Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel – Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams has issued a drought watch, urging New Yorkers to conserve water as the city faces its driest October in over 150 years. In an announcement made Saturday November 2, Adams called on residents to shorten showers, fix leaking faucets, and turn off taps while brushing their teeth.
The appeal is part of the city’s initial phase of a three-step drought response strategy aimed at addressing the water shortage in the nation’s most densely populated urban center. In a social media video, Adams emphasized the need for collective adaptation to the increasingly erratic weather conditions.
“New Yorkers have always come together in times of crisis, and now, as we face the driest season on record, we need everyone to do their part and conserve as much water as possible,” Mayor Adams said cited from NBC New York.
The mayor also directed city agencies to develop water conservation plans to mitigate the looming crisis.
According to the National Weather Service, Central Park received a mere 0.02 centimeters (0.008 inches) of rainfall in October, a stark contrast to the average 11.2 centimeters (4.4 inches) typically seen during the month. Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner, confirmed that this year marked the driest October in over a century and a half.
Compounding the issue, the city’s water supply has become increasingly reliant on reservoirs in upstate New York as repairs are underway on a major aqueduct from the Catskill region. These reservoirs recorded just 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) of rain in October, about one-fifth of the monthly average.
Currently, New York City uses approximately 1.1 billion gallons (4.2 billion liters) of water per day, which is about 35% lower than the peak usage recorded in 1979.
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The drought is not isolated to New York; the broader Northeastern United States is also grappling with dry conditions that have disrupted barge traffic on the Mississippi River and contributed to wildfires in the Midwest and East. In response, the National Weather Service has raised fire risk warnings in several states, including Connecticut, where a firefighter recently lost their life battling a wildfire.
Experts attribute the ongoing drought to atmospheric patterns that have prevented moisture from moving northward from the Gulf of Mexico. This has led to rapidly intensifying drought conditions marked by scant rainfall and unusually high temperatures.
Mayor Adams’ call to action underscores the urgent need for water conservation as the city braces for further climate challenges.
(Raidi/Agung)
