Water is the most fundamental good for the survival of humans and any other living organism on this planet. Increasing water demand due to growing populations and climate change have put a strain on global water resources.

Direct potable water reuse (DPR) is proposed to improve the accessibility to safe drinking water while decreasing the reliance on traditional water sources such as other bodies of water in the vicinity. Additionally, this kind of technology promises pollution reduction and superior sustainability characteristics.

Although the technology is already in use in some parts of the world, DPR remains disputed. The reason for that is its disruptive nature. DPR merges two water streams that have been separated strictly for centuries, drinking and wastewater.

There seems to be an imbalance between the perceived goodness of the technology and its disruptive nature that generally leads to public rejection of this technology. Nevertheless, the technology is proposed to be implemented in many arid regions with the promise of increasing water availability and consequently improving the human right to water and sanitation, also in regions with strong public opposition. The goal of this dissertation is, therefore, to understand the moral complexities of this technology and the development of an ownership model that can increase justice and with it, public acceptance.

Lees meer