Posted on 02/12/2018 9:31:20 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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.
It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that Cape Town is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are the other 11 cities most likely to run out of water.
1. São Paulo
Brazil's financial capital and one of the 10 most populated cities in the world went through a similar ordeal to Cape Town in 2015, when the main reservoir fell below 4% capacity.
At the height of the crisis, the city of over 21.7 million inhabitants had less than 20 days of water supply and police had to escort water trucks to stop looting.
It is thought a drought that affected south-eastern Brazil between 2014 and 2017 was to blame, but a UN mission to São Paulo was critical of the state authorities "lack of proper planning and investments".
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
2. Bangalore
3. Beijing
4. Cairo
5. Jakarta
6. Moscow
7. Istanbul
8. Mexico City
9. London
10. Tokyo
11. Miami
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE REASONS WHY....
Running out of drinking water is stupid in today’s technological environment.
https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS765US765&q=desalination
Atlanta came annoyingly close a few years back. There are _no_ natural lakes in GA; the two artificial lakes are big, but are susceptible to draining during prolonged droughts. (The Corp Of Engineers failing to notice their depth gauge was busted, when the lake was OBVIOUSLY running low, didn’t help.)
Now the left wingers around the world can set up water rationing. and taxing water with rates that increase with usage.
Hmmm. Israel is in a desert, yet has plenty of fresh water. Wonder why that is? Nah, can’t be evil capitalism and good government.
It’s also stupid that many areas literally prohibit collecting rainwater.
I’m inclined toward encouraging all homes to have rooftop solar + rainwater collection, making them at least viable in times of scarcity (blackouts, droughts, etc). Nothing is taken for granted like electricity + running water, and nothing stops society faster than either of those getting turned off.
Other than that, what have the Romans EVER done for us?
Half these cities are on or close to the coast. Looks like desalination plants could be employed at least in the wealthier countries. (e.g. Tokyo, London, Miami)
I very rarely use the word “stupid” to describe anyone’s activity. So when I say it, I sincerely mean it. ;-)
One of the reasons I left Washington State for rural KY was the rainwater thing. It was the principle. I felt like I lived in the old USSR in many ways. That was one of them.
It wouldn’t take a lot of ingenuity to recapture, filter and purify condensate from heat pumps and air conditioners in humid climates. Probably would produce between five to ten gallons a day, per household. Rainwater is viable anywhere outside arid regions. Then, there’s desalinization, which the left seems to want to pretend doesn’t exist for some odd reason.
The simple solution is desalinization. Won’t help Moscow or Beijing, though.
At the rate people are moving to Las Vegas and Phoenix I’m stunned they are not on the list.
There are few events more unsettling than a toilet not refilling after flushing ... and no expectation that it will for some time. One of this summer’s projects is to set up real rainwater collection (built makeshift last fall when Hurricane Irma was targeting us).
I don’t think the liberals realize that desalination will stop the threat of countries flooding from rising tides. We will just drink it all. Problem solved.
Plus the Alaska pipeline is 800 miles long. That means to move water inland at the minimum of 800 miles shouldn’t be a big deal. This isn’t a problem. This is an opportunity.
Brought peace?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.