New Zealand cities in water shortage
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E-mail Xinhua, February 10, 2020
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Hot and dry weather across New Zealand has pushed up the demand for water with Auckland city encouraging dwellers to save water.
Auckland water provider Watercare launched a campaign on Monday to encourage Aucklanders to be mindful of their water use as the city continues to smash previous consumption records.
A record high of 561 million liters water usage was recorded last Tuesday, compared to the average daily usage of 440 million liters in 2019. And the overall demand for tap water in Auckland is still rising thanks to a growing population, expanding businesses and high tourist numbers, said Watercare.
Currently, Auckland's total water storage is sitting at 72 percent, compared with a historical average of around 83 percent for this time of year, according to Watercare.
"That's why we're running a campaign called 'Water is precious' and are asking people to be mindful of their water use," said Watercare's head of water value Roseline Klein.
One of the calls to action for Aucklanders is to take the four-minute shower challenge. "If everyone in Auckland cut their showers from eight minutes to four minutes, the region would reduce its water use by 80 million liters a day," says Klein.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said he himself will fill a bucket to wash his car, rather than using the hose.
While Auckland is fortunate to have a range of water sources, many other cities across New Zealand are less lucky and are having water restriction in place, including Capital city Wellington and major cities of Whangarei, Coromandel, Hamilton, Napier, Hastings and New Plymouth.
In Wellington, residential garden watering restrictions are applied, where only single watering systems are allowed on allocated watering days.
The situation has become especially severe in the Far North, where the situation of water shortage may escalate into water crisis.
Bush fires broke out occasionally across New Zealand in this summer season also due to the dry and hot weather. Enditem
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