Cape town has currently experienced a severe drought! But fierce restrictions on the usage of water have pushed back Day Zero until twenty nineteen. Day Zero will occur when the combined level of Cape Town’s dams will reach the level of 13.5 percent. In order for the dams to reach sufficient levels again, officials in the city will take full control over water supplies on this day by switching off all the taps in the city – and when they say all taps they literally every single tap! The residents will then have to queue at a water collection point for their reduced quota of 25 liters a day to obtain water! The current dam level is 21.9%. Day Zero was expected this April, but now according to officials, the day is likely to occur in 2019.
The important question is what caused the water crisis?
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Water crises in Cape town is the wake-up call for the whole world!
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The important question is what caused the water crisis?
One of the major reason is a drought caused by insufficient rainfall over the last three years, and low water level in dam. Another prime reason is the rapidly growing population and heavy agricultural usage.
Cape Town has its history of droughts, yet what appears to have played a role in making this one much longer this time is the climate change! And this factor is likely to play a part in future droughts too, both in South Africa as well as around the world.
Future isn’t just Cape Town’s!
The point to ponder is that the future isn't just Cape Town. Water crises in Cape Town is a wakeup call for the whole world. It’s a scenario that isn’t just limited to Cape town, yet cities around the globe may face the same and should prepare for running out of water according to the experts.
It might be difficult to comprehend exactly how cities around the globe could be in danger of a water shortage when nearly 70 percent of the world is comprised of the resource. The obvious reality, notwithstanding, is that the percentage of freshwater most likely just adds up to around 2.5 percent. And even then, a critical amount is locked up in the form of ice and snow, which implies that only 1 percent of all freshwater is effectively accessible to the worldwide populace.
Imbalance in access to water is also rapidly turning into an issue. While the affluent can discover approaches to gain admittance to in-built tanks or in water—through deliveries — poorer populaces are left to their own devices. This circumstance periodically prompts water burglary — for survival, for-profit, or for both.
It is critical that water scarcity is recognized as a global problem because cities should begin working on unique solutions to this problem now. In recent years, California went through a drought that lasted years, Sao Paulo faced a water shortage crisis in 2015, and Australia survived the millennium drought. At the moment, India is facing its worst-ever water crises - all due to both drought and inefficient infrastructures.
Possible solutions to be adopted?
Diversifying water sources - Expanding distributed, or decentralized systems is a possible solution that can be adopted. It allows people to reduce the distance between collecting and using water. Rainwater tanks are the best example.
Limiting water usage in households – Dr. Meenakshi Arora who is also part of Hydrology and Water Resource Group recommends that houses should have two different water streams.
1- Drinking water - that can be used for cooking and showering
2- Non-drinking water – including harvested rain and stormwater and treated wastewater that can be used for tasks like laundry, toilet flushing, garden irrigation.
Changing the water quality to suit the task would reduce the risk of floods, lessen the demand for clean drinking water, and reduce the amount of contaminated rainwater draining into rivers. Because, at the end of the day, EACH HOUSEHOLD MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
