Apocalypse Now?
Cape Town has been implementing successful water conservation policies in recent years, including the installation of new pipes and meters, as well as steep fines for over-use of water, which is now rationed.
However, Cape Town has not done enough to diversify its water supply. Currently it relies nearly entirely on reservoirs that in turn depend on rainfall. An infographic in the attached New York Times article chronicles the shrinkage of the Theewaterskloof Dam upon which half of Cape Town relies. As of now, the dam is at just 13 percent capacity - just one example of the damage caused by several years of persistently, ruthless drought.
Cape Town's predicament underscores the fact that climate change is becoming more unpredictable as it accelerates. Delegates should question whether past efforts by their countries' governments will suffice as climate change continues to manifest itself. At the same time, delegates should consider how cities like Cape Town straddle the boundary between urban planning and national climate policy.
"Dangerous Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces 'Day Zero'"
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/30/world/africa/cape-town-day-zero.html
Indeed, when the 2010 FIFA World Cup was held in South Africa, numerous infrastructures were built on to the original planned lands despite the efforts from the South African government. It'll be considered as a hot spot for other member states to look at.
ReplyDeleteAustralia faced a similar crisis to the one Cape Town is right now. The parallels between the Day Zero water crisis in Cape Town and Australia's Millennium Drought is uncanny; the decade old drought in Australia left cities such as Melbourne one year away from running out of tap water. South African officials are currently looking into efforts made by Australia to buffer the effects of the scarcity of water available for use, and the delegation of Australia strongly suggests that the member states do so as well. A key change Australia wants to implement in their nation is the diversification of water supplies and as we can observe in Cape Town and in many municipalities in AU, resevoirs simply cannot suffice for the growing populations in the urban environments.
ReplyDelete-Delegation of Australia
Australia,
ReplyDeleteThe delegation of Nigeria fully agrees that water scarcity is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed in city planning for both developing and developed countries. Nigeria has worked with private utility companies in its largest city of Lagos to form private-public partnerships for subsidized water distribution. We look forward to working with other countries to collaboratively develop similar solutions to protect the fundamental right to water.
Lesotho currently has a water treaty with South Africa, in which Lesotho provides South Africa with a quota of water. As a water rich nation, Lesotho has always been able to easily deliver the water to South Africa. However, climate change has started reducing rainfall and water resources from Lesotho in a similar way to how climate change has been effecting Cape Town. Lesotho worries that "water transfers to South Africa will be increasingly vulnerable in the coming decades," and Lesotho believes that this committee must address water resources and how to actively protect this vital and important resource that is being negatively impacted by climate change.
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ReplyDeleteIsrael strongly agrees with the previous comments.
ReplyDeleteAs the foundation for any developing countries, it is important to understand that cities must have foundations of resources in order for it to have any progress, both physically and financially. In 2008, Israel was in a desperate state, with the Fertile Valley drying up, and the main water sources diminishing. Now, Israel leads the world in desalination, able to extract a thousand liters of water for a mere 58 cents, and has projects throughout Africa that implements its powerful agricultural technologies. The Delegation of Israel strongly pushes forth cooperation between the Israeli startups and current businesses and developing nations and their governments and help them gain access to these necessary resources to improve.
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ReplyDeleteThe Delegation of the Netherlands acknowledges the issue of drought and lack of water, especially in conjunction with urban planning. The Netherlands believe that past efforts will not prove sufficient as the effects of climate change worsen. Twofold action must be taken in order to secure water supplies. Measures must be taken to prevent the wastage of water and long term solutions must be found; water supplies must be diversified for the future.
ReplyDeleteWater conservation policies must be carefully implemented, however. Especially in Cape Town, where a historical gap between the rich and poor still exists, those living in poverty are often impacted heavily by the brunt of the water-saving burden. As such, the Delegation of the Netherlands believes policy and efforts must apply to all corners of the areas affected by water shortage. Wells or desalination efforts must be publicly available through governmental or NGO efforts. Additionally, public buildings and government organizations must take the lead through city planning: demonstrating proper uses of water and implementing water-conserving pipes and faucets as well as the creation of water-conserving infrastructure built into city planning.
