When water runs out...

A report published this month on global water resources makes for bleak reading. We already have a shortfall: 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water and in 20 years, water demand will be 40% higher than it is today. Augmenting existing supplies will not be sufficient, instead we need to focus on reducing the water-intensity of the economy. Drought-resistent crops should help to reduce water demand in agriculture that uses around 70% of supplies today.
Reducing industrial and domestic demand will assist water management to a lesser extent. But questions do need to be asked about whether we need clean water for swimming pools and washing the car when we cannot supply people with drinking water...

Water shortages in Harare, Zimbabwe are raising fears of a new cholera outbreak after electric power failures that are affecting the water treatment system. Residents in some suburbs without running water for a week are being forced to draw water from shallow wells.

It's not just in the developing world that there is a shortage of water; California has been troubled by shortages for decades. This summer and autumn, the water main breakages have been unprecedented, especially in Los Angeles. It now appears that an unusually full reservoir put too much pressure on the old corroding cast-iron water pipes serving the city. However, Southern California may be getting a major new source of fresh water: a massive sea-water desalination plant is being proposed at Carlsbad, next to the Encina power station, to produce enough water annually for 100,000 households in San Diego County. The cost of the project? Around £200 million in subsidies and £300 million in bonds. So it's easy to see why water conservation is cheaper than producing alternative water sources.

Water is fast moving up the political agenda in the US as more states struggle to deal with dwindling supplies and increasing demand. A quarter of the state of Texas is currently in some stage of drought: state officials are attempting to implement a raft of programmes to provide drought-proof water supplies that will provide water to residents, industry, agriculture and allow the power plants to keep running.

Drought is a frequent visitor to Australia. Unfortunately, Docker River township in the Northern Territory has another visitor as a result: a herd of 6000 feral camels is laying siege to the remote town, smashing water mains, water tanks, fences and approaching houses as they seek to relieve their thirst. The camels have also blocked the airstrip preventing medical evacuations and as more converge there daily, they are contaminating what water supplies are left. The local council is now looking to cull the animals in an attempt to regain control as residents are too scared to venture outdoors. Australia is home to the largest herd of feral camels in the world, around a million animals that have few natural predators and are also threatening fragile desert ecosystems. Lets hope they don't all decide to head for Docker River...