LET’S KEEP TALKING ABOUT WATER – THIS TIME, DROUGHTS AND TOURISM
Many places around the world are facing water scarcity with record temperatures and persisting droughts. “Some drought-stricken towns have declared tap water unfit for human consumption.” That is because when “water levels get lower, the salinity rises because seawater has room to seep into water supplies.” In Costa Blanca, Spain, people were lining up for bottled water in August “as a severe drought made tap water unsafe to drink.” In 2023, “Reuters noted the area received only about half the normal rainfall, and only 10% of the average had been recorded up until August 22.” In addition to drought, Spain has seen a “massive influx of summer tourists” also straining the country’s water supply. In addition, Spain's tourism sector is projected to continue growing rapidly with tourism-related GDP increasing by 5%. Another huge factor is that the Marina Alta region “has nearly 38,000 swimming pools, or about one pool for every five people.” That is a lot of water being diverted from the supply of potable water.
It sure seems like this is the right time to start planning to mitigate the effects of drought, as there are probably many places in the United States where supplies of potable water are diminishing.
References:
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/spain-drought-tap-water-shortage-bottled/
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/27/climate/spain-costa-blanca-salty-water-drought/index.html
Photo by Vicente Viana Martínez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/wide-angle-photography-of-seashore-2871008/
