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what problems come from water shortages

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Causes, Effects and Solutions to Water Scarcity (Water Deficit) - Conserve Energy Future

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Water scarcity involves water crisis, water shortage, water deficit or water stress. Water scarcity can be due to physical water scarcity and economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity refers to a situation where natural water resources are unable to meet a region’s demand while economic water…

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Scale of water shgortage

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London Water shortage warning

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The extreme weather that has battered the UK has caused a water shortage in London and the South East with households being asked to use as little water as possible.

Water companies say they are witnessing "exceptionally high levels of demand for water" as engineers attempt to fix a rash of burst pipes and leaks on the network.

Thames Water confirmed up to 12,000 homes are without water, but the total is being reduced as problems are resolved.

The 'Beast From The East' brought snow misery to thousands in the last week, but temperatures are set to reach double figures in the south.

Orange and yellow alerts for snow and ice are still in place across Ireland until midday on Monday.

So we are all asking our customers who have water, to use as little as possible while things get back to normal. Not all areas are affected equally, but significant numbers of customers are currently without water or have low pressure. 2/4
- Thames Water (@thameswater) March 4, 2018

Hello @thameswater no water in N4 Finsbury Park area in Haringey. Lots of my constituents without water. Please update on what is being done to address this - appreciate lots of problems with burst pipes and leaks today. Constituents pls email and I will raise with @thameswater
- David Lammy (@DavidLammy) March 4, 2018

In a joint statement on Sunday evening, Thames Water, South East Water, Southern Water and Affinity Water asked customers not to use water "for anything that isn't essential", and where possible "take short showers rather than baths, do not leave taps running unnecessarily and only run washing machines and dish washers when you have a full load".

It said:

"Following the recent freeze and rapid thaw, water companies across London and the South East of England are experiencing exceptionally high levels of demand for water due to multiple bursts on networks and an increase in leaks in and on customer properties. "So they are asking their customers who have water to use as little as possible while they get things back to normal. Not all areas are affected equally, but significant numbers of customers are currently without water or have low pressure."We are putting as much extra water as we can into our local networks and fixing leaks and bursts as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise to all those who are currently without water or experiencing low pressure. Right now we really need all our customers' support and understanding to help us rebuild supplies in our networks for everyone as quickly as possible."Please do not use water for anything that isn't essential. Where possible, take short showers rather than baths, do not leave taps running unnecessarily and only run washing machines and dish washers when you have a full load. This will make a real difference."In the meantime, we are all working hard to prioritise supplies for vulnerable customers, to provide bottled water where necessary and to provide updates via social media and our websites."We would also ask all our customers to check their own pipes for bursts and call a plumber if necessary. Outside taps are especially vulnerable to freezing temperatures and bursts may not be obvious. Anyone responsible for commercial premises, which may not have been visited since the thaw started, should make sure their pipes have not been damaged."We will let you know via our websites and the media when things are back to normal."

We have dozens of Thames Water teams working hard to fix all the leaks following the big freeze. Our engineers are working round the clock to keep the water flowing. pic.twitter.com/3EJXhtdYMs
- Thames Water (@thameswater) March 4, 2018

Separately, Thames Water said: "We've seen an increase in leaks and bursts on our network, which we are urgently dealing with as fast as we possibly can. But the sudden and widespread surge in demand, coinciding with the rise in temperatures, means we also need to urge all our customers to check their own pipes for bursts and call a plumber if necessary.

"Outside taps are especially vulnerable to freezing temperatures and bursts may not be obvious. We would also ask anyone responsible for commercial premises, which may not have been visited since the thaw started, to make sure their pipes have not been damaged.

"We are getting as much extra water into our network as we can and sincerely apologise to all our customers who are currently without water or who have low pressure.

"Right now we really need our customers' support and understanding to help us to get everyone back into supply quickly by avoiding non-essential uses of water, having a shower instead of a bath for example, for the time being. In the meantime our teams are working hard to prioritise services for vulnerable customers and stand up locations from which our customers can collect bottled water."

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Water Shortage Warning As Homes Told To 'Use As Little As Possible'

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The extreme weather that has battered the UK has caused a water shortage in London and the South East with households being asked to use as little water as possible. Water companies say they are witnessing "exceptionally high levels of demand for water" as engineers attempt to fix a rash of burst pipes and leaks on the network.

