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Will Your City Run Out Of Water?

The 11 cities most likely to run out of drinking water - like Cape Town

Cape Town is in the unenviable situation of being the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of drinking water. 

However, the plight of the drought-hit South African city is just one extreme example of a problem that experts have long been warning about - water scarcity.

Despite covering about 70% of the Earth's surface, water, especially drinking water, is not as plentiful as one might think. Only 3% of it is fresh.

Over one billion people lack access to water and another 2.7 billion find it scarce for at least one month of the year. A 2014 survey of the world's 500 largest cities estimates that one in four are in a situation of "water stress".

According to UN-endorsed projections, global demand for fresh water will exceed supply by 40% in 2030, thanks to a combination of climate change, human action and population growth.


Is your city or one near you on the list? 

List of cities and full article here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-42982959

A Warning to the World?

In this New York Magazine article, author Jonah Shepp looks at the water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa:

Cape Town’s Water Crisis Should Be a Warning to the World

Cape Town residents line up to refill water bottles at Newlands Brewery Spring Water Point on

January 30, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo: Morgana Wingard/Getty Images

"Cape Town, South Africa, a city of 4 million people, is just weeks away from becoming the world’s first major city to run entirely out of water — but of course, it won’t be the last.

South Africa’s second-largest city after Johannesburg, Cape Town was not an obvious candidate for that dubious distinction. In 2014, its dams were flush with rainwater and its water-conservation strategy was award-winning. Then came the worst drought South Africa had seen in a century, lasting three whole years. Now, the Theewaterskloof Dam, the city’s main reservoir, is at just 13 percent of capacity.

Climate change is obviously a factor in Cape Town’s water crisis, as South Africa faces a hotter and drier future, but it’s not the only one. Politics and misgovernment have played a role as well."



Read full article here: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/cape-towns-water-crisis-should-be-a-warning-to-the-world.html