Could Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain be the next to face a Day Zero water crisis? Satellite images show how reservoirs have shrunk after South Africa narrowly avoided disaster

  • A new report from Resource Watch highlights four areas vulnerable to crisis 
  • Shocking extent to which reservoirs have shrunk revealed by satellite images 
  • Reservoirs in Morocco, Iraq and Spain shrunk by two thirds in recent years
  • Last month Cape Town saved from reaching Day Zero by 60% consumption cut 

Water levels on four major reservoirs across the globe have reached such low levels they are threatening ‘Day Zero’ – the point at which the authorities have to turn off supplies.

Last month Cape Town was saved from reaching 'Day Zero' when a dramatic 60 per cent reduction in consumption warded off disaster.

But according to a report by the Resource Watch organisation, Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain are facing a similar crisis after water levels have fallen dramatically, threatening the livelihoods of millions of people.

Morocco:

The Al Massira dam in Morocco provides water for big cities as well as the country's vital agricultural sector 

The Al Massira dam in Morocco provides water for big cities as well as the country's vital agricultural sector 

Resource Watch says the surface area of Al Massira dam, the second-largest reservoir in Morocco, has shrunk by more than 60 percent over the last three years. 

The last time Al Massira was at this level was between 2005 and 2008, when more than 700,000 Moroccans were affected by drought and grain production fell by 50 percent.

In common with its north African neighbours, Morocco suffers from recurring droughts and in 2016 was hit by the worst drought in three decades.

As well as the agricultural sector, Al Massira supplies water to many cities, including Casablanca.

India:

In India, the falling water levels of two crucial reservoirs have led to fierce argument about how to allocate water.

The Narmada River flows from east to west through the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, then through the state of Gujarat before emptying into the Arabian Sea.

Poor rains in 2017 have led to a clash how much water should be released from the Indira Sagar reservoir to the downstream Sardar Sarovar reservoir in Gujarat.

The Sardar Sarovar reservoir provides drinking water for 30 million people, almost half of Gujarat’s total population, and the irrigation for more than a million farmers.

Poor rainfall has led to a fierce argument about how much water to release from the Indira Sagar dam (pictured)

Poor rainfall has led to a fierce argument about how much water to release from the Indira Sagar dam (pictured)

But releasing more water from the Indira Sagar dam would have further reduced the its reservoir’s supply during the critical summer period. 

‘India is a highly water-stressed country and has suffered through many debilitating droughts in recent years,’ say Resource Watch.

‘These dry spells have devastated farmers, even driving some to commit suicide.'

Iraq:

The reservoir of the Iraq’s Mosul Dam has shrunk 60 percent in surface area from the late 1990s to present day.

According to Resource Watch, there are several reasons behind this including poor water resource management by the Iraqi government and intense regional droughts.

Water levels at the Mosul Dam reservoir have fallen by 60 per cent, with a Turkish hydroelectric project to blamed by many

But Turkey’s Southeast Anatolia Project and its 22 dams and 19 hydropower plants across the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are cited by many as a key driver behind the reduced river flow into Iraq.

Spain:

Spain, along with its neighbour Portugal, is fighting a drought that is drying up rivers, ruining crops and sparking wildfires.

The surface area of the Buendia dam reservoir shrunk by 60 percent over the last five years, says Resource Watch,

Levels that low were last seen in 2006, when the country was going through its worst drought in 60 years.

Experts warn that droughts will likely become more frequent and severe in this region, and water stress is projected to increase in many parts of Spain by 2040.

Buendia reservoir in central Spain. Water levels there are at their lowest since 2006 

Buendia reservoir in central Spain. Water levels there are at their lowest since 2006