Los Angeles is running out of water, and time. Are leaders willing to act?
In the face of a looming water crisis, the United States’ leaders are in a quandary. They seem willing to pour massive amounts of water into the desert Southwest, but what’s at stake here is a human life, or so it seems.
In the face of a looming water crisis, the United States’ leaders are in a quandary. They seem willing to pour massive amounts of water into the desert Southwest, but what’s at stake here is a human life, or so it seems.
In a rare moment of consensus, Democrats and Republicans have met together to talk about the crisis in the Southwest and how to solve it.
What’s at stake here, of course, is who gets to drink the water, but also water rights, water management and even the water supply itself.
It’s the water crisis in the desert Southwest that is causing so much confusion, frustration and angst.
On the surface, the situation is simple: in January, Los Angeles ran out of water. Now there are no more water deliveries. The reason is a water rights issue. Now people are rioting, fighting over water and killing each other over water in the midst of an already dry and dangerous desert.
Water was supposed to be part of the fix, but now water isn’t. And that has made it harder to secure a solution that works for all the people involved.
The water crisis began earlier this year with rains brought in by the massive, historic rainstorms over the desert Southwest, leading to an extensive system of irrigation ditches being built that was supposed to provide water for the first time in more than a century.
But while this new water was being used to meet the needs of the cities living in the desert, there were also huge areas of the desert and agricultural area that had no water at all.
Now there are no more water deliveries. The reason is a water rights issue.
This situation is a massive problem for the United States and a huge threat to the nation’s future, but the crisis has gone beyond the issues of water and rights and water management. It’s about human lives.
The tragedy in this desert is that it’s not just a tragedy for the