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Anna and Brendon here is a new link to the water situation in Capetown

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The world is watching Cape Town, counting down to Day Zero. This represents the point at which the municipality will turn off most of the city's water distribution system. The date is not certain; it has shifted several times, and is currently predicted to arrive on July 9.

There are measures in place to manage Day Zero and beyond. The city has broadcast a disaster management strategy. It will establish 200 water distribution points across the city, at which citizens can collect their 25 litre daily water allocation.

But is this strategy robust or even feasible?

We used system dynamics, a modelling approach, to understand how the water collection plan might work. The idea was to simulate water collection as per the city's plan over the course of a single day (24 hours).

We made some key assumptions about population size, the number of taps per distribution site and other factors. Taking these into account, the model found that it would require 12.5 hours to provide water to Cape Town's entire population per day. And the real figure might be even higher if "random shocks" like conflict happen at the water points.

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Cape Town's plans for what happens after Day Zero just won't work - Here's why

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The world is watching Cape Town, counting down to Day Zero. This represents the point at which the municipality will turn off most of the city's water distribution system. The date is not certain; it has shifted several times, and is currently predicted to arrive on July 9.

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Add on to england

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A Labour member of the London Assembly on the city's looming water shortage.

It is said that there are five basic pre-conditions for human survival: oxygen, food, shelter, sleep and water.

Some of us might add some additional items to that list, popular entries including coffee and wine, neither of which are in danger of imminent shortage (don't panic just yet). But as difficult as it is to imagine existence without those additional amenities, the previous five are the very basics we need in order to continue to function.

Over the next two decades, though, supply of one of those basic functions, water, is going to come under increasing strain. And most Londoners are blissfully unaware of the challenges this will present.

Water could be described as the most precious commodity of all, but it is also the most misunderstood. And London faces a very real challenge in meeting future demand. We will have to make some tough decisions if we are to guarantee security of supply in the years to come.

"But what about all that rain we get?" I hear you cry. "Didn't the Romans very sensibly plough their furrows adjacent to the UK's second longest river?"

Actually, London really doesn't get that much rain. It's an easy argument for me to make as I type away on one of the warmest days of the year, but the metrological facts are very clear. Average annual rainfall in London is 557.4mm. Compare that to Paris (2089.1mm), New York (1239.8mm) or Sydney (1242.7mm) - or even supposedly arid Mexico City (709mm) - and you soon realise that "rainy London" is something of an urban myth. As for the river, 80 per cent of the water provided to London and Home Counties is already currently drawn from rivers. We're pushing close to capacity.

But the biggest challenge is London's booming population. Predicted to hit 11m by 2050, it poses a huge test for the city's policymakers. Unfortunately we Londoners don't help matters either, having some of the highest average consumption rates in the country. The long term consequences are fairly dire: if we carry on as we are, experts anticipate supply problems by 2025, with very serious shortages by 2040.

The impact for both domestic and commercial water customers would be considerable. California's drought is predicted to have cost the state $2.7bn last year, with a wide range of economic sectors under strain.

London itself is no stranger to drought: those old enough to remember the 1976 drought will know how severe the situation can become. In the spring of 2012, London had experienced two dry winters and was under a hosepipe ban. As that year's Olympic Games drew ever nearer, officials begun to wonder if even more restrictive measures might be needed - until exceptionally heavy rainfall replenished supplies in the late spring.

All this demonstrates the importance of planning for London's water future. With the election of Sadiq Khan as mayor, and Thames Water starting work on a new Water Management Plan by 2019, it's crucial London uses this momentum to come together and find solutions to the challenges ahead. Possible solutions could include pumping water across the country from the Severn Estuary; the construction of a new reservoir in Oxfordshire to increase storage capacity; and increased demand management, through the roll out of smart metering. The least popular measure? Using reclaimed water from treated sewage.

If London is to be a vibrant, economically successful and sustainable city of 11m by the middle of this century, then it's time policymakers turned their attention to water - even while the rest of us ponder the necessity of coffee or wine to human survival.

Leonie Cooper is a Labour London Assembly Member for Merton & Wandsworth, and the Labour group's spokesperson on the environment.

Still thirsty? Check out this podcast we did on cities and water shortages.

