"Water is something that most of us take for granted in our day-to-day lives – open a tap, and it’s available, clean and safe. But for many cities, water is fast becoming a precious and dwindling resource – the most recent case being that of Cape Town, currently suffering the effects of the worst drought in a century. Water security is a global issue. Bottled water might be a solution to some of these issues – but it might also be adding to problems in areas with poor access." -- Podcast Brunch Club

Episode from Today Explained – Countdown to Day Zero

Air date: February 2018. 20 minutes. Web page for episode,

Cape Town is just a few months away from being the first major city to shut off its taps in the history of the modern world. Day Zero – the day Capetonians in South Africa will need to line up at water distribution points for daily water rations – is currently scheduled for July 9th*. Reporter Kristen van Schie tells Sean Rameswaram how the three-year drought is drastically changing life for millions of Capetonians. Plus three tips to ward off a water crisis in your own city from hydrologist Peter Gleick.

*Note: This is an ever-changing picture as water consumption fluctuates, but at the time of writing, the city’s leaders have just announced that Day Zero has hopefully been staved off in 2018 thanks to the efforts of residents, agriculture and business.

Episode from Reveal – Do Not Drink: The Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

Air date: January 2016. 54 minutes. Web page for episode.

The economically depressed city of Flint, Michigan, is making headlines because there’s something in its water that shouldn’t be there. You may have heard about the problems in Flint: about how the tap water can be brownish, stinky, funny-tasting. After denying there was a problem for more than a year, state and city officials finally admitted it – there was too much lead in the water. On this hour of Reveal, you’re going to hear the whole story of how people in Flint went from trusting their tap water to fearing it. And thanks to Michigan Radio’s Lindsey Smith, who produced an incredible documentary called “Not Safe to Drink,” we dive right in.

Episode from BBC World Service The Food Chain – Bottled Water: Do We Really Need it?

Air date: April 2016. 26 minutes. Web page for episode.

It has been described as the ultimate marketing trick, but the allure of bottled water is something more and more people are swallowing. With global sales set to overtake those of soda, The Food Chain asks why so many of us are paying for something we could easily get for free.

Episode from Distillations (Science History Institute) - How Philadelphia’s Water Pollution Problems Shaped the City

Air date: January 7, 2020. 48 minutes. Web page for episode.

Philadelphia just had its wettest decade on record, and all that precipitation has wreaked havoc on the city’s waterways. Like most old cities, Philadelphia has a combined sewer system—that is, one pipe is used to carry both sewage and stormwater. When it rains a lot, the system gets overwhelmed, forcing the water department to send raw sewage into rivers and creeks. City officials and engineers knew this was going to be a problem when they built the sewer system in the 1800s. The reason they used a combined system anyway can be best explained by two forces: knowledge ceilings and path dependency. In this episode we explore how the city got to this point and how, in an interesting twist, it led to Philadelphia having one of the most innovative water systems in the country.

Questions for discussion

[1] What was your favorite/least favorite episode on this listening list? Why?

[2] What cultural and societal impact do you think lack of access to water could have in today’s society?

[3] In the case of Cape Town, those in wealthier areas seem to have been less affected than those less affluent communities. How could this be rectified?

[4] There are some reports in the real estate sector that water issues in Cape Town will start affecting property sales. Would water security be a deciding factor for you when considering where to live?

[5] What water saving measures are you implementing in your home, if any? What measures could you put in place to reduce your reliance on your tap water?

[6] Where governments aren’t able to provide safe clean water or meet demand, what is the role for the private sector, such as water bottling companies?

[7] What did it take for Philadelphia to clean up its water pollution problems? Should Philadelphia be known as a water pioneer? Why/Why not?

[8] What impact has COVID-19 had on our bottled water industry and our current consumption of water? Should we be concerned?