Scientists Just Made Drinkable Seawater Cheaply: What Does That Mean For Us?

For many around the globe, access to clean water is a luxury and a privilege, not a basic human right. Although many solutions have been proposed, including solar-powered water dispensing ATMs and a "book" that filters dirty water.

But there's a new and innovative solution on the horizon: Scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in India have developed a technique to filter seawater to remove the salinity. A pilot project currently in operation is capable of filtering 6.3 million liters of seawater daily.

Although seawater has been desalinated before, this is the first time a technique has been used that is actually affordable. It uses waste steam from a nuclear reactor to purify the seawater, according to NDTV. The same research teams also developed methods that can easily filter out chemicals and minerals and groundwater.

Currently, the fresh water is being used at the Kudankulam nuclear reactor, and although it is safe for human consumption, it will not yet be available to the public.