Why+Capetown+is+Running+Out+of+Water+and,+Who's+next

Title: Why Cape Town is Running Out of Water, and Who's Next Author: Craig Welch Source: National Geographic Link: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/cape-town-running-out-of-water-drought-taps-shutoff-other-cities/ Published: 2 February 2018 Accessed: 12 February 2018

=**SUMMARY**= Cape Town, a city in South Africa with over four million people is projected to run out of water in early May. The city is preparing to face "Day Zero" in several different ways, including military water storage, restrictions on recreational water usage, and limiting water consumption to 50 liters per day- less than a sixth of the amount used by the average American (Welch). This impending crisis in Cape Town has been attributed to population growth and a record drought fueled by climate change, causing an uneven balance between water supply and required water use. Over the past two decades, Cape Town anticipated such a threat and took certain measures to reduce water consumption. However, officials in Cape Town underestimated the threat and incorrectly "[...] assumed future rainfall patterns would resemble the past" (Welch). This has not been the case, as drier, hotter weather from climate change had significantly changed rainfall patterns. Experts also point out that South African political leaders also play fault in this crisis, as they failed to take measures that considered the increased severity of climate change.

As population growth and climate change continue, other cities are also at risk for similar problems. Residents in Mexico City and several major Indian cities are plagued by water shortages and access problems. Sã o Paulo, Brazil had an incident similar to that of Cape Town in 2015 and experts predict Melbourne, Australia could run out of water within the next decade (Welch).

=**RELATION TO COURSE**= This article relates to three topics of the AP Environmental Science class: water scarcity, population growth, and climate change.

The article's main focus is on water scarcity, Chapter 13 of the textbook. Cape Town currently faces a water shortage for several reasons, one of them being South Africa's arid climate (Welch). This relates to the four primary causes of water shortages: a dry climate, drought, desiccation, and water stress (Miller 315).

The article mentions that population growth and climate change play a role in Cape Town's water crisis (Welch). Chapter 11 of the textbook discusses population growth, and mentions that population growth has resulted in many consequences, including sewage system overflow, decreased irrigated cropland productivity, and water shortages- just like the one in Cape Town (Miller 258). Chapter 19 of the textbook discusses global warming and climate change. The textbook explains how global warming can reduce water supplies as lakes, streams, and aquifers will dry up (Miller 509).

=**OPINION**= With an increasing population and more evidence for climate change and global warming, I think water scarcities like the ones in Cape Town will continue to rise without proper action. I believe it is necessary for municipalities and governments to consider population growth and climate change when planning for water resources. Cape Town officials had failed to consider these factors decades prior to the water shortage, which was one of the causes attributed to the crisis (Welch). In addition to proper planning of water resources, people can work (on a national level) to reduce climate change and population growth. As climate change and population growth continue to devastate Earth, it is likely they will contribute to many other problems, including food scarcity, congestion (Miller 265), decreased biodiversity, extreme weather phenomena, and worsened human health (Miller 509-513). Making efforts to slow climate change and population growth will reduce the occurrences of situations like the water shortage in Cape Town and many other devastating environmental consequences.

=**ENVIRONMENTAL LAW**= An environmental law that relates to water scarcity in Cape Town is the Water Resources Planning Act of 1965. This act issues a plan to evaluate domestic water resources. It relates to the shortage of water in Cape Town as future crises can be prevented with adequate planning.

Link for Picture: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-11-17-cape-town-water-crisis-day-zero-draws-near/