In the next forty years the urban areas around the world are
expected to absorb all of the population growth that will also occur during
that time. This will cause a serious strain on many of the utilities in the
city, especially water. However this growth in population in urban areas in not
only from reproduction but it is also from migration of people from other
countries into new countries or even migration from rural areas. Many urban
areas around the world are already in a water crises, and this growth in
population will only exacerbate this problem. Most of this expected growth in
urban areas is expected to occur in areas of the city that are less developed,
which will only further issues with water use. These cities are not ready for
the rapid growth that awaits them in just a few decades. If they do not become
prepared it will create slums, blackouts, inadequate water supply and poor
sanitation. The two most extreme problems are: water quality and sewage
management.
As urbanization continues to grow it will create more storm
runoff and erosion by having less vegetation to slow water as it moves across
the land. This will also change the way water is moved around our system by
having less water soak into the earth and less being restored in the local
watersheds which then makes that city have to reach out further to find water
for itself. Less vegetation creates the chance for more frequent flooding, and
can change the physical characteristics of a stream. This is occurring in every
almost every country, India, the United States, and most of Europe.
Megacities are a great example of areas where urbanization
has had a negative effect on drinking water. A megacity is a metropolitan area
with a total population in excess of ten million people. There are 35
megacities in existence around the world, with Tokyo being the largest. In the
year 2050 about 70% of the world’s population will be in urban areas.
Megacities create problems such as pollution of drinking water (poor water
quality), catastrophic flooding, and inadequate access to water, poor living
conditions, sewer systems overrun, and water stress.
To fix some of these problems the public needs to reduce
unnecessary consumption and demand that products they use every day be made
with less embedded water. Megacities and other areas with a large population
need to become more sustainable with their resources. To do this they need to
get everyone talking across a broad spectrum to find the best solution possible
for each separate location. These solutions have to go past changing the water
flow and must include getting the public more knowledgeable to reduce water use
and make them more aware of law controls, reusing wastewater as well as storm water.
If people will not use less water we must demand that they use less water by:
offering citizens economic incentives for using less water, or having appropriate
pricing of water.
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