In this episode of Tap’d In, hosts Jordan and Lana revisit one of the world’s most famous water crises: Cape Town’s near-“Day Zero” in 2018, when the city was on the brink of shutting off its taps. Drawing from National Geographic’s reporting, they explore how climate change, drought, and rapid population growth pushed the city to the edge, while racial and socioeconomic disparities deepened the impact—leaving poorer, majority-Black townships most vulnerable. Jordan and Lana break down the emergency measures that helped Cape Town narrowly avoid disaster, from aggressive conservation to temporary desalination, and place the crisis in a global context, asking: which cities could be next, and what can the world learn before the taps run dry?

Article:

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/why-cape-town-running-out-water-and-whos-next/

Links:

Tap: https://findtap.com/

PodSnacks (Podcast Summaries): https://www.podsnacks.org/

In this episode of Tap’d In, hosts Jordan and Lana explore how Saudi Arabia—a country defined by its arid climate—is investing heavily in water security. Drawing from recent reporting by Aquatech, the episode unpacks the latest infrastructure push under Saudi Vision 2030, including wastewater treatment, pipeline construction, and major reuse initiatives. With projects underway in regions like Asir, Jazan, and Madinah, the goal is clear: reduce dependence on non-renewable groundwater, boost resilience, and bring private-sector innovation into one of the world’s most water-stressed nations.

Article:

https://www.aquatechtrade.com/news/water-security/sanitation-pipes-pumps-form-latest-water-projects-saudi-arabia

Links:

Tap: https://findtap.com/

PodSnacks (Podcast Summaries): https://www.podsnacks.org/

In this episode of Tap’d In, hosts Jordan and Lana take a look behind the scenes of a major global push to secure the world’s water future. Based on the Water Security Financing Report 2024, they unpack how ten of the world’s largest multilateral development banks—including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank—are joining forces to fund water access, sanitation, agricultural resilience, and resource management. The episode explores