The city of six million people could soon run out water, amid climate change, sanctions and governance failures.

Kabul, a city of over six million people, could become the first modern city to run out of water in the next five years, a new report has warned.

Groundwater levels in the Afghan capital have dropped drastically due to over-extraction and the effects of climate change, according to a report published by nonprofit Mercy Corps.

    • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.caEnglish
      11·
      8 hours ago

      Both distillation and reverse osmosis should get rid of microplastics. Reverse osmosis should get rid of mercury in any form, while it would depend on other chemical properties (evaporation rate, temperature source water is heated to, etc.) on whether distillation would remove chemicals like mercury.

      Some further reading.

      • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
        2·
        2 hours ago

        They apparently have some temporary desalination stuff in place now to bridge the gap, dunno what it’s using.

        The planned permanent plant apparently uses reverse osmosis (which, at least last time I looked, was much more widely used than distillation).

        https://greencape.co.za/library/paarden-eiland-desalination-plant/

        Jun 1, 2025 The planned permanent Paarden Eiland plant will be a 70 Ml/day seawater desalination plant with a multi-barrier process that will include pre-screening, dissolved air flotation, rapid gravity sand filtration, reverse osmosis, a potential advanced oxidation process, a disinfection step, stabilisation of the water, and safe brine disposal.