Cape Town – Tip of the Iceberg
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Cape Town is soon to become the first major city to face the very real threat of running out of drinking water. What we bet you didn’t know, however, is that there are a few other major cities that are rapidly approaching the same position.
Here are four major cities you probably didn’t think are running out of the water.
London – Yeah, we’re as shocked as you are. According to the Greater London Authority, the city is likely to have supply problems by 2025 and ‘serious shortages’ by 2040. Some even predict shortages by next year, after a string of dry winters, reservoirs are at an all-time low.
Beijing – Another massive city, another massive problem. The World Bank uses a system to classify water scarcity by deeming those with less than 1,000 cubic metres of fresh water as at risk. In 2014, the more than 20 million people in Beijing had only 145 metres. We don’t really need to tell you how bad that is, do we?
Miami – The US state of Florida is one of the five states in the US that is hit by rain the most every year. But, the crisis is brewing in Miami. A project that took place at the beginning of the 20th Century to drain the swamps, contaminated the city’s main source of clean water. To this day, the effects are still felt.
Moscow – A quarter of the world’s freshwater reserves reside in Russia. The country is plagued, however, with pollution caused by the industrialisation of the Soviet era. Official regulators have admitted that 35% to 60% of drinking water doesn’t meet sanitary standards.
Other cities facing potential water shortage problems include Mexico City, Istanbul, Tokyo and Cairo.