“I have never seen that!” says Carlos Perdigao, 76, as he gazes at the ruined stone houses of Vilar which were swallowed up by the Zezere river when a dam was opened in 1954.

Vilar stands on the banks of the river, surrounded by cracked yellow earth, another sign of the ongoing dry spell during what is normally a rainy winter season, with the drought also hitting neighbouring Spain.

Weather services in both countries say it was the second driest January on record since the year 2000.

The current drought is extraordinary because of “its intensity, scale and length”, says climate scientist Ricardo Deus of Portugal’s meteorology agency IPMA.

Of Portugal’s 55 dams, 24 are only holding half of their water capacity, and five are below 20 per cent, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation service.

The Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost province, and one of Europe’s top tourism destinations, is one of those most affected by the drought.

Meanwhile Spain only got a quarter of the precipitation it normally gets in January, said the AEMET weather service.

The dry spell, which began at the end of 2021, is ruining crops, leaving farmers struggling to feed livestock and hampering hydroelectricity production.

‘It’s a disaster’
Earlier this month, Portugal ordered five of its hydropower dams to suspend water use for electricity production in order to prioritise human consumption.

Nearly 30 percent of Portugal’s electricity comes from hydropower dams.

And in Spain, Agriculture Minister Luis Planas on Tuesday said the government was “concerned” about the drought and would adopt the “necessary measures” depending on how the situation evolves.

Spain’s water reserves are currently at less than 45 percent of their capacity, officials say, with the southern Andalusia region and Catalonia in the northeast worst hit.

Farmers in both countries are worried.

“Look! The grass isn’t growing to feed the animals,” says Antonio Estevao, a cheese producer who owns a herd of around 30 goats in Portela de Fojo Machio, a village in central Portugal near the town of Pampilhosa da Serra.

“If it doesn’t rain in the coming days, it’s going to be very complicated,” he sighs, gazing at his drought-stressed pastures.

The lack of rain is also jeopardising the town’s efforts to draw tourists inland with a floating pool structure set up for bathers in the Zezere river.

But the pool’s plastic lining lies slumped on the ground, with the drought forcing the river to recede.

“For us, it’s a disaster,” says the town’s mayor, Henrique Fernandes Marques.

The same area was badly hit by a wave of wildfires that raged through parched farmlands and forests in 2017, claiming over 100 lives.

No end in sight
More frequent and intense droughts are expected to put enormous strain on climate-vulnerable regions as temperatures rise, and will likely heighten the risk of related natural disasters such as wildfires, scientists say.

While the alternation between dry and wet years is normal in southern Europe, “we have observed a decline in the percentage of rainy years lately,” said Filipe Duarte Santos, an environment specialist at Lisbon University.

These droughts are “one of the most serious consequences of climate change,” he added.

“Until greenhouse gas emissions are drastically reduced, the problem will continue.”

The situation is not likely to improve in the coming weeks as forecasters expect rainfall in both countries to be below the seasonal average.

Faced with this reality, the Portuguese government on Thursday said it would boost its cooperation with Spain to fight the drought.

Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220212-spain-portugal-hit-by-winter-drought

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Raw water sources in Delhi, primarily the Yamuna and groundwater, are insufficient to meet the demand (MIG Photos/ Aman Kanojiya)

With one of the highest per capita water consumption levels in the country, many areas in Delhi struggle with a shortage of water for daily use, be it in households or schools. Experts say that not just Delhi, but the entire country will face a severe crisis unless states act together, and fast.

In a cramped slum of Bawana village, located in the northwest of the national capital, stays Mrinali. A 17-year-old school-goer, who stays awake almost every day till 3 am in the morning to make sure that the buckets and all the vessels at her home are filled with water. Mrinali has the company of Nagma, Puja, and some other girls of her age who also carry pots, pans, buckets to a community tap, about 500-600 meters away from where they stay. All of them are responsible for getting water to their house every night as soon as the clock ticks two because that is the time when the only running tap with clean water in their locality, gets water.

“This is part of my job. Earlier our mothers used to come with us but now that we are grown up, we come on our own and get water for the next day. Sometimes, we do get water in our taps at home, but that only happens once a week. Mostly, we depend on this water only. Earlier it seemed like a task but I do not mind coming here every night now,” says Mrinali.

