In a metropolis accustomed to excess, the water shortage is shocking. New York City’s reservoirs are at historic lows, barely reaching 63% of their capacity. “ The lack of precipitation, both in the city and in the upstream watershed where our reservoirs are located, is reaching a critical threshold », warns Rohit T. Aggarwala, climate manager of the city. A situation which pushed the authorities to declare a drought alert, the last step before a state of emergency.
A city caught in the spiral of climate change
New York is unfortunately not an isolated case. The year 2024 could well dethrone 2023 as the hottest year on record. An exceptionally mild autumn precipitated the fall of New York’s reservoirs, as highlighted by elected official Jenifer Rajkumar.
Meanwhile, Florida was licking its wounds after Hurricane Milton, a catastrophic event whose power came close to “ the mathematical limits of what Earth’s atmosphere can produce over the ocean ”, according to meteorologists. On the West Coast, a deadly heat wave claimed at least 28 lives this summer in three states: Oregon, Arizona and California.
The urgency to act in the face of the inevitable
For the moment, the New York authorities favor the call for collective responsibility rather than constraint and this alert is not yet accompanied by restrictive measures. “ As New Yorkers, we come together in the face of this challenge as we always have in moments of crisis “, declared Rajkumar, recalling the historic capacity of the metropolis to overcome ordeals. Major pandemics, the 2001 attacks, hurricanes or economic crises, the Big Apple has, in fact, been able to demonstrate resilience in the past.
This new climate test comes as world leaders have been meeting at COP29 since November 10 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The American metropolis, symbol of power and urban dynamism, finds itself confronted with the same vulnerabilities as regions traditionally more exposed to climatic hazards.
Faced with this situation, the city must imperatively rethink your relationship with water and your management of water resources. A necessary change as climate models predict an increase in these episodes of drought in the decades to come. How long will we be able to adapt to these climatic upheavals which are occurring at a breakneck pace?
- Point New York declares drought alert: its reservoirs are filled to only 63% of their capacity.
- The city is experiencing the effects of an abnormally warm autumn, echoing a year 2024 which could become the hottest on record.
- The authorities are calling for more responsible water management in the face of increasing climate crises.
