Mexico, together with the United States, Australia, Italy and Japan, is the 5th country that consumes the most water, with an approximate volume of 366 liters of water per capita per day.
World Water Day ─ March 22 ─ has been celebrated since 1993 at the initiative of the United Nations, thus paying tribute to this resource and seeking to raise awareness about the 2 billion people who lack access to drinking water. In addition, it encourages the adoption of measures to face the global water crisis and support one of the Sustainable Development Goals: Water and sanitation for all by 2030.
Each year a different theme is determined in which to delve, for 2022 the focus is on Groundwater: making the invisible visible. For this reason, this March 21, during the opening ceremony of the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, the Report on the development of water resources in the world 2022 was presented.
The report provides information on major trends related to the status, use and management of freshwater and sanitation, with this year’s focus revealing that the Asia-Pacific region has the lowest water availability per capita in the world, so groundwater use in the region is projected to increase by 30% by 2050.
Groundwater is found underground, in aquifers. After feeding springs, rivers, lakes, and wetlands, they eventually seep into the oceans. Its main source of recharge is rain and snow that infiltrate the ground. Almost all of the world’s freshwater in liquid form is groundwater, and it forms the basis of drinking water supplies, sanitation systems, agriculture, industry and ecosystems.
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468 transboundary aquifers have been located worldwide.
The United Nations highlights on this day that groundwater will play a critical role in adapting to climate change, but we need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource, also offer best practices and in-depth analysis to stimulate ideas and action. for better management in the water sector.
Green projects, best practices to reduce consumption
It seems that the water issue would have to be resolved by the great leaders of the different nations, however one of the problems in which citizens can participate the most is this through habits and water management.
An example of a green project from the public and that addresses the water crisis is the one created by Miguel Vázquez and Alan Torres, co-founders of Cleapy, a startup that thought of car washing through a service that allows you to reduce consumption up to 99.7 percent water.
In 2017 Miguel, as a student, developed a project that grew over the years, already with Alan on board, they met with partners for technological development, for which “people were hired in house”, and with an investor who believed in his idea. Thus it was possible to “start a platform that aims to revolutionize the way we wash our vehicles, removing excessive water consumption,” Miguel Vázquez tells El Economista.
“I was researching, the first thing was to understand the amount of water that is wasted on something that was not necessary. Not only the waste of water, but also the contamination generated by these practices with chemical products that are not biodegradable”,
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There are different methods for washing a private car, the one that wastes the most is with a hose: between 500 and 700 liters; according to data from the Ecology and Development Foundation. The washing tunnel spends 300 liters, this modality, applying recycling systems, consumes 40% less than the rest, even so the water consumption rises to 180 liters.
On the other hand, the pressure washer has a high pressure pump driven by an electric motor that consumes about 70 liters; pressure washing wastes 50 to 60; the dry mode from one to two liters, but in practice we can see how around 400 milliliters per vehicle is spent. Water recyclers for car washes and car washes only recycle 75% of the water.
After studying various ways to save water, they came to the conclusion of using a technique that did not require liters of water, thus the development of the technology of both products, as well as the application, and the human team began. “We were looking for a green solution, that were sustainable practices, with a special focus on saving water.”
So Cleapy consists of three platforms: First through the application, where users can download it, enter information about the vehicle, create a profile and with this they can already request the washing service at that moment. “It is not necessary to schedule in advance.” Then the cleaper staff receives a notification through another platform called the cleaper partner and at that moment they agree to go to the site and perform the service.
“The only thing that the equipment requires is a backpack that contains the tools and accessories for an exterior or complete wash, it is microfibers, tire polish, a vacuum cleaner, sponges and the shampoo, which comes in an envelope, mixes and on contact with water it dissolves to give as a result the ideal mixture”.
The washing technique is spraying and with a liter of ecological and biodegradable product, three complete cars are washed. In addition, the product is a waxed type that encapsulates dirt, so the car remains clean for longer.
The last part of the platform is an administrative panel, which connects the two platforms in order to have information and statistics about the incentives that Cleapy generates. For example, there is a meter to know about the water savings that have been made through the services. “On average, 140 liters per vehicle are saved in washing.”
According to its creator, Cleapy has added value over similar practices, such as not going to a place to have your car washed and save gas, time optimization and platform security, for both users and providers. of the service a file is opened, thus ensuring the best experience for both parties.
Finally, in price it competes with traditional car washes, since it ranges from 140 to 180 pesos. This new company began operations in February 2022 in Monterrey, currently they already have 600 active users and they expect to end the year with more than 300 active washers and 2,100 washes per day, also already with a market in Mexico City and Guadalajara.
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