Cape Town’s “Day Zero” was recently pushed from April to July because residents are working hard to reduce their water footprints. But the conditions that led to Cape Town’s impending disaster also exist in other locations and the disaster could happen anywhere.
Author Stephen Leahy takes us through all the conditions that create water insecurity. Climate change fuels droughts that cause water resources to dry up or floods that send too much water to the wrong places. In addition, embedded (or virtual) water use – especially from agriculture – can drain our water resources. On top of all of that, population growth often creates unwise use of our resources.