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Within a decade, London could be facing a water shortage

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A Labour member of the London Assembly on the city's looming water shortage. It is said that there are five basic pre-conditions for human survival: oxygen, food, shelter, sleep and water. Some of us might add some additional items to that list, popular entries including coffee and wine, neither of which are in danger of imminent shortage (don't panic just yet).

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Scary and Frightin

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Parts of England could be hit by water shortages this summer despite heavy rains brought by Storm Eleanor, officials have warned.

Southern Water is taking steps to avoid a hosepipe ban later this year after revealing its Bewl Water reservoir was at an exceptionally low level.

The 31,000-litre lake in Lamberhurst, Kent, is currently less than half full, but experts say it should be around 75 per cent full in January.

The water board has applied to the Environment Agency for a drought permit, allowing it to pump water into the reservoir from the River Medway in order to top up supplies.

Dr Alison Hoyle, of Southern Water, said: "The dry winter last year left Bewl depleted when it would normally be full.

" Summer rains helped slightly but a very dry autumn and early winter makes it important that we use every tool at our disposal to ensure that Bewl refills over the winter.

"The reservoir is a key resource. As well as supplying our customers in the Medway towns, Thanet and Hastings.

"It is vital that we can put more water into it and we would like to see it reach levels of 75 per cent before the end of March."

South East Water has also warned water levels in the region are "lower than we would have liked" for the time of year and "above average" winter rainfall was needed.

The company said October and November saw barely half the normal expected rainfall, but insisted water levels were in a "very good" position.

South East added it would continue to monitor reservoirs closely.

Lee Dance, the firm's head of water resources, said: "Whatever the weather we always ask our customers to use water wisely."

Meanwhile, Sutton and East Surrey Water warned recent heavy rainfall was "not enough" to top up "depleted" water sources.

Storm Eleanor unleashed a month's worth of rain in just 24 hours this week as flood warnings were issued across the country.

The Environment Agency said rainfall had been "notably low" in much of the South-east between September and November last year.

Some areas in the region experienced the lowest rainfall in an October and November combined since 1978.

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England facing potential water shortages despite torrential rain

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Parts of England could be hit by water shortages this summer despite heavy rains brought by Storm Eleanor, officials have warned. Southern Water is taking steps to avoid a hosepipe ban later this year after revealing its Bewl Water reservoir was at an exceptionally low level.

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For Chinese class, Hong Kong at risk

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[Sponsored] Hong Kong, surrounded by green hills and lush subtropical vegetation, has a seeming abundance of water, especially during the rainy season. However, Hong Kong's local freshwater resources are in fact quite limited, more so than even parts of the Middle East. It is actually an illusion that fresh drinking water is an unlimited natural resource in this part of the world.

Civic Exchange and ADM Capital Foundation's latest report, " The Illusion of Plenty: Hong Kong's Water Security, Working Towards Regional Water Harmony," highlights Hong Kong's severe water problems and examines challenges in managing its water sustainably. This new research has received extensive media and political coverage since it was released in May.

Older Hong Kong residents will remember water shortages and rationing in the 1960s and 1970s. It was during this period, in 1965, that the Hong Kong colonial government struck the so-called DongShen Agreement with Guangdong province to purchase water from the Dongjiang, the eastern tributary of the Pearl River.

Hong Kong has not imposed water rationing since 1982, but our reliance on water imported from across the border has been increasing. Since the mid-1980s, the freshwater supply from the Dongjiang has exceeded Hong Kong's locally sourced water. About 80% of our freshwater currently comes from the Dongjiang - up from more than 20% in 1965.

Since 1990, Hong Kong has seen a remarkable increase of domestic water demand. We annually consume a total of 1.25 billion cubic metres of freshwater and seawater (mostly used for flushing toilets) - equivalent to nearly 860 full bathtubs per person. According to a study on 48 major international cities, our water consumption is among the highest per capita in the world. Our average domestic daily water consumption per person is 21% higher than the global average. The perception of unlimited water supplies plays a role.

There are two contributing factors that drive this consumption. The first is the city's government-subsidised, low pricing structure that effectively does little to encourage consumers to conserve water. Our water charges are among the lowest rates in the world - even less than New York, London, Tokyo and Beijing.

The second is the fact that one-third of Hong Kong's freshwater may be lost through leaky government mains, private pipes or even theft. The amount of lost water is roughly equal to the city's own local catchment, and was equivalent to HK$1.35 billion in revenue in 2013 (the only year for which an estimate was made).

