Preparing for the Next Drought: Lessons from Past Water Crises
1.1 billion people worldwide lack access to water. Alarming, right? The climate crisis is threatening countless cities’ water security every day. The reasons are rising temperatures, disrupting water cycles and ultimately leading to intense and long-lasting droughts. Though droughts are natural disasters, long-term unsustainable use of water resources and inadequate infrastructure worsen the situation by causing water scarcity. Other factors contributing to the increasing frequency of climate crises include inefficient water use and growing population, thus making drought preparation an urgent global priority.
But how can we get started? Analyzing past water crises might be the solution as it may offer invaluable insights into prevention and mitigation strategies for droughts.
Responsive Measures to Take for Drought Preparation
1. Being Extra Cautious of Water Management
Efficient water management is the first step that we can take towards improving the current drought situation. For example, in 2018, Cape Town faced a severe water crisis known as “Day Zero" and the city was on the brink of running out of water. All this highlighted how over-reliance on rainfall and poor infrastructure planning can lead to catastrophic shortages. However, better planning and conservation strategies can make the situation manageable and stop it from becoming a disaster.
Though water management best practices are performed at many levels, prime sources include government, public and private business, non-government organisations (NGO) and conservation groups, households and individuals. A few measures that these associations can take include:
Government: construct dams, reservoirs, and canals for irrigation.
Households and individuals: can limit their shower time, fix leaky pipes, use water-saving appliances, and recycle grey water.
NGOs: conduct research and spread awareness among people about water conservation, reusing/recycling, and contamination.
2. Being Mindful of Using Water Resources
“Always have a backup”. Another lesson that past drought like California’s 2012-2016 water crisis has highlighted. Instead of relying on a single water source, we need to diversify water sources by using techniques like rainwater harvesting, desalination, and water recycling. Installing grey water recycling systems or setting up a commercial rainwater harvesting system on the building roof can reduce dependence on variable rainfall patterns and offer sustainable alternatives.
3. Raising Awareness
Effective Community Engagement is crucial for fostering sustainable water management practices. It brings a collective sense of responsibility and people come together to build resilient and water-secure communities that benefits present and future generations alike.
There are multiple ways through which effective community management can be adopted including raising awareness about water issues, conservation practices and more by hosting public workshops, seminars, and educational programs. Organizing public forums and town hall meetings can help involve communities in decision-making processes or just to gather inputs on water policies, projects, and regulations.
A real-life example of community engagement was seen during the Millennium drought in Australia where public education campaigns and community-driven water conservation measures successfully reduced water usage.
4. Technology is the Future
The pressing challenges on water resources can be achieved by embracing technologies like satellite monitoring, AI-driven water management systems, and Early Warning Systems (EWSs) that help mitigate the adverse impacts of natural disasters like drought. Contributing to that, Oxydus has taken an initiative to provide pure, clean, and potable water anywhere. With their latest Teva7 machine, Oxydus increased the possibility of having water in impossible areas real-fast.
Oxydus: Transforming Drought Resilience
Bringing an innovative solution to water scarcity problems, Oxydus is leading the way to equip governments, businesses, and communities with tools that can anticipate and mitigate droughts. Standing at the forefront, the Teva7 machine by Oxydus uses Atmospheric Water Generation technology to pull clean water straight from the air, providing a new source of reliable and green water.
Why is Oxydus's Teva 7?
Oxydus’s Teva7 is efficiently treating the water access problem because it:
Operates on Solar Energy, perfect for remote or drought-prone areas.
Has a compact design, hence easy to move anywhere.
Provides a sustainable, cost-effective water solution.
The benefits of Oxydus’s Teva 7:
The water is generated in highly-controlled settings and is free from harmful contaminants.
State-of-the-art filters are used for ultra-filtration.
The cost per gallon is lower than any major AWG solutions.
The Teva7 unit is designed in three sizes and requires low maintenance.
Teva7 is fully automatic, carbon-neutral, and is an ideal solution to adopt in emergencies like droughts and fires.
Final Thoughts
The increasing frequency and severity of droughts needs our attention urgently. While many are taking proactive measures towards sustainable water management, there remains a significant portion of the global population that is unaware of the alarming water crisis in the world. Reflecting on past crises provides a roadmap for improvement, but drought isn’t a condition or problem that can be solved overnight. It requires global commitment, innovation, and adaptability to prepare the world for drought resilience.
Therefore, the technology developed by Oxydus can bridge this gap between challenges and solutions. Providing advanced water management systems, Oxydus is working relentlessly to promote sustainable practices and create a future-ready world.