By April of this year, Cape Town, South Africa, is set to shut off water to over 4 million residents, who will have to queue up for rationed water amidst the city’s historic drought. Such a trend could become frequent for regions worldwide. How can the way we construct new buildings or retrofit old ones be modified to conserve water as global warming takes its toll on the planet?
Residents of Cape Town, South Africa, wait in line for water. (Image courtesy of AP Photo/Bram Janssen.)
Climate-related water issues aren’t limited to droughts, but to increased sea levels and flooding, as well (just look at the effects of the recent bout of hurricanes to hit the U.S. as examples). However, in this article, we’ll focus on the former issue in order to contain an already unwieldy topic.
From Cape Town to the World
In the U.S., there have been droughts, both historic and commonplace. There have even been government measures taken to preserve water. Just drive down Interstate5 and you’ll see farmers advertising their grievances with the California legislature about water rationing rules. But, due to rising global temperatures, not only are these events and the corresponding reactions of states to them going to become more frequent, but they will also likely to become more extreme.
What’s currently happening in Cape Town, South Africa, is an early indicator of what’s to come. Since 2015, the port city has been in the midst of the worst water crisis in 100…