The rate of overall water losses in Hong Kong has increased between 2010 and 2015, from 26.5% to 32.5%. It is comparable to the rate in Asia's less developed cities, where an average of 30% of water is lost. In fact, our leakage rate is considerably higher compared with other developed cities. Tokyo, for example, has successfully reduced its leakage rate from 20% in 1955 to 2.7% in 2010.

Although leakage from the government's water network comprises a bigger portion of lost water, the proportion has decreased, from 20% in 2010 to 15% in 2015, suggesting the government's improved efforts to tackle the problem. In contrast, leakage on private properties may have surged sixfold, from a mere 2.5% to 14% over the five-year period.

In April, a group of Hong Kong legislators paid a two-day visit to Guangdong to observe the Dongjiang's water supply and facilities, ahead of the new water negotiations between the two governments.

The over-reliance on the Dongjiang has raised questions about its sustainability. Apart from Hong Kong, the river also supplies water to seven major Chinese cities, including the provincial capital of Guangzhou and the industrial town of Dongguan. It has been affected by pollution as Guangdong province has rapidly industrialized and urbanized. In 2004, the stress placed on the Dongjiang surged past the level deemed "ecologically safe".

In 2008, Hong Kong's Water Supplies Department, introduced the Total Water Management strategy to diversify its water supply, including providing solutions to combat water disruption due to climate change. It also pledges to provide "one of the safest water supplies in the world".

However, the city does not have a broader policy addressing its long-term water scarcity problem. There are many things that the Hong Kong government could do, but at the very least, they should consider these steps:

Establish a source-to-tap policy to ensure water supply is delivered effectively to end users - not unlike what Singapore and the UK have done.

Resolve property leakages, especially at private buildings, and also tackle water theft.

Shift water policy from focusing on supply to focusing on conservation. One way is to reformulate the tariff structure so that it is similar to those in other international cities - without hurting the financially disadvantaged.

Take steps to improve public awareness to conserve water and set per capita water reduction targets.

Freshwater only comprises 2% of the world's water, with climate change exacerbating the situation. Hong Kong can no longer afford to live with the illusion that is has an abundance of water.

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ADM Capital Foundation and Civic Exchange

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Why Hong Kong urgently needs to tackle its water problem | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

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Sponsored] Hong Kong, surrounded by green hills and lush subtropical vegetation, has a seeming abundance of water, especially during the rainy season. However, Hong Kong's local freshwater resources are in fact quite limited, so than even parts of the Middle East. It is actually an illusion that fresh drinking ...

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Might help

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TriplePundit: 6 Solutions to the Water Shortage Crisis

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But when faced with a crisis, history shows us that humanity has an amazing ability to conquer it resourcefully, and that's exactly what many environmental innovators are seeking to do by introducing new technology that helps businesses and individuals alike cut down on their water usage without compromising their quality of life.

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Sam Harman storage tank.

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Water storage tanks Capetown
From Sam Harman

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Cape Town Day Zero

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Cape Town confronts 'Day Zero' as water supply runs dry

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If the city runs out of water in April, as expected, it will be the first major city in a developed country to do so

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Possible rain Capetown

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Water storage for washing dishes. Sam Harman

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An innovative way to catch water and store it. Sam Harman

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Is Cape Town thirsty enough to drink sea water?

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Is Cape Town thirsty enough to drink sea water?

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The Water Shortage in Cape Town

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Cape Town is withering. If current projections hold, the South African city of 4 million will run out of water on May 11, known as Day Zero. It's been three long years of drought-we're talking a once every 1,000 years kind of problem that Cape Town's water infrastructure just wasn't built for.

The irony is that a whole sea of water laps at the shores of the coastal city. But if you wanted to drink it, you'd have to build an expensive, energy-intensive desalination facility. Cape Town is indeed rushing to bring such projects online, at least on a temporary basis, and in so doing is exposing a dire reality: Pockets of humanity around the world may have to rely on the sea to survive drought in the very near future. Because it's likely that climate change is exacerbating this drought.

Models show that for certain parts of the world, things are going to get real hot and real dry. The American South, for instance, could see a tripling of 95-degree-plus days per year by 2050. "Cape Town is a warning shot for us," says Michael Kiparsky, director of the Wheeler Water Institute at UC Berkeley. "What we can see is that it's very possible for water crises-which emerge all the time around the world-to get close to the point of real, massive human disaster."

