Construction’s role in tackling water scarcity

The global demand for water is outpacing population growth, according to research from the United Nations. This water crisis has led to half the world’s population experiencing severe water scarcity at least one month each year. Figures from water charity Waterwise also show that by 2050 England alone will be facing a deficit of 5 billion litres of water per day.

The findings are a stark warning that urgent action is needed – and construction professionals have an important role to play.

This message runs as a common thread through CIOB’s sustainability priorities, helping to raise awareness about water scarcity across membership and the wider industry.

CIOB’s head of environmental sustainability, Amanda Williams, says: “The construction industry must prepare for a future when we will face more intense and frequent climate-related challenges, which will determine what, where and how we build. This includes issues with water scarcity.”

To secure future water supplies, more than half of the deficit in England is earmarked to be met by reducing water use and tackling leakage, explains Jo Osborn, head of policy and research at Waterwise.

“There’s an additional 13 million people now living in the UK compared to the 1960s. Overall, we’re using around twice as much water in the UK now as we were 60 years ago,” Osborn says. “That equates to more than 5 billion litres more water a day, which is huge. That increase in demand is putting huge pressure on our water supplies.”

She adds: “Nothing much happens without water; that’s the fundamental reason why tackling water scarcity has got to be a priority.”

As Osborn points out, water is essential for many industries, and construction is no exception.

From reducing water wastage on site to implementing water-saving measures in existing buildings, built environment professionals have an opportunity to help protect this vital resource.

Williams acknowledges that reducing demand for water is not the responsibility of just one sector but, she says, the built environment industry can help to lead change by increasing the water efficiency of new and existing homes and other buildings.

“It is high time water efficiency was given equal standing with energy efficiency and the construction sector must not only consider how it uses water during the construction process, but also how it designs and delivers buildings that are water efficient for their users,” Williams says.

“By working with organisations like Waterwise we want to support our members in understanding the water scarcity challenge and how they can play their part in addressing it.”

The view that water and energy should be treated as equally critical resources across construction projects is shared by Willmott Dixon environmental manager Julie Bankes. However, she explains that a lack of water literacy can make it difficult to bring clients on board when proposing water-saving measures or innovation.

“Discussing energy is a lot easier because clients understand that when you use a lot of energy, it produces carbon, which has a huge cost,” Bankes says. “That concept is more difficult with water because, comparatively, it doesn’t cost as much.

“It can also be difficult to make the case that water scarcity is a pressing issue, particularly when you are working in locations where it has rained for months and there has been flooding, or where water companies have been criticised for water wastage. The perception of the need to conserve water is definitely impacted by location.”

Bankes insists contractors must maintain an “open and collaborative” approach to everything across a project, which can help to facilitate discussions around water issues with clients.

“That has to be the general ethos,” she adds. “We are very open and collaborative with all aspects of construction. We don’t treat water as an isolated topic. It is on the table from the very beginning when we are discussing everything, from energy efficiency to quality issues.

“When delivering a project, water management should just be a natural part of the conversation from the outset.”

Osborn agrees that collaborative relationships are vital to help drive the water efficiency agenda across construction.

“Collaborating early is so important,” she says. “That process has to involve the built environment sector working with local authorities, water companies and environmental organisations at a really early stage to help reduce water demand.

“There are opportunities to target water neutrality in some places, while rainwater harvesting and water re-use are two key areas that offer real potential to make a difference.”

Demonstrating the benefits of collaboration, Willmott Dixon has worked closely with its supply chain partner Kane Group to help minimise the amount of water used when commissioning heating systems.

As opposed to the traditional flush-to-drain technique, Kane has been utilising a closed-loop pre-commissioning cleaning method which requires a significantly smaller water supply.

The new method involves filling and pressure testing the heating system with treated water. The same water is circulated through filtration units, gradually increasing the density of the filter cartridges for finer filtration until it reaches the desired water quality.

As it is a closed loop process, there is no need to discharge any water to drain. In contrast, the traditional flush would require local drainage capable of handling large amounts of water, which inevitably carries a higher economic and environmental cost.

But as well as tackling water demand in construction, collaborative partnerships can also help to combat water damage caused during projects. To directly address this issue, contractor Sisk is working alongside water monitoring company Smart Flow.

Water-related incidents, including leaks and overconsumption, are among the most costly and damaging risks for the construction sector, according to Smart Flow.

The company’s technology provides real-time, 24/7 monitoring, leak detection and ESG data tracking.

“Water is one of the most overlooked yet critical factors in construction risk management,” Dave Hogan, Smart Flow’s CEO, tells CM.

“A leak can compromise structural integrity, delay timelines and drive up costs. Yet, traditional water monitoring methods often fail to provide real-time visibility, leaving sites vulnerable.

“We believe that water intelligence should be as integral to construction sites as structural engineering – protecting projects from day one through completion.”

Recognising the importance of addressing water-related risks, Sisk committed to ambitious sustainability goals, including reducing potable water use intensity by 50% by 2025, using 2019 as its baseline, as outlined in its 2030 Sustainability Roadmap.

As part of this strategy, and following a series of successful trials, Sisk has decided to integrate the water usage monitoring technology across its sites in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Before implementing Smart Flow in 2023, Sisk relied on monthly billing data or analogic onsite meters. These methods provided a limited, superficial understanding of water usage.

In 2024 alone, the technology helped the company reduce water usage by more than 4.5 million litres.

According to Hogan, the collaboration with Sisk illustrates a significant transformation in the construction industry, with “data-driven decision-making becoming the new standard”.

“By embedding real-time water monitoring into construction workflows, we’re preventing leaks and creating a blueprint for smarter, more resilient buildings,” he says.

Aside from digital tools, Bankes believes people are fundamental to effective water management in construction.

“To drive change or improvements across a project, it is important that everyone is listened to and feels valued, regardless of what part of the business they are in, or their level of seniority,” she says.

“It is also important that everyone across the workforce, including supply chain partners, has access to training and resources related to environmental awareness and sustainability.

“We also encourage our environmental managers to be present on site. They are part of the wider sustainability team, so they are best placed to share new ideas with the teams onsite. Sometimes we come up with great ideas at the top but when we put them into practice, they don’t quite work so need to be adapted.”

Osborn thinks more work needs to be done to truly understand the water-related skills and competence gaps across the construction industry.

“We are currently undertaking a piece of research that is looking at rainwater harvesting and re-use to investigate and understand what skills and competencies are needed,” she says.

“I recently attended a site visit at a new development and one of the things that it highlighted to us is the opportunity to improve continued professional development in this area.

“It is important for built environment professionals to learn from projects that have gone well, but also where things have gone wrong. Sharing best practice and learning from mistakes is so valuable.”

In the spirit of collaboration and shared learning, Osborn is also calling for companies and individuals across the industry to engage with Waterwise, both to ask questions and share water efficiency ideas. 

“We believe that a drop of knowledge can make a wave of change,” she adds. “The built environment has an amazing opportunity to be part of that change and make a real difference for generations to come.”