Only 32 pc of households have tap water supply from treated sources in India, as per Census 2011 (MIG Photos/ Aman Kanojiya)

Mrinali further says that about 60-70 women, of different age groups, flock at the community tap at midnight daily. If they do not do this every day, their home might not have enough water for everyone to bathe, clean, wash clothes, other household chores or even for drinking, the next day. While one can hear Mrinali and her friends, like most women who gather there, giggling while their buckets get full, the truth about the water availability in their area is far from happy.

Though Delhi occupies a privileged position in terms of water consumption, a daily average of 240 liters per capita, the highest in India, that statistic hides a grim reality. Both the raw water sources in the capital, primarily the Yamuna and groundwater, are insufficient to meet the demand.

When it comes to the main source of water, Yamuna, the governments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi had signed an agreement in 1994 on the allocation of the river’s waters, under which Delhi was permitted to draw 724 million m3 per year. Even today, Delhi’s share remains the same, though its population has increased by about 22 million since then, according to the data available on the Delhi government’s website. Though the Delhi Development Authority says its pipe network covers 93 pc of the population, the 2016-17 Economic Survey of Delhi estimated that 40 pc of the supply is lost to leakages and theft.

In India, only 32 pc of households have tap water supply from treated sources, as per Census 2011. About 18 pc or 625,000 households in the capital city, Delhi, do not have piped water supply. Yet, this city has one of the highest percentages of households with piped water among all of India’s states and union territories.

Ritu Mehta, who works at Delhi Jal Board (DJB), a government agency responsible for the supply of potable water to most of the national capital region, admits to the problem of water shortage in the region and says that the government is looking for ways to tackle the issue. She mentions that early this month, the DJB moved the Supreme Court against the Haryana government to avert a potential severe water crisis in Delhi. She claimed the Haryana government has reduced the supply of raw water to Delhi, resulting in a shortage of water supply in many areas.

“Such behaviour of the Haryana government is not only undesirable but also deeply disappointing. The regular fall in the level of Yamuna, especially during summers, along with the discharge of pollutants that cause a rise in ammonia levels, is a matter of grave concern,” she says.

Early last week, union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, in a response to a written question in the Rajya Sabha quoted statistics from Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) and said over 42,000 government schools across the country do not have drinking water facilities. Khooshboo, a friend of Mrinali from Bawana, goes to one such school.

“My school does not have clean water to drink, on most days, the tap remains dry and sometimes, dirty water comes from it that we use for washing our hands and feet, and sometimes even drink after playing,” she adds.

Talking about the issue, Mehta of DJB says that the drinking water crisis is not exclusive to Delhi but is spread all over. While she says that there is no immediate solution to this, conservation and treatment are the first steps.

“One way to address the water shortage is to increase the production and use of treated wastewater – this could be used in a number of sectors, including agriculture, construction, and industry. It would also mitigate the heavy pollution of the Yamuna. In recent years, several innovative projects have been launched, such as the Indo-Dutch collaborative effort LOTUS-HR (Local Treatment of Urban Sewage Streams for Healthy Reuse),” explains Mehta.

However, treatment is only one part of the story. The recovered water must also be used, on this count, over 30 percent of water already being treated in Delhi is not being utilized. This water could, for example, be used to water the parks owned by the DDA and the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), which currently pump groundwater for that purpose, says another member of DJB who did not wish to be named.

“But to make this change, political will is needed to financially back the infrastructure required, as well as inter-departmental cooperation. Because of the lack of infrastructure like dual piping to supply treated sewage water separately from potable water, unused treated water is not even supplied to households,” he adds.

However, Mehta also says that for a long-term solution to Delhi’s water woes, there is a need for better water-sharing among neighbouring states. For instance, while Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have abundant sources of raw water, around 90 pc of their water is used in agriculture or industry. One example of better sharing would be for Delhi’s unutilized treated water to be supplied to industries and for agriculture, while neighbouring states supply their raw water for consumption to the capital. “We have proposed this to neighbouring states. Such exchanges can help the nation fight the water crisis. We need a ‘we first’ approach instead of ‘me first’ approach,” she adds.

