Cities relied entirely on conserving and recycling water to get through the last big drought. We now have desalination plants, but getting the most out of our water reserves still makes sense.
The largest desalination plant in Australia, Victoria’s A$3.5 billion ‘water factory’ can supply nearly a third of Melbourne’s needs.
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Sydney and Melbourne are bringing desalination plants back on stream and Adelaide plans to increase its plant’s output. Perth depends on desalination. But is it the best way to achieve water security?
Reliable water supply is essential for South Africa’s development.
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We think of Canada as a water-rich country, but we are not immune to water shortages or disasters. With some advance planning, Canada can avoid a water catastrophe.
The Thomson Dam, Melbourne’s largest water storage, dropped to only 16% of capacity in the last big drought.
Melbourne Water/flickr
Australian cities have turned to some very costly solutions when water is scarce. But as the world’s second-highest users of water per person, more efficient use and recycling are key.
Community-led research in the Inuit community of Rigolet, Labrador, helped identify dirty water containers as a source of drinking water contamination.
Can community-led research help address Canada’s Indigenous water security issues? One project from the Inuit community of Rigolet in Labrador suggests it can.
A degraded wetland in the Pilot Wilderness area, Kosciuszko National Park, is subject to increasing numbers of feral horses.
Graeme Worboys collection
Rebekah Brown, Monash University; Karin Leder, Monash University e Tony Wong, Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities
A five-year project announced today will implement an innovative water-sensitive approach tailored to informal settlements. The goal is to revitalise 24 communities in Fiji and Indonesia.
Urbanisation will require massive amounts of water to sustain the livelihoods of millions expected to move into cities. This may happen at farmers’ expense.
In Africa, more than 315,000 children die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
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There have been modest improvements in water and sanitation provision in Africa, but there is still a long way to go. Most citizens rate their governments’ performance in this sphere poorly.
The leaders of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have shown some commitment to sharing the waters of the Nile. But hard negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are only beginning.
Indian children overlook the dry Tawi river, in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, India.
EPA/Jaipal Singh