If you’ve been to Namibia, the country’s strained relationship with water is obvious. The parched landscape makes for an impressive sight. Dunes that undulate from glaringly white to copper red attract visitors from afar. At places, a lone aloe might break the otherwise bare horizon. The bitterly cold Atlantic that runs along its coast jealously guards moisture, rarely letting enough …
San Francisco embraces wastewater for bright future
In San Francisco, all water is seen to be of value; as little as possible should be wasted. So much so that, in 2012, San Francisco became the first municipality in the country to adopt groundbreaking legislation to allow onsite non-potable water systems. Tapping from alternative water sources The Non-potable Water Ordinance allows for the use of alternative water sources …
Wastewater management – the blessing in the curse
Nowadays, cities seem to be the places to be for more and more people. For one, they can get access to better services, like water and sewage. In fact, the United Nations says that, between 1998 and 2008 alone, 1 052 million people accessed better drinking water in cities. A whopping 813 million accessed better sanitation, and the numbers are …
The promise and peril of stormwater management in Cape Town
Cape Town is a place like no other. That’s why millions of local and international visitors stream to the city’s famous shores each year. A large part of the attraction is the natural environment that it’s built on – not only the famous Table Mountain, the endless beaches and the icy sea, but also a vast array of rivers and …
Pushed aside, Atlantis once took the lead for water wise cities
In fiction, Atlantis is a city that fell out of favour with the deities and sank to the bottom of the ocean. In South Africa, the town of Atlantis had similarly volatile dealings with the powers that be. But, it will go down in history books as a place that rose above one of its biggest challenges. Placed far away …
How green roofs save Toronto on the cheap
Toronto, Canada’s most populous metropolitan area, sits anchored on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. The city is incredibly diverse. The roughly 2.7 million people here speak over 160 languages. The city rests on a broad sloping plateau crossed with rivers and ravines, though the skyline is marked by skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. The city is famous for being one …
Why do we send water down the drain?
One of the most disrupting things we do when we build cities, is also one of the least obvious to those who walk along the streets. Our cities upset the water cycle. As a basic rule, a city is developed to prevent the natural flow of water from taking place. When people develop a place to live, plants are the …
One thing cities that need water MUST do
While reports of cities running out of water worldwide are streaming in, some cities are learning to cope. Somewhat perplexing, these places often also suffer from drought, have to cope with more people and manage with old and creaky pipes. Yet sometimes, without having to immediately find more water, the people that live there don’t suffer for it. These places …
The map that helped save Cape Town
Around 2016 to 2018 an extraordinary drought swept through Cape Town. The effect on the famous city was so severe, officials asked residents to stick to dramatic water restrictions. Capetonians had to limit their household water use to 50 litres of water per person per day. Across the world, people sat up and took notice; especially when the mayor announced …
Lessons from Cape Town’s Day Zero
Cape Town made international headlines in 2018 when the mayor announced it could soon run out of enough water. That day, “Day Zero” never arrived, but South Africa’s water crisis still paints a bleak future. Gareth Morgan, the City of Cape Town’s Director for Resilience, shared the lessons Cape Town learned from Day Zero, and how they are building a …
Durban plans to keep it informal
Embracing informal settlements and nature are part of the dramatic transformation that could be part of Durban’s development plans.
Too little, too dirty, too much, at the wrong time and place: South Africa’s water crisis
South Africa’s ‘looming’ water crisis crashed onto international front pages that day when Cape Town announced it might run out of water. However, many would say a major catastrophe has been hiding in clear sight for decades. We are running out of water. Digging into the details, it’s clear the crisis hasn’t been looming for a long time already. South …
What is a water resilient city?
Have you noticed that as we built ourselves closer to necessities like roads, we have detached ourselves from water? It’s not uncommon for cities that suffer from water shortages, to also suffer from floods. People might see rain fall outside their windows, but not have enough coming from their taps. Often, people are surrounded by water, but are unable to …
How managers are tapping into new ideas for Singapore’s water supply
Imagine standing at the edge of a lake. The water is dotted with a rich variety of birds. It’s weekend, and you are enjoying a lazy afternoon with your family, ambling along the paved walkway that runs like a neat pencil-line along the lake. Now imagine that the lake is actually a water treatment plant. Tough to believe? In Singapore, …
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