Source: https://mediaindia.eu/society/world-day-of-water-crisis/

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SaveWaterSaveCity.com and an NGO initiated by Rishi Raj Agarwal has taken an uphill task to create awareness among all people the importance of water in human life.

India only has 4% of the world’s freshwater resources despite a population of over 1.3 billion people. “With high population growth in India and the world almost 400 million people living in 100 cities of international importance across the world are at immediate risk of a water crisis, as these cities face water scarcity, flooding, drying out reservoirs in several regions, lack of basic infrastructure and groundwater depletion and contamination has made all top cities in India water-stressed,” says Rishi Raj Agrawal.

SaveWaterSaveCity.com and an NGO initiated by Rishi Raj Agarwal has taken an uphill task to create awareness among all people the importance of water in human life. Mr. Agarwal has taken an uphill task to save 30 top cities of India and 50 top cities of the world through his various campaign and has approached respective state govt to make water free of cost available for its citizen.

The WWF’s Risk Filter analysis and SWSC has identified the top 30 cities of India with high water stress by 2050 are Jaipur, Indore Amritsar, Pune, Srinagar, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Visakhapatnam, Vadodara, Rajkot, Kota, Nashik, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Hubli-Dharwad, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chennai, Dhanbad, Bhopal, Gwalior, Surat, Delhi, Aligarh, Lucknow.

Mr. Rishi Agrawal who is CERA’s (Construction Equipment Rental Association) regional head of Maharashtra, India’s largest construction equipment rental association. Also, Rishi Agarwalla has a passion for green revolution and has taken a vision to plant 5 lakh trees and has already planted 20,000 trees and in fact, 5003 trees at a single go with Rotary club at kutch.

Rishi Agarwalla says “The water challenges faced by the globe doesn’t only affect the community that needs water but also every living being”. “Water is everybody’s business” was one the key messages of the 2nd World Water Forum.

Top Cities that are affected

São Paulo loses over 20 percent of its treated water due to leaking pipes contributing to the harsh water stress the city faces.

Even Beijing’s 21 million residents are running out of water sources. In addition to this, nearly 40 percent of Beijing’s surface water is too polluted for use. Jakarta has recently witnessed a rapid population growth, water shortages, flood risk, and land subsidence caused by groundwater overdraft. London has grappled with water shortages, sewage overflows as the city’s population steadily increase.

Delhi has over-extraction of groundwater and low rainwater retention, Bangalore is facing water shortage and can provide only up to 60% of the city needs. Chennai main reservoirs run dry, groundwater levels low and Tankers provide water supply.

Rishi Agarwalla says “Water scarcity is an issue that will greatly affect the whole globe. There’s nothing more essential than water to life. And if the water isn’t used sparingly and with precautions, it will surely lead to a devastating future for our kids and future generation.

Since the population is increasing, the need for drinkable water will increase too. Providing free water to communities and an initiative to develop urban watersheds and wetlands to bolster freshwater conservation and are critical for maintaining the water balance of a city, flood cushioning, micro-climate regulation, and protecting its biodiversity. It’s high time people realize every drop matters.”

Source: https://www.deccanchronicle.com/in-focus/121220/top-30-cities-of-india-shall-have-no-water-says-rishi-raj-agarwal.html

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A man sits on a bench in pitch dark, during a power cut in Caracas.Foto: Cristian Hernández / AFP

Walking for hours, making oil lamps, bearing water. For Venezuelans today, suffering under a new nationwide black-out that has lasted days, it’s like being thrown back to life centuries ago.

El Ávila, a mountain that towers over Caracas, has become a place where families gather with buckets and jugs to fill up with water, wash dishes and scrub clothes. The taps in their homes are dry from lack of electricity to the city’s water pumps.

“We’re forced to get water from sources that obviously aren’t completely hygienic. But it’s enough for washing or doing the dishes,” said one resident, Manuel Almeida.

Because of the long lines of people, the activity can take hours of waiting.

Elsewhere, locals make use of cracked water pipes. But they still need to boil the water, or otherwise purify it.

“We’re going to bed without washing ourselves,” said one man, Pedro Jose, a 30-year-old living in a poorer neighbourhood in the west of the capital.

