CITIES FACING WATER SHORTAGE

Anusha Gupta

We all know that water is a basic human need, and according to a United Nations world water development report in 2018, every year, the worldwide requirement for water increases by 1%. To add to this, due to the misuse of water globally, water levels are decreasing drastically. 

Cape Town in South Africa is on its way to becoming the first major city to be announced as a waterless city. Some reports state that it happened because of the scarce rainfall between 2015-2017.

After this huge travesty, UN has reported that there will be many big cities around the globe which are set out to be waterless by 2030 if their case is not operated carefully. This means that more cities will be in the same boat as Cape Town.

Here are 5 major cities which will be facing water shortages by 2030. 

Sao Paulo 

It is the financial capital of Brazil and also listed in the 10 most populated cities in the world. It is known for its numerous cultural institutions and their architectural endeavors. It is home to more than 21 million people. The epic drought caused panic in South America’s largest city. Brazil faced drought between 2014-2016 because of the lack of proper planning and investment. But Utility Sabesp, (owned by Sao Paulo state) saved the day and helped control the damage caused. Now, they are piping in water from other reservoirs but they’re keeping the pump pressure low in the morning, leaving some residents with dry taps. But again, in January 2017 water reserved was 15% below the needed level, keeping their future in doubt.

Bangalore 

It is also known as the Silicon Valley of India (IT capital of India). It has a population of over 10 million and it is the second fastest growing metropolis city of India. Now, Bangalore is developing new properties to sustain its title as the technological hub of India. Hence, it is a struggle to manage the city’s water and sewage system. Due to the water pollution in the lakes caused by big industries in Bangalore, 85% of lake water could only be used for irrigation and industrial cooling. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) which provides drinking water and manages the city’s sewage system, reported in 2014 that Bangalore was on the verge of running out of water. But that situation has changed since then, because of one critical government decision that may have just staved off a complete disaster, at least for now. But recently officials have informed that Bangalore is going to be under some stress regarding water resources by 2023 again.

Moscow 

It is the capital and the most populous city in Russia with around 12 million residents over the city limit. As one-quarter of world’s fresh water is reserved in Russia, it is a challenge for them to conserve their water resources. Official administrative bodies concede that 35% to 60% of drinking water in Russia doesn't meet clean measures. Every third sample from sources of drinking water in Russia fails to meet the acceptable standards due to chemical contamination, according to Russian consumer watchdog agency Rospotrebnadzor.

Cairo 

Cairo is the capital of Egypt (also known as Egypt’s sprawling capital) and is set on the Nile River. It is the main source of water in Egypt constituting 97% of the country’s water assets. But, along with Moscow, it is also getting contaminated by industrial, agricultural and residential waste. WHO (World Health Organization) reported that Cairo is ranked highly in terms of the number of deaths due to water pollution among lower middle-income countries. Egypt’s current minister of Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aaty said that the share of water of each individual decreased due to the increasing population.

 

Istanbul 

It is a metropolitan city in Turkey that straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. It is the largest and the most-populous city of Europe. Many of the reservoirs that supply Istanbul are located within the metropolitan area are exposed to pollution from settlement without adequate sanitation. It’s facing a situation of water stress as the per capita supply fell below 1,700 cubic meters in 2016 and the situation is expecting to worsen by 2030.

There are other cities also which are going through water stress such as Beijing, Tokyo, Jakarta, Mexico City, London and many more are on the list. “And don’t think US cities are immune,” says Klaus Reichardt, CEO, and founder of Waterless Co., manufacturers of no-water urinals. 

Let’s start saving water and protecting our city from being waterless. Let’s go against water pollution to save usable water for the future generations.

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