Source: IT
Subject: Environment
Context: The concept of “Day Zero” has re-entered global focus as the United Nations warned that worsening climate change, groundwater depletion, and weak water governance could push many cities—including in India—towards acute water collapse.
About Day Zero:
What it is?
- “Day Zero” refers to the point at which a city or region’s usable water supply falls below a critical threshold, forcing authorities to shut off regular tap water and supply water only through rationed emergency distribution points.
Origin of the term:
- The term gained global prominence during Cape Town’s near Day Zero crisis in 2018, when reservoir levels dropped to dangerously low levels.
- Since then, UN agencies have adopted the term to describe systemic urban water collapse, not just temporary droughts.
Key features of Day Zero:
- Suspension of normal water supply to households.
- Water prioritised for essential services such as hospitals, sanitation, and firefighting.
- Rationing of water through public collection points with strict per-person limits.
- Triggered by long-term stressors, not a single bad monsoon or drought year.
- Often linked to over-extraction of groundwater, poor planning, and climate variability.
Implications:
- Public health crises due to lack of safe drinking water and sanitation.
- Urban disruption, including power shortages, food supply stress, and economic losses.
- Social unrest and inequality, with women, children, and informal settlements disproportionately affected.
- Agricultural and food security risks, especially in groundwater-dependent regions.
