Harnessing Water Reuse Technologies to Support Sustainable Development

Water has always been the thread holding societies together yet only about 0.5 % of Earth’s water is accessible as fresh water. Climate change is making the water cycle more volatile, extreme droughts and floods are increasing. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report 2024, 2.2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, 3.5 billion lack safely managed sanitation and roughly half of the global population faces severe water scarcity for at least part of the year (Nations, 2024). In countries with “extremely high” water stress, water withdrawals exceed 80 % of annual renewable supplies (Nations, 2024). In Uzbekistan, total renewable water resources average 48.87 billion m³/year, of which 84 % comes from surface water and most of it flows from upstream countries. Water withdrawals reach 1527.6 m³ per capita per year (≈49.95 billion m³/year) and 80 % of surface water inflows originate outside the country (Bank, 2024). At the same time, vehicle ownership is soaring, by January 2024 more than 4 million vehicles were registered, a 23 % increase in two years and about 98 cars per 1 000 people (Agency, 2024). This growth fuels demand for carwash services that consume hundreds of liters of potable water per vehicle and generate wastewater rich in surfactants, oils, solids, nutrients and microbes. The article reviews global water scarcity, Uzbekistan’s water challenges, pollution from Carwash stations and available water reuse technologies. This article reflects on global water resource issues, zooming in on the case of Uzbekistan, where the rapid growth in the number of vehicles brings new pressures. As more and more cars appear on the roads, so does the demand for water to wash them and with it, a growing stream of polluted wastewater. The article explores just how serious this pollution can be, and how modern treatment technologies that allow for the reuse of carwash effluents might play a crucial role. Not just in saving fresh water, but in supporting broader goals of environmental protection and sustainable development.