Image: Oliver Bederski / UFZ

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The Earth has a finite supply of fresh water. Year 2025 forecasts state that two thirds of the world population will be without safe drinking water and basic sanitation services. Therefore one of Millennium Development Goals that the United Nations member states have agreed to try to achieve by the year 2015 is to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and to sanitation services. In addition, especially in the industrialized countries, there is an extensive need to rehabilitate and modernize existing water infrastructures.

The joint research project, "Water 2050", aims to identify lines of innovation which will permit a clearly improved level of sustainability for water supply and sanitary systems by the year 2050.