Water is essential to survival, and for most, it is easily accessed. In America, we have water to drink, to bathe, to use the bathroom, along with endless other amounts of use of the element. In my opinion, we tend to neglect the importance of water, as many people live each day struggling to find the nearest source.
Water scarcity is a serious problem that will come to arouse within the next decade. Yet, many are unaware of this, as most of us have never had an issue with obtaining it. Studies have shown with the population growth and environmental changes our world is facing, we will soon be facing water shortages like never before. It can be observed that 4 billion people live under conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year, and half a billion people face severe water scarcity year round. The lack of water has manifested by expressed demand, economic competition, disputes between users, irreversible depletion of groundwater, and the negative impacts on the environment.
One of the world’s largest cities, Mexico City, is home to about 21 million people, housing 20% of Mexico’s total population. With such a large population, Mexico City faces many costly strains, including on its water supply, a necessity for all living beings. In fact, the parts of Mexico City’s infrastructure that supply water are crumbling, causing mass waste of fresh water. Along with failed structure, the natural preserves are drying out at a fast rate, as most scientists have predicted that they have 30 years until the reserves fully dry out.
As Mexico City sits 2,000m above sea level, the city is subjected to heavy rainfall. With the intense climate, the city often faces flash floods, resulting in the sewage system to overflow, flooding houses with dirty water. These flash floods bring great damage to the cities sewage system and water supply system, as with the pipes bursting one after the other, about 40% of the cities water supply is wasted.
Because of these extreme conditions Mexico City faces, the government has taken great efforts in order to maintain water for each civilian. It has been said that civilians are only turning on the tap water twice a week, yet in the United States, we use water as we please.
I think it is important that each person educate themselves on the water crisis on a worldwide level, as many do not recognize just how severe this issue is. Water is something that we cannot live without, and at the rate we are using it, we will not have enough water to survive within the next 30 years. I hope this blog has shown just how difficult life without water would look like, and has inspired you to drink and use only when necessary, as many do not have the privileges we do.
https://www.bbc.com/future/gallery/20180510-how-a-city-that-floods-is-running-out-of-water
I just watched a documentary on this last night! I find this topic fascinating and frightening all at once. I must note that groundwater depletion is not irreversible. Groundwater naturally replenishes itself, just very slowly. Also, though awareness is very important, Americans being aware of the water problems in Mexico City may not actually help the problem. Perhaps a policy proposition or suggested course of action would help to elucidate your position.
Water is one of the many things that people living in a developed country sometimes take for granted. Awareness is a step, but doing something about it is a whole other step. There are many places in the world facing a water crisis, even right here in the USA. I’d be interested to hear about possible solutions to this crisis that people have.