The Vulnerability and Resilience of Drinking Water Systems to Extreme Weather Events and Future Climate Change

Purpose of Review:

We reviewed the evidence on climate resilience of the drinking water sector, focusing on: How are climate hazards affecting drinking water supplies changing? How is resilience measured? What interventions are being used to build resilience?

Recent Findings:

The frequency and intensity of flooding and drought are increasing, water quality is deteriorating, and wildfire and sea-level rise pose increasing threats. Frameworks to measure resilience are emerging, but none is applied universally. a wide range of actions are required to build resilience but there is limited evidence of uptake and performance. Non-utility water supplies are at particular risk but investment in resilience is limited.

Summary:

Climate change poses a major threat to drinking water supplies, but current actions to improve resilience are insufficient. More evaluations of the performance of resilience measures are needed. Floods and drought remain the most studied threats, but risks from wildfire, water quality and sea-level need more attention and research. More work is needed to consolidate how resilience is measured. A summary of the detailed findings in provided in Table 1 at the end of the review.