Drive down the dusty roads of Jamaica’s rural Mount Airy district and one will see dozens of black water tanks, many connected with drainpipes to the rooftops of neighbouring houses.

The tanks measure two metres tall. They collect rainwater and through a drip irrigation system, channel it to nearby fields brimming with tomatoes, peppers and sweet potatoes.

In an area increasingly plagued by drought, which has been linked to climate change, these tanks have become a lifeline for local farmers.

“Everybody I know faces the same challenge of reduced rain and less predictable rainfall,” says farmer Althea Spencer. Having the rainwater harvesting system in place “feels pretty good,” she adds.

A new portal aims to improve water quality through better data
The Mount Airy work is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is part of a push by communities around the world to manage water more sustainably and to find novel sources of water, a quest that has involved everything from purifying sewage to seeding clouds. Those efforts are being driven by what experts say is a looming global water crisis, fed in part by climate change, that could leave two-thirds of humanity facing water stress by next year.

“Water scarcity has become a critical issue for an increasing number of countries,” says Leticia Carvalho, Principal Coordinator of UNEP’s Freshwater and Marine Branch. “Countries across the globe will therefore need to be more creative in the way they manage, conserve and secure water sources in the years to come. Using unconventional water sources wisely, and in harmony with nature, will be essential for accelerated progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Water security is expected to be on the agenda when leaders meet in Nairobi, Kenya next month for the sixth session of the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on issues related to the environment.
Today, 2.4 billion people live in water-stressed countries, defined as nations that withdraw 25 per cent or more of their renewable freshwater resources to meet water demand.

Hard hit regions include Southern and Central Asia, and North Africa, where the situation is considered critical. Even countries with highly developed infrastructure, like the United States, are seeing water levels drop to record lows.

Along with climate change, the crisis is being fed by unchecked urbanization, rapid population growth, pollution and land development. Water shortfalls already affect everything from food security to biodiversity and in the coming years, they are poised to become more common.

By 2025, 1.8 billion people are likely to face what the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calls “absolute water scarcity” and two-thirds of the global population is expected to be grappling with water stress.

Rethinking where to get water

Historically, most fresh water for drinking and sanitation has come from groundwater aquifers. But many are drying up due to overuse, longer dry seasons and drought. This is a heightened risk factor for small island developing states where freshwater is becoming increasingly threatened by salination as sea levels rise and degraded lands sink. READ further from the source above