Some shops seeing an opportunity have hiked the prices of bottles of water and bags of ice to between US$3 and US$5 – a fortune in a country where the monthly minimum salary is the equivalent of US$5.50.

Better-off Venezuelans, those with access to US dollars, have rushed to fill hotels that have giant generators and working restaurants.

For others, preserving fresh food is a challenge. Finding it is even more difficult. The blackout has forced most shops to close.

“We share food” among family members and friends, explained Coral Muñoz, 61, who counts herself lucky to have dollars.

“You have to keep a level head to put up with all this, and try to have people around because being alone make it even harder.”

Scouring trash

For Kelvin Donaire, who lives in the poor Petare district, survival is complicated. He walks for more than an hour to the bakery where he works in the upmarket Los Palos Grandes area.

“At least I’m able to take a loaf back home,” Donaire said.

Many inhabitants have taken to salting meat to preserve it without working refrigerators.

Others, more desperate, scour trash cans for food scraps. They are hurt most by having to live in a country where basic food and medicine has become scarce and out of reach because of rocketing hyperinflation.

The latest blackout this week also knocked out communications.

According to NetBlocks, an organisation monitoring telecoms networks, 85 percent of Venezuela has lost connection.

‘People need to eat’

In stores, cash registers no longer work and electronic payment terminals are blanked out. That’s serious in Venezuela, where even bread is bought by card because of lack of cash. Some clients, trusted ones, are able to leave written IOUs.

“People need to eat. We let them take food and they will pay us when bank transfers come back,” explained shop owner Carlos Folache.

Underneath an office block of Digitel, one of the main mobile phone companies, dozens of people stand around trying to get a signal.

“I’m trying to get connected to get news… on this chaotic episode we’re going through,” said one man, Douglas Pérez.

With Caracas’s subway shut down, getting around the city is a trail, with choices between walking for miles, lining up in the outsized hope of getting on one of the rare and badly overcrowded and dilapidated buses or managing to get fuel for a vehicle.

Pedro José said bus tickets have nearly doubled in price. “A ticket used to cost 100 bolivares (around three US cents) and now it’s 1,500 (45 cents),” he raged.

As night casts Caracas into darkness, families light their homes as best they can.

“We make lamps that burn gasoline, or oil, or kerosene — any type of fuel,” explained Lizbeth Morin, 30.

Source:  http://www.batimes.com.ar/news/latin-america/weve-returned-to-the-middle-ages-life-in-venezuelas-black-out.phtml

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The scene in Venezuela‘s capital of Caracas is dire: a long line of people searching for clean water during the country’s daily power outages.

Children and adults alike can be seen carrying jugs as residents prepare to make a dangerous trip underground.

On Tuesday night, desperate residents climbed down a manhole that covered an emergency pipe that Venezuelans had opened to fill their buckets with clean water. Residents waited for hours just to get their share.

“Look at how we are living,” one man, Pedro Acosta, told ABC News in Spanish. “We are garbage. Kids are dying of hunger. We are an oil-rich country and look [at] us in this hole getting water.”

The crisis in Venezuela has been so severe that for several years parents have been dropping off their sick children to an orphanage.

As the country faced another day of blackouts, which have prompted water shortages and exacerbated already dire health and food crises, the staff at one orphanage visited by ABC News said it had just gotten milk.

Unfortunately, it was set to expire the next day, they said.

Crisbeili, a 6-year-old orphan there, said she had a message for the U.S.: Send water, send medicine, send anything.

Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro remains in control and is backed by Cuban and Russian allies.

He is refusing any help from the United States. Without proof, he has accused U.S. hackers of sabotaging Venezuela’s electrical grid, crippling the nation and leading to chaos.

The U.S. recognizes Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president along with more than 50 other nations.

On Thursday, the U.S. announced that all of its diplomats had left Venezuela.

“The United States government, at all levels, remains firm in its resolve and support for the people of Venezuela and Interim President Juan Guaido,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Thursday. “We look forward to resuming our presence once the transition to democracy begins.”

The U.S. on Monday pointed to the blackouts, water shortages and threat of further protests when explaining its decision.

With the military still on his side, however, Maduro is showing no signs of stepping down.

Source: https://abc13.com/in-embattled-venezuela-residents-line-up-for-hours-to-get-clean-water/5193001/

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