Global water and wastewater treatment market by segment 2013

Water and wastewater treatment are extremely important for meeting the basic needs of people around the world. Nevertheless, the water and wastewater industry is a large market with a variety of different players. Worldwide, the market size of municipal water and wastewater treatment operations totals some 61.6 billion U.S. dollars. It is also expected that the market value of water treatment chemicals will increase in the near future.

Importance of water and wastewater treatment

The ability to treat water allows those living in water-constrained regions to increase their water supply by ensuring standards are met for consumption. Treatment technologies will also encourage the recycling of water, reducing groundwater depletion. Water resources that are available for human consumption are limited because only a small portion of Earth’s water resources are freshwater. On the other hand, wastewater that is untreated and returned to the environment can often pollute the ecosystem. Directly reusing wastewater can save costs through shorter transportation and reduced carbon footprints. Indirect reuse, on the other hand, puts treated water back into the environment before withdrawing water for consumption.