The Delegation of the Netherlands postulates that national cooperation is needed to respond to the effects of climate change. Effective leadership supported by a system of checks and balances is also needed within national and local governments to prevent the mismanagement of water supplies. Additionally, humanitarian aid should be preemptively acquired to assist marginalized citizens and other areas of need, such as hospitals. The Delegation Of the Netherlands recognizes that water supply reliability and diversity can be improved in the future through groundwater, recycled water, desalination, and the implementation of local/personal water catchment systems.
The issue of drought must be attacked from all sides. While private efforts may create a positive effect, the Delegation of the Netherlands believes true targets must be non-discriminatory water-conserving infrastructure in government and business as well as a diverse system of water supply and aid.
Much like in South Africa, unpredictable climate patterns have adversely affected the water supply of Thailand. Irregular rainfall and long-term drought have damaged rice production, hampering national food security and development. Thailand’s water shortage, along with many around the world, can be largely attributed to negligent farming practices that do not prioritize water conservation and efficiency. In order to eradicate water shortages present in all climate-change affected cities, Thailand encourages agricultural education and regulation that promotes water-conscious farming. Thailand strongly believes that effective water management is a major step towards building sustainable, climate-resistant urban centers.
ReplyDeleteThe World Bank estimates that by 2050, 1.9 billion people living in urban areas will be subject to water shortages. To prevent a situation like this from occurring in our nation, China has began to test what are being called 'sponge cities,' which will prevent situations such as the 2016 Beijing flooding which left 75 missing. Learning from this experience, cities are now being built or adapted to meet the needs of sea level rise and other climate change related occurrences through efforts such as implementing porous concrete, manmade wetlands, and more green spaces that capture and reuse water. In the past, Northern China has also struggled with ground water pollution, which was addressed in 2015 by the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan that targeted corporations not in compliance with water quality standards. In the short term, water purification devices were given to villagers in rural areas as groundwater was being treated. In this way, our water conservation efforts have been tailored to meet the current and future needs of our municipalities as climate change progresses.
ReplyDeleteAs each nation has their own socio-economic and political needs, China believes it is important to implement solutions that will be adaptable on a singular basis. For example, southern China has a much wetter climate compared to the north, which motivated the government to establish a south to north water division that would transport water from the south into the dry north. However, this would not be applicable to nations who exhibit singular climate characteristics. To address this, initiatives such as the European Union's Water Hierarchy, which aims to eliminate water scarcity through self-sufficiency based programs, can be adopted. This includes investing and researching new technologies that work towards wastewater reclamation, rainwater collection, and desalination. As these technologies become more available, nation's can adapt them based on their climate or other factors. Investment platforms should also be utilized by nations to ensure that infrastructural projects that would diversify their water supply can be completed and accessible to all citizens.
Honorable Delegates, Esteemed Chairs:
ReplyDeleteThe delegation of the United States recognizes the importance of addressing drought and water usage in relation to urban planning. The United States recently recovered from a 6 year drought in California. During the drought, the United States took multiple measures to mitigate its effects including water desalination, recycling waste water, reducing average water consumption, increasing water storage, repairing and replacing fragile levees. The 2 most effective and practical of these methods in adaptation were recycling waste water and reducing average water consumption. California reduced it's water consumption by ordering water cuts, penalizing those who didn't conserve, and using social media to influence citizens to reduce consumption. Water reuse is a simple and relatively cheap alternative compared to water desalination or expansion of current water storage. Water reuse involves taking wastewater from the public, treating it, and reutilizing it for groundwater recharge and irrigation. Cape Town could implement a few of the many reforms California took in combatting its water crisis.
-The delegation of the United States