R O Systems deplete fresh water resources

To produce 1 litre of RO water, you would have wasted 3-12 litres of our fresh water resource!

If that is how you plan to save planet earth, then I dread to think what water our kids will be drinking 30 years from today!

Everyone is making a conscious effort to recycle and reuse, but yet there are those around us, who continue to use RO water systems and waste so much of our fresh water supplies.

Let's look at what the RO system is really, to know how this waste water comes about.

Reverse Osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate water from impurities. Usually used for industrial waste water treatment and as desalination units to obtain fresh water from sea water, this technology has found its way into the domestic market.

High pressure pumps are used to force the water through these membranes, causing 1 part to pass through and 3-12 parts to waste away.

Other than the major drawback of wasting precious water, the others include, high electricity costs and high membrane maintenance. These membranes cannot remove bacteria, dissolved gases like chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, chloroform and phenols. Membranes can be easily damaged anytime before the 6 month lifespan, and you could be drinking untreated water.

RO water is devoid of minerals and trace elements, essential to good health. Prolonged consumption of RO water, leads to minerals like calcium and phosphorous leaching out of the body, causing weak teeth and bone loss and fractures in the elderly.

Water is essential to life, and should be regarded as our most important natural resource. RO systems waste 3-12 litres of water to produce 1 litre and such waste is unacceptable.