In many post-apocalyptic movies and visualized scenarios, the most stressed-over resource, the one which battles are fought over and lives are lost, is water. Now, we must begin facing a reality where there may be a day in which we run out of drinking water; scientists have named it “Day Zero”.
Mexico City is a notable example as it has two arising complications due to its depleting water sources: firstly, and the most obvious, its inhabitants are losing fresh water that they need to survive, and secondly, the main source of water for the city is the aquifer on which it is located. The more water they take from their underground source, the lower they sink. Researchers say that the city is taking double what the aquifer can naturally restore, and the growing city with an already-large population of 22 million people was not designed with the environment in mind.
“Improper maintenance of the region’s infrastructure has led to a system that loses up to 40 percent of its water to leaks”.
Juan Bezaury, A former associate director of the Natural Conservancy
Chennai, India reached Day Zero in 2019; however, it was able to recover through proactive government policies such as making it mandatory for residents to harvest rainwater. Cape Town, Africa is another notable example. While it did not reach the level of Day Zero, it narrowly escaped through a public awareness campaign and introducing water consumption fees. Mexico City has been looking to many of these cases as guides to overcoming their own water shortages.
Weather conditions make it worse for both the water system and citizens struggling to live while rationing the small amounts of water they receive. The constant heat along with the exponential pressure from a drought creates a difficult and dangerous situation for all those involved. While the government tries to help, some of its solutions are not applicable for its citizens. For example, water truck deliveries are unhelpful if you don’t have a storage tank and cannot afford one. Officials assure that Mexico City will not reach Day Zero, but some researchers say that if things continue at this rate, it is still a high probability.