ in just a few minutes.
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As the impacts of climate change intensify, water becomes not just a scarce resource, but a potential driver of conflict. Some have suggested that the roots of the ongoing Syrian war can be found in the country’s mismanagement of water. The need to deploy water solutions quickly to deprived areas is unlikely to recede anytime soon.
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