Scientific water management is a relatively new branch of science. Yet proper use of water resources and their management and treatment (widely understood as preparing the water for various purposes) are inherently connected to development and civilizing societies on Earth. This field has recently come into prominence because of the increased water demand related to global population growth and more intense use among almost all social and industrial sectors. Compounding this, global warming and climate change scenarios on Earth forecast that water resources will diminish in many places, while intensified extreme phenomena (e.g., floods or droughts) will render the proper distribution of water resources more difficult. The diminishing quantity and quality of available water resources generate the need for their better treatment. This requires new ...