How are urban agglomerations coping with water shortages and increasingly frequent periods of drought caused by progressive global warming?
The effects of progressive global warming include increasingly higher average air temperatures, record high temperatures recorded annually during the summer heat waves, longer and more severe periods of drought, and rivers, lakes and wells drying up. Drought is becoming an increasingly serious problem in agriculture. In some regions of the world, crop production is already declining due to increasingly frequent periods of drought. In metropolitan areas, too, increasingly frequent heat and drought are generating a number of serious problems. Many urban agglomerations lack clean water and rivers are heavily polluted. As a result, in some cities restrictions are being imposed on water use beyond food and sanitation purposes. For example, watering lawns may be allowed once a week in some cities. During periods of drought, total bans are imposed on watering lawns and washing cars from clean running water intakes. In addition, during hot weather in the situation of large areas of concrete and small areas of green space, the lack of urban parks in metropolitan areas, the air temperature rises strongly. In the situation of lack of water and strong heating of concrete surfaces, living conditions in urban agglomerations deteriorate significantly. In addition, in a situation of underdeveloped renewable energy sources and thermal power generation based on dirty fossil fuel combustion energy and a large number of internal combustion cars, smog characterized by strong air pollution from toxic wastes of combustion processes is increasingly appearing. As a result, some residents of large urban areas are moving out of city centers to the outskirts of cities, suburbs or the countryside. This is fostered by the development of remote work provided via the Internet. However, problems related to the shortage of clean water are steadily worsening. In the long term, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to slow down the ongoing process of global warming. In view of the increasingly serious problems caused by scarcity of clean water, city governments are introducing new solutions for reducing water consumption.
In view of the above, I address the following question to the esteemed community of researchers and scientists:
How are urban agglomerations coping with water shortages and increasingly frequent periods of drought caused by ongoing global warming?
What does this issue look like in your city?
What is your opinion on this issue?
Please answer,
I invite everyone to join the discussion,
Thank you very much,
Warm regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
I am not sure if I can answer in Polish so I will try in English, as you maybe know in Poland water usage is monitored, in many cities there is a possibility to check it in real-time mode. Based on that the water municipalities can try to control and adjust the usage and pressure within the network. It might lead to avoiding pipes failure and saving water resources.You should check the ISS- Ewatus project which I was in. https://cordis.europa.eu/docs/projects/cnect/8/619228/080/deliverables/001-D43UsermanualoftheDSSPolish.pdf
Urban agglomerations are addressing water shortages caused by global warming in a variety of ways. One of the most important strategies is to increase water efficiency through better management of water resources. This includes water conservation measures such as using more efficient irrigation systems and reducing water usage for non-essential tasks. Cities are also investing in infrastructure that can collect, store, and reuse water, such as rainwater harvesting systems, greywater systems, and desalination plants. Other strategies include promoting water-efficient lifestyles, utilizing alternative water sources like wastewater, and investing in green infrastructures such as permeable pavements and green roofs that help reduce runoff and improve water quality.
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