Megacity runs dry
Official comment: only rain can save Chennai from this situation.
How can it happen?
A city of 4.6 million people runs out of water. The four main reservoirs are at the 1% level. (No typo, one percent.)
Chennai is the 6th largest city in India.
Youre wondering, of course, about the rest, so:
1 Mumbai 12,442,373
2 Delhi 11,034,555
3 Bangalore 8,443,675
4 Hyderabad 6,731,790
5 Ahmedabad 5,577,940
It’s the 33rd largest in the world. You’re wondering, of course, so here are the rest.
What’s happened? Population growth/urbanisation – Chennai has lost a third of its wetlands in the last 10 years. And more extreme weather – Tamil Nadu (the province of which Chennai is the capital) has had 41 per cent rainfall less rainfall this summer than normal. Two of the six challenges that water companies face. The whole story of Chennai is well covered by India Today – How Chennai lost its water, a story that should worry you – so we won’t repeat it here.
One year ago, we blogged ‘New Delhi the new Cape Town‘ to say:
‘On this basis it is certain that more crises of larger scale will occur more frequently. Countries, governments and cities need plans to mitigate the risk of a crisis and plans to deal with a crisis if it does arise.
i2O’s pressure management solution delivered ¾ of the reductions targeted in Cape Town within weeks rather than months enabling them to push Day Zero out by more than a year. Can your city afford not to have the same technology in place to avert, or to deal with, a crisis?’
Who is listening? We’re ready to help.