Chatham House: Keeping the Taps Running

Cities are already starting to run out of water, and Cape Town made headlines this year when it announced a “Day Zero” crisis when taps were to run dry. Worldwide urbanization, along with agriculture, industry and tourism have put immense pressure on the limited yet essential resource. Arup experts provide three examples of cities with limited supplies of water that have utilized successful strategies. In Cape Town, after three years of drought, consumption limits were put in place along with certain bans and a media campaign, pushing zero day back a year. São Paolo, due to unplanned “urban growth, inadequate water management and poor service delivery,” restructured a dam connection system and provided incentives to reduce household water use. In Chennai, a city with access to many lakes and above average rainfall, confronting urgent need to replenish its groundwater reserves, uses tankers to transport water from outside the city to its public water supply. The article concludes with an outline of achievable goals by 2030 that include reducing leakage, investing in green infrastructure, and providing a framework to be tested by five major cities. The world must plan ahead or prepare for rationing. – YaleGlobal