Delhi, London could face severe droughts amid rising heatwave: Report

As heatwave strikes the UK and Indian cities battle with record temperatures a recent report from Christian Aid highlights how the climate crisis is increasing the severity of drought in 10 of the worlds major cities comprising London and Delhi and demands an international fund to pay for climate caused loss and damageThe charity has warned that without action to cut emissions and better management of freshwater resources the toll will be felt acutely by the poorThe report is supported by polling that shows the UK public believe that rich countries should pay to mitigate the impact of drought 36 per cent while almost half 49 per cent of adults are now concerned about the impact of drought on people in the UKDespite covering more than 70 per cent of the earths surface only three per cent of the worlds water is suitable for drinking Of this freshwater 70 per cent is locked in glaciers and ice caps Less than 001 per cent of all freshwater worldwide is available for human use in lakes rivers and reservoirsDespite this Christian Aid analysis shows global water use grew at more than twice the rate of population increases over the course of the 20th centuryJust last month there was water rationing in the Chilean capital Santiago and people have been queuing for water in New Delhi where temperatures have got so high that heatstroke is a risk even without doing any physical activityIn 2018 after an extended drought Cape Town came within days of becoming the first major city in the world to run out of water Day Zero when the taps for four million inhabitants would be turned off was averted after emergency measures were implemented to cut the citys water usage by 50 per centEven in the UK London has experienced heatwaves in recent years and the CEO of the Environment Agency James Bevan warned that within 25 years London and the South East of England could run out of waterThe cost of a severe drought to Londons economy is estimated by Thames Water to be 330m pound per day and would have severe economic social and environmental consequencesThe Environment Agency has said that by 2050 some rivers will see 5080 per cent less water during the summer monthsThe report Scorched Earth The impact of drought on 10 world cities has been published alongside new polling by Savanta commissioned by Christian AidThe data reveals that given several options a plurality of the UK public believe that rich countries should pay to mitigate the impact of drought 36 per centThe data also reveals nearly six in 10 57 per cent people see the connection between their own actions and drought but less than three in 10 27 per cent see the connection and are spurred into actionThe 10 cities featured in the report which was first published in May are Sydney Harare Sao Paulo Phoenix Beijing Kabul New Delhi Cape Town Cairo and London The danger of city droughts is only set to get worse without action to address climate changeCurrently 55 per cent of the worlds population lives in urban areas with this set to rise to 68 per cent by 2050Without action to cut emissions and better management of freshwater resources Christian Aid warns the toll will be felt acutely by the poorAlso read Cities like Mumbai 12 degrees Celsius hotter than surrounding areas CSE reportReport coauthor Christian Aids Nushrat Rahman Chowdhury said Drought is not new but its intensity and frequency have increased over the last 30 years due to global warmingIt is a real danger it threatens lives and livelihoods of some of the poorest people in the world These are communities which have done the least to cause the climate crisis This is the reality known as loss and damage To address this injustice we not only need emissions cut but also provide financial support for those losses which cannot be adapted toThat is why at this years UN climate talks in Egypt we are calling for the creation of a loss and damage finance facility to be a major priorityMohamed Adow Director of Nairobibased climate and energy think tank Power Shift Africa told IANS This is an important report which highlights the growing menace of urban droughtaWith more and more people living in cities this is already becoming a major consequence of the climate crisis which will affect millions of peopleHere in Africa we bear the brunt of this climate emergency so we are acutely aware of the value and importance of water and what happens if we run outThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever