Creating regional infrastructure in the special economic zones of the Russian Federation to address the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals

Ural State University of Economics, 8 Marta st./Narodnoj Voli st. 66/45, 620144 Yekaterinburg, Russia

Abstract

Water resources are an integral part of energy, industry, food and human life. Water efficiency is given a special place in the area of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations (UN). Water is used everywhere in everyday life and in the manufacture of products, which leads to the depletion of the water potential of a country or an entire continent. Currently, companies are actively introducing new standards for water use, keeping records of water consumption, applying innovative technologies to provide water desalination and wastewater treatment. There is a shortage of drinking water in the world, especially in overpopulated countries and the southern regions of the planet. No state can solve water use issues on its own. Currently, countries are focusing on developing technologies for desalination and wastewater treatment plants. These industries are science-intensive, innovative and require raw materials, financial resources and policy favors from the states. On the territory of the Sverdlovsk region of the Russian Federation, all known types of common minerals were found, and a special economic zone the “Titanium Valley” also operates on this territory.