How does addressing the topic of water differ for you as a researcher compared to how you perceive it as an ordinary person—for example, in your everyday consumption choices?

My early childhood passed at a time when water was an infinite resource for consumers and had no price. When showering or brushing teeth, no one turned off the tap, and taking a bath was a weekly routine. As awareness grew, my consumption habits changed long before my academic career, mainly influenced by the pricing of water as a resource. Today, I am so intertwined with water-related topics that they directly influence my behavior and consumption habits. This is reflected both in the economical use of water and in preferring tap water over bottled water.

In your opinion, what contribution does the research of Tallinn University of Technology make to the sustainability of clean water?

Tallinn University of Technology is certainly a competence center for research and development in urban water systems in Estonia and the surrounding region. This is confirmed by participation in international projects, where methods and knowledge developed here are transferred and applied to solving real-life problems from Söderhamn to Liepāja. In cooperation with water utilities, the Ministry of Climate, and the Estonian Water Utilities Association, we have launched a digitalization initiative in the water sector and contributed to the development of innovative technical solutions to ensure the availability of clean water to every consumer and to mitigate potential flood-related risks. Increasing the sector’s digital capacity helps reduce costs and improve system performance to ensure high service quality and sustainability in the decades to come.

Water is often considered self-evident in Estonia. In your opinion, which attitudes or behavioral patterns cause the most damage in the long term?

The main misconception is precisely taking something for granted. In the case of energy networks, we have already become accustomed to the fact that despite relatively high electricity prices, service interruptions occur quite frequently in some regions and may, in the worst case, last for several weeks. With water services, we cannot afford this, because without clean water we simply die. Nor can we cope if there is too much water. In some areas, water seems too cheap to significantly influence broader consumption habits; on the other hand, people have not adapted to obvious risks and do not know how to behave when excess water has flooded an underpass. I really appreciated the campaign carried out in Tallinn, “The Sea Starts Here,” as well as the Estonian Water Utilities Association’s campaign “The Toilet Is Not a Trash Can,” which vividly linked litter thrown on the street or into the toilet with the health of the aquatic environment. Our daily habits must ensure that we have not only enough water, but enough clean water.

Which risks tend to be most underestimated in public debate?

From the perspective of urban water networks, the most critical issue is the resilience of systems, which is directly related to the condition of assets and their management. Estonia’s water resources are relatively abundant, but water availability in densely populated areas depends on the functioning of water networks. Although a remarkable amount of European Union funding has been invested in water infrastructure in Estonia over the past two decades, the average age of assets continues to increase each year, meaning that the sector will require significant investments in the near future. The debate over a reasonable water price has already begun within the sector, but it has not yet clearly reached the wider public discussion.

Is there any habit or decision in your own life that you have changed because of your research?

For example, a couple of years ago a journalist contacted the university to ask whether and what kind of health risks might be associated with consuming warm water from a household tap. To provide an answer, my colleagues and I conducted some background research, and it must be said that since then I have advised my family to always let the water run for a while before consuming it and to use only cold water for drinking.

If you could leave one thought for someone who has never reflected more deeply on water scarcity or quality, what would it be?

Here it would be appropriate to quote the Anglo-American poet Wystan Hugh Auden, who wrote that thousands have lived without love, not one without water. It is worth keeping this in mind in everyday decisions: without clean water, we cannot survive, which is why we must use this resource sparingly.