The key to managing water is diversifying. Think of it like stocks-if you're all in on Enron and Enron implodes, so does your money. But invest in a range of companies and you can hedge against uncertainty. Same goes for water sources. Dams, however ecologically terrible their impacts, let you save up a stock of water. You may even decide to treat wastewater to boost your supply. And you'll of course want to convince your populace to save water, even in times of plenty.

Cape Town does not have a stellar portfolio. "The diversification of our water sources would have helped a whole lot earlier," says environmental scientist Kevin Winter of the University of Cape Town. "It's difficult to do that because you need sometimes these triggers to be able to change the budgetary system and be able to think differently about a long-term strategy."

The city is certainly triggered now. (The local government was unable to provide comment before this story published.) And what it's been able to do in recent months is pretty remarkable, at least from a public education perspective: A city that once consumed 290 million gallons of water a day now uses 160 million gallons. But that's still a whole lot of water in a region where rain just refuses to fall.

So Cape Town is turning to desalination to tackle the shortfall. Specifically, temporary reverse osmosis plants that'll spin up in the coming months and provide fresh water. Not much of it in the grand scheme of things-4 million gallons a day-but still a start.

Desalination is not a new idea. For decades now, researchers have been doggedly exploring the technology, which comes in two flavors. The first you can do at home if you like, just boiling water to collect steam and leave salt behind. The second is reverse osmosis, and involves forcing water through a permeable membrane to filter out the salt. Problem is, boiling water takes a ton of energy, as does pumping water.

The technology is improving. Fancy new materials, like membranes just an atom thick, are making reverse osmosis more efficient. (That is, making it easier to push that water through.) "Desalination technology is going to change considerably in the coming years," says Winter. "I think what the city is currently doing right now is to go slowly with its experiments and it will start to ratchet those up in time."

Which has some scientists crying foul. Late last year, a group of researchers published a paper detailing how desalinated water could theoretically be tainted by sewage piping into the waters off Cape Town. In their samples of seawater they found 15 pharmaceutical and household chemicals, as well as nasty microbes like E. coli. These are not things you'd want to suck into a desalination plant and turn into drinking water without some serious testing and purification if necessary.

On top of the potential pollutants coming out of a desalination plant, there's also the byproduct of brine (lots and lots of salt), which is pumped back out to sea, potentially disrupting ecosystems. That and desalination plants can kill sea critters by hoovering them up. "It doesn't make sense to me to solve one ecological problem by creating a whole lot more," says the University of Cape Town's Lesley Green, co-author of the paper, "which is saltier seawater and not managing the discharge of medicinal compounds and persistent organic pollutants."

Desalination may also present unexpected social costs in Cape Town, because not every citizen would benefit from it. "At home I have water, it flows out of the tap," says the University of Cape Town's Tom Sanya, an architect who specializes in sustainable design. "But we have a significant number of people in the informal settlements of Cape Town who don't have water flowing in their homes. If the city has up to now failed to supply each individual resident in Cape Town with water, then I can't be convinced that after investing heavily in technologies we'll have enough money left to invest in distribution."

Still, in Cape Town, the ecological and social costs of desalination may pale in comparison to the consequences of not turning to the sea for help. The energy costs of the technology are still huge, but Israel has proven it can be done on a massive scale: The nation now makes more freshwater than it needs. And as certain parts of the world descend into a new era of heat and dryness, desalination is going to look like a mighty tempting solution.

"It kind of depends on how bad you need the water," says engineer Amy Childress of the University of Southern California. "And that's exactly where South Africa is, and it's where California would have been if we didn't have a rainy last year. It really is pure and simple-how bad you need the water and how unlucky you are with the drought."

Cape Town has been very, very unlucky. But it's taking steps to diversify its water portfolio, and the rest of the world would be wise to follow. Otherwise it'll be Enron for the lot of us.

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Is Cape Town Thirsty Enough to Drink Seawater?

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Cape Town is withering. If current projections hold, the South African city of 4 million will run out of water on May 11, known as Day Zero. It's been three long years of drought-we're talking a once every 1,000 years kind of problem that Cape Town's water infrastructure just wasn't built for.

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Other places that might run out of water

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Other places that might run out of water

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The 11 cities most likely to run out of drinking water - like Cape Town

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Cape Town’s taps are due to be turned off because of severe drought. It is not alone in having water woes.

