Some time back, Capetown, the capital of South Africa, narrowly escaped the spectre of ‘Day Zero’ due to its acute water crisis. ‘Day Zero’, in environment management terminology, implies that Capetown was on the verge of its water taps being turned off and its water distribution rationed to almost 1/3 of its normal usage. This meant that Capetown would have been limited to a mere 25 litres of water a day per person from the previous 81 litres used daily by more than 60% of the population. This was in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) minimum short-term emergency survival recommendations.
However, Cape Town, South Africa's "Mother City", averted a crisis of this magnitude with alacrity. It taught the Capetonians to retain their crisis management mode to future proof themselves to withstand water insecurity and drought conditions expected to occur frequently, given the climate change happening around the world.
Given that water is finite, it is a precious resource. Stress on water supplies caused by increasing urbanization and population growth has become a global phenomenon, with over two-thirds of the world projected to live in urban areas and the world population projected to increase to over 10 billion by 2050. The use of water has been growing at more than twice the rate of human population growth in the past hundred years, with the global water withdrawals having more than doubled since 1960. Nearly 25% of the world population faces a water crisis which cannot be ignored. As of today, 44 countries are experiencing high levels of baseline water stress, which is almost 1/3 of the planet for whom the available water supply is depleted annually by, on average, 40%. Out of these, 17 countries are in the extremely alarming list with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as the most water-stressed regions on Earth. India alone holds more than 3 times the population of the other 16 countries in the list. India is the first country outside of MENA, with the other top three being Qatar, Israel, and Lebanon where over 80% of water is not re-used.
It is interesting to note the measures Capetown took for water management. They called it ‘Level 3 Water Restrictions’, restricting the daily limit per person, which, if exceeded, would invite fines. They did not hesitate to publish the name-and-shame list showing addresses using maximum water, thus adding to the fervour of water management. Green lawns no longer became owners’ pride, as neighbours would comment on them passive-aggressively. Dirty cars were embraced. Rinse water from washing machine loads was saved for flushing number 2s and, to the extent of sounding extreme, even number 1s went through the scrutiny of “if it is yellow, let it mellow”. Water recycling systems and water management devices were installed in domestic properties. Retrofitting of spray hoses with efficient nozzles was done for all the new sales as well as the already in use spray hoses. Pressure reduction in municipal pipes was controlled through localized pump stations. Leaks were fixed at a record rate. Almost every household was required to install rainwater collection tanks. The average size of pools more or less halved and many started relying on the city’s nascent non-potable water industry. Also, the idea of coverless pools became a big taboo. Capetonians set up websites displaying current dam and consumption levels. Tips on how to save household water were published across various channels, along with radio adverts, flyers in water bills, and billboards around Cape Town. Residents appreciated tips like navy showers (short stop-start showers), use of buckets for bathing instead of showers and for water from showering to be captured and used to flush toilets, encouraging let the “yellow mellow” at home, work, schools, and malls. They started flushing with greywater only or setting up and using “permission stalls” in which people were authorized not to flush.
Capetonians sure went all out in their water management - their resolve and collective effort was creditworthy and reminded the world that there is tremendous scope for many simple measures to be adopted to conserve water, our existential resource. Even Australia, during a millennium drought exacerbated by climate change, nearly halved its domestic water usage, showing how effective management can be to save a country on the brink of water scarcity.
Metros in India also need to set up their Statements of Intent-based on the strategy for water management adopted by Capetonians. There needs to be a long-term strategy for water supply and demand management for urban, industrial, and agricultural users. Such a strategy should include diversity of water sources, equity of service provisions, thoughtful and forceful messaging, early warning systems. If we can practice some of these even in normal times, we can not only save ourselves from any impending crises but also create a pathway for future generations.
In the past, we had spiritual rain-makers. But given the magnitude of the issue where roughly 50% of the world’s projected 9.7 billion people will live in water-stressed regions by 2050, we can’t hope for such miracles on a consistent basis unless all the stakeholders (the local, state and central governments, corporates and the public) constantly nudge each other to create sustainable water systems. This is essential to not only maintain health and wellbeing but also to create social and economic impact globally.
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