As the world grapples with a worsening water crisis, new global research reveals a striking shift in public environmental priorities. According to a major international survey by WWF and GlobeScan, water pollution is now considered the most serious environmental issue worldwide—surpassing even climate concerns in urgency.

The findings come ahead of World Water Day, underscoring the critical need for collective action to protect our freshwater resources. The survey—capturing the voices of over 30,000 people across 31 countries and territories—found that 63% of respondents view water pollution as a “very serious” problem. Other water-related issues, such as the depletion of natural water resources, water scarcity, and the loss of freshwater ecosystems, also ranked among the top ten global concerns.

The report, The Future Water Agenda: How Water Can Lead the Way for Sustainability and Collective Action, highlights a growing public appetite for solutions. People are calling for stronger protection and restoration of rivers, lakes, wetlands, and other freshwater ecosystems, alongside more proactive engagement from companies and governments alike. As the research makes clear, addressing the water crisis is no longer just a sustainability challenge—it’s a shared global imperative with direct implications for livelihoods, economies, and nature itself.

Water scarcity is often misunderstood. The Earth isn’t running out of water—it’s running out of clean, accessible water. Only 3% of global water is freshwater, and less than 1% of that is usable. That’s still enough to meet demand, but we’re failing to build the systems needed to treat, recycle, and distribute it efficiently.

Dutch Clean Tech is making significant waves in the investment landscape. As highlighted in a recent Sunday morning TV segment, renowned investment expert Harry Mens underscored its potential. While Sander Pielkenrood gave an insightful interview explaining Dutch Clean Tech’s key features, Mens was already advising his network to seize this promising investment opportunity.

But Harry Mens isn’t the only one recognizing the potential here. Investment legends like Warren Buffet and Michael Burry have also been investing in water and water-related companies for years. They understand the growing demand for water across domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors.  

In this blog post, we’ll delve into why Dutch Clean Tech represents a golden investment opportunity, and how it aligns with the growing trend of sustainable investments.

In the Netherlands, we use an average of 140 liters of drinking water per person per day. With 18 million people, that totals 2.7 million cubic meters per day. That’s the equivalent of 1,080 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day!

On a global scale, these are staggering amounts. And 80% of that water is discharged back into rivers, lakes, and oceans untreated. This means that clean water is becoming increasingly scarce.

And scarcity means opportunity for profit! It’s no surprise that major investors have caught onto this and are investing heavily in “blue gold.” Because soon, water might be worth more than gold.

Dutch Clean Tech Water Fund is the largest Dutch investment company in water for private investors. They invest with us, and we use that money to build water treatment plants. Naturally, we reward our investors with a healthy return: 9% per year.

Because building water treatment plants is, of course, the solution. Wastewater is not waste at all. We can treat it effectively before it is discharged or reused. This way, we maintain the natural water cycle and prevent clean water from becoming scarce.

Understanding World Water Day and Groundwater Issues

Every March 22nd, the world commemorates World Water Day, a United Nations initiative since 1993, spotlighting the crucial role of fresh water. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the critical water issues plaguing over 2 billion people globally who lack safe water access and the severe water stress affecting an additional 4 billion. The 2022 theme, “Groundwater – making the invisible visible,” emphasizes the unseen challenges beneath our feet, impacting both the environment and human health.

Introduction: The Essence of Water

Water is crucial for life. It’s a key resource and a public good. Ensuring its security is essential for sustainable development, especially in the face of climate change. Water security involves protecting infrastructure, agriculture, energy, and community well-being. However, water resources are under great pressure due to historical underinvestment.

In Guatemala, Dutch Clean Tech will build a water treatment plant to purify 150,000 to 170,000 m3 of sewage water daily. This sewage comes from Guatemala City and currently flows untreated into the Rio Las Vacas. This is causing major problems, including massive pollution and water scarcity. The Guatemalan Ministry of Environment and the municipalities of Guatemala City and Chinautla have asked Dutch Clean Tech to provide a design for the plant. This is obviously good news for Dutch Clean Tech, as confidence among stakeholders in Guatemala leads to concrete steps. But, residents of Chinautla have the prospect of good, clean water!

Along the village of Chinautla, not far from Guatemala City, flows the Rio (river) Las Vacas. It is a seriously polluted stream with lots of untreated sewage, plastic, and other waste. Not only the villagers of Chinautla are affected by the pollution. The Rio Las Vacas empties into the Rio Montagua, which in turn flows into the Gulf of Honduras. This makes polluted water the problem of millions of citizens in this country, as the water is unfit to be used for irrigation, let alone to make drinking water. In addition, marine life has all but disappeared.

The Guatemalan government is eager to do something about this. The Ministry of Environment, with the full agreement of Chinautla and Guatemala City, has asked Dutch Clean Tech to participate in this project, contributing technical knowledge, expertise, and money.

Dutch Clean Tech has reached an agreement with a private company on the realization of a sewage treatment plant that will allow this buyer to supply clean water to the city of Santa Rosa in Mexico.

Dutch Clean Tech will build a relatively large sewage treatment plant in the Santa Rosa region, with a capacity of 35,000 cubic meters per day. That is equivalent to the water consumption of around 230,000 households.