The urban water crisis
Cape Town is fast running out of water. Why are cities around the world becoming increasingly water-stressed?
In the past year, forest fires, heavy storms, floods and mudslides have left their violent mark across the globe. This month, temperatures are reaching record levels at both ends of the scale as extreme weather patterns show no signs of stopping.
Icy weather continues to wreak havoc in cities across the US. Elsewhere, high temperatures and low rainfall have been causing major problems in the global south. In many places, water is now in short supply.
Water scarcity is often associated with remote, rural areas where communities live disconnected from national supply systems and may have to walk long distances to access clean water.
However, bustling urban centres are not exempt from water stress. Basic infrastructure and services tend to be more widely available. Yet, as urban populations grow, the water supplies to many cities are becoming ever more scarce.
Cape Town is one such city. Residents may have little more than 90 days of water remaining. The city’s dams are now at critically low levels, the result of three consecutive years of unseasonably dry winters.
It is forecast that taps will run dry on April 21, so-called Day Zero. If Day Zero becomes reality, locals will collect water from designated checkpoints around the city, each person allocated no more than 25 litres a day. The city must now prepare for the worst.
Read the full article on The World Weekly