Large cities suffering from water scarcity? 

A quarter of the world's major cities are facing water shortages

The South African city of Cape Town has become the first major city in the world to have a shortage of drinking water in modern times.

This is an issue that experts have been focusing on for some time.

Apparently water is spread over 70% of the world, but only 3% of it is drinkable, which is proving to be insufficient due to population growth, pollution and other reasons.

At least one billion people in the world face water scarcity and 2.7 billion people face water scarcity in at least one month of the year.

A survey of the world's 500 largest cities in 2014 found that one in four cities suffers from 'water pressure'.  According to the United Nations, this is a situation where the annual volume of water falls below 1,700 cubic meters (1.7 million liters) per person.

The United Nations predicts that global demand for fresh water will increase by 40% by 2030 due to climate change, population growth and changes in human behavior.

In all of this, Cape Town is like an iceberg peak with only one part out of the water and nine parts inside.

The following is a list of six major cities in the world that are at risk of water scarcity, such as Cape Town.

1.Bangalore 

The population of this Indian city has grown exponentially since it became a technology hub, which inevitably has an impact on the water supply and drainage system.

In addition, the city's water supply system is so bad that according to the local government, half of the clean water is wasted.

Not only that, the water that reaches the houses is also getting polluted.

2.Beijing 

The World Bank has defined water scarcity, ie when the per capita amount of clean water falls below one million liters per year.

In 2014, more than 20 million Beijing residents had access to only 145,000 liters of water a year.

China as a whole is also facing water shortages.  It is home to 20 percent of the world's population, but only 7 percent has access to clean water.

The problem of pollution is another.  According to official figures from 2015, 40% of Beijing's water is so polluted that drinking is not even useful for agricultural and industrial purposes.

3.Cairo 

The Nile, which flows through the city of Cairo, has nurtured civilizations for thousands of years, but now this great river is under tremendous pressure.

The Nile provides 97% of Egypt's clean water, but it is now becoming polluted with residential and agricultural waste.

According to the United Nations, water-borne diseases are causing massive deaths in Egypt, and there is a risk of severe water shortages by 2025.

4.Moscow 

Russia as a whole has huge reserves of fresh water, but it is also facing pollution due to Soviet-era agricultural expansion.

About 70% of Moscow's water comes from the surface, which is more easily polluted.

Local authorities acknowledge that 35 to 60 percent of the country's water does not meet hygiene requirements.

5.Istanbul 

According to local statistics, Turkey is facing an overall water shortage and experts say that by 2030 this problem will become serious.

In recent months, Istanbul, with a population of 14 million, has been experiencing water shortages during the dry months.  The city's water supply has dropped by 30%.

6.London 

Many people will be surprised to know that water supply in London is also under pressure.  It is generally thought that there is a lot of rain, but in fact the amount of rain in London is less than in Paris and New York and 80% of the water here comes from rivers.

According to the Greater London Authority, the city will start running out of water by 2025 and the problem will take a "serious turn" by 2040.

It seems that the use of rubber pipes will soon be banned in London.