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More articles on the Cape Town water situation

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More articles on the Cape Town water situation

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http://www.capetownetc.com/water-crisis/ - This page has a whole bunch of articles on it and is always being updated

https://businesstech.co.za/news/lifestyle/220285/6-things-that-will-happen-when-cape-towns-water-crisis-hits-day-zero/

- This is a nice summary of what might happen come day 0

http://ewn.co.za/2018/02/04/cape-town-s-water-crisis-hitting-tourism-officials

- Tourism and the water crisis

http://ewn.co.za/2018/02/11/ct-water-crisis-govt-must-protect-vulnerable-groups-from-effects-of-drought

- this one has a video of Cyril Ramaphosa (possibly our new president!?) talking about the crisis.

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https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/180202-cape-town-drought-day-zero-vin-spd

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What is causing Cape Towns's water shortage

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What is causing Cape Towns's water shortage

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One good article about what could have caused the water shortage

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There are several likely causes of Cape Town's water shortage. GroundUp spoke to Kevin Winter, a lecturer in Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Cape Town, who helped us get to the root of the problem (we take sole responsibility for any errors).

Population growing faster than storage

Since 1995 the city's population has grown 79%, from about 2.4 million to an expected 4.3 million in 2018. Over the same period dam storage has increased by only 15%.

The Berg River Dam, which began storing water in 2007, has been Cape Town's only significant addition to water storage infrastructure since 1995. It's 130,000 megalitre capacity is over 14% of the 898,000 megalitres that can be held in Cape Town's large dams. Had it not been for good water consumption management by the City, the current crisis could have hit much earlier.

Source: City of Cape Town weekly dam levels 15 May 2017.

Possibly high consumption preceding current drought

Cape Town is in the middle of a drought. The graph below shows the decreased rainfall in the past two years for Theewaterskloof, the dam supplying more than half our water.

Graph constructed using data from National Department of Water and Sanitation.

The City would not provide us with historical consumption data. However, officials did provide us with the amount of water treated. Note than in 2015 there was a spike in the amount of water treated. This suggests that consumption went up in that year, coupled with the onset of below average rainfall. However, Winter has cautioned that we can't draw too much from this graph, because the correlation between water treated and consumed is not clear.

Constructed using data provided by City of Cape Town (Xanthea Limberg)

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This graph shows the city's dam levels from 2000 to 2017. In the mid-2000s there was also a serious drought. Source: City of Cape Town

Climate change due to human-caused global warming

Winter explained that rainfall to the city's catchment areas is coming later, dropping more erratically, and often missing the catchments altogether. "We have to acknowledge that carbon dioxide is finding its way into the atmosphere and has reached a new high," he said. "This is a global system, so the bigger systems are beginning to impact us ... there is no doubt that pressure and temperature are related. So disturb the temperature, you disturb the pressure and you start to see different systems operating."

"Weather variability is suggesting two things to us. One is that the drought interval [the period between less than average rainfall years] is closing and that's massively problematic if you can't get a couple of good years to bring yourself back up," Winter said. "[The other is that rainfall is] coming later. ... We don't get a sweep of cold fronts that are here for two or three days and drop the annual rainfall in nice, neat little batches. That's no longer true."

What this means is that we shouldn't see the current water crisis as a temporary phenomenon that will resolve in a year or two. It's a long-term problem. We will need substantial government intervention to make Cape Town's water supply sustainable.

CORRECTION: The article originally incorrectly calculated population growth in the second paragraph. Thank you to reader Kane Croudace for pointing this out.

© 2017 GroundUp.
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and GroundUp, and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.

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What's causing Cape Town's water crisis?

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There are several likely causes of Cape Town's water shortage. GroundUp spoke to Kevin Winter, a lecturer in Environmental and Geographical Sciences at the University of Cape Town, who helped us get to the root of the problem (we take sole responsibility for any errors).

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Why Cape Town Is Running Out of Water, and Who's Next - National Geographic

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The South African city plans to shut off the taps to 4 million people. But it's just one of many cities around the world facing a future with too little water.

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An interesting article about water use in Hong Kong

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Hongkongers use twice as much water as rest of world: Dutch envoy

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Special envoy for international water affairs Henk Ovink says city must face up to coming challenges