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Which Cities Will Run Out Of Water Next?
It seems that water scarcity and security is going to be in the news increasingly as time goes on, so it would make sense for businesses in the UK and beyond to start looking into commercial water saving so they can be prepared for it if and when water does become a scant resource – and to help prevent this from happening in the first place.
If you’ve been following the news closely over the last two weeks or so, you no doubt already know that Cape Town in South Africa is due to run out of water on April 12th – a day that has been dubbed Day Zero. Plans are now in place to close the city’s pipe network and create 200 water collection points once dam levels reach 13.5 per cent.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that this is a global issue – and the BBC has just published an article on its website of the cities in the world that are also facing water stress situations and which may also be making headlines in the near future as well.
The first city that may face the same kind of situation – and one of the ten most populated in the world – is Sao Paulo in Brazil. In fact, in 2015 the city found itself in a similar situation to Cape Town when its main reservoir dropped below four per cent capacity.
At the very height of the crisis, there were less than 20 days of water supply left and in order to put a stop to looting, police were forced to escort water trucks.
Bangalore is another city facing a similar crisis. Apparently, a surge in new property developments is putting pressure on the water and sewage systems – and the plumbing is so old that it needs to be overhauled. A recent report from the government found that the city in fact loses more than half its drinking water to waste.
And then there’s Beijing. Almost 20 per cent of the world’s population call China home but the country only has seven per cent of the world’s fresh water. In 2014, the residents of Beijing only had 145 cubic metres of water each – shocking when you think that the World Bank considers water scarcity to be when people in any given location have less than 1,000 cubic metres per person annually.
Cairo, meanwhile, is finding that the River Nile – the source of 97 per cent of water in Egypt – is facing increasing amounts of residential and untreated agricultural waste… and the UN thinks that the country will be facing critical shortages come the year 2025.
As you can see, this is most certainly a global issue but businesses are perfectly placed to start doing their bit to help reduce water stress wherever they can. Not only will making this a priority help to ensure that global water supplies are protected, but companies can also enjoy benefits like reduced water bills, improved water leak detection and more.
Give us a call today if you’d like to learn more.