Water Clock
When the
well is dry, we know the worth of water.
The question that dominates my
waking hours now is—
When Day Zero arrives, how do we make water accessible and
prevent anarchy?
—Helen Zille, Premier, South Africa’s
Western Cape Province,
now in the midst of the worst drought in a century.
Capetown, a
city roughly the size of Los Angeles, has been threatening to have a “Day
Zero,” when the city shuts off the municipal tap and begins to ration water to homes
and businesses. The third year of a drought, insufficient dam capacity, lack of
water conservation, and political mismanagement have contributed to bring Capetown
to the brink of disaster.
Similar
warnings accompanied by rationing have hit Mexico City, Melbourne, Australia,
Sao Paulo, Brazil, Jakarta, Indonesia, the Marathwada region of India, and the
state of California.
Climate
change, population growth, and overdevelopment have forced cities in drought
regions to consider how to collect, protect and if necessary ration water—The
fate of the planet hangs in the balance as we try to figure out the answers
about water—a precious commodity facing depletion in the 21st
century.
Vessel # 56 Release
Water Clock
Breaking barriers, forming
rivulets,
shaping
rocks, eroding structures,
rearranging the Earth, dancing with abandon.
Rushing
with urgency,
obstinate dripping,
spinning,
merging— constantly shifting.
Sustenance receding, peril
rising,
a migratory witness,
a vigilant player,
marking time in
instants and eons.
• 2.1
billion people around the world lack access to safe, readily available clean
water at home.
• 253
million people around the world must travel at least 30 minutes to collect
clean water for their daily use.
—Source:
World Health Organization and UNICEF Report, 2017
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