Our planet’s temperature has risen 1°C since 1880, causing worldwide changes in our weather patterns. As a result, the associated loss and damages caused by floods, heat waves, droughts and storms are escalating.
The ambition of the Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty — was to keep the Earth’s temperature below a 1.5°C increase by the end of the century. However, on our current trajectory, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts, we are facing a rise of an additional 4°C.
The warming we see today is already impacting us but a 4°C rise would cause drastic shifts in our
weather patterns and consequently significantly impact the availability and quality of our water resources, directly and indirectly.
As our glaciers melt and sea levels rise, we will need to treat additional saline, as saltwater intrudes into freshwater sources; flooding and heavy rain will increase sediments and pollutants in water bodies. This will disrupt aquatic ecosystems and pollutants like pesticides could contaminate widespread water supplies and pose risks to human health. Flooding also contributes to the spread of waterborne diseases either via contaminated water sources or inadequate sanitation following the event.
At the other end of the scale, droughts reduce the availability of water for agriculture, industry and domestic use, and increase soil erosion. Drought conditions also considerably increase the risk of
wildfires. In turn, these can have a serious impact on water resources by affecting watersheds, polluting water bodies and damaging water infrastructure.
Addressing these consequences of extreme weather requires a comprehensive approach, including better water management practices and improved infrastructure for water treatment and distribution.
Current warming is occurring roughly 10 times faster than the average rate of warming after an ice age — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Climate related incidents have killed an average of 115 people and caused $202 million in losses per day over the past 50 years — World Meteorological Organization
Wildfire conditions exacerbated by climate change
Water treatment works at 150% capacity to tackle blaze
Not just making headlines in 2023, Canada has faced several extreme weather events in recent years, including the Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta, Western Canada, which caused damages exceeding $9.9 billion CAD.
Prior to the fire starting in May 2016, it had been an unusually dry month which contributed to the ideal conditions for a longer and drier fire. Known as The Beast, the wildfire was declared a national state of emergency within hours. It burned for a total of 93 days, spreading across 1,500,000 acres of land and destroying approximately 2,400 homes and buildings.
Even though Fort McMurray and the surrounding area was fully evacuated, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo had to produce water at unprecedented volumes. At times, the water treatment plant was working at 150% of its design capacity, partly because firefighters relied on the drinking water distribution system to tackle the blaze, and also because fire damage caused severe system pressure loss.
Additionally, the fire burned large areas along the Athabasca River’s watershed which seriously impacted raw water quality. Turbidity worsened owing to excess vegetation in the water and the
burning forest released dissolved organic carbon and phosphorus into the river meaning it needed extensive clarification.
Nevertheless, the water treatment plant and the clarification technology endured, supporting firefighter efforts and maintaining the municipality’s network to avoid extensive cleaning and disinfection once the 90,000 residents could return.
Actiflo® battles Fort McMurray wildfire: High-rate clarification technology passes the crisis-test
Owing to the wildfires, the water quality deteriorated very rapidly, spiking toover 2,000 nephelometric turbidity units in just two days. Actiflo® is the Veolia-patented, high-performance clarifier that was able to handle the pressure owing to its very short hydraulic retention time.
This meant it was responsive to the rapid raw water quality variations and effectively dealt with a wide range of contaminants and highly concentrated pollutants effectively thanks to its robustness.
Watch a video highlight on this climate change trend: Video
Download our Climate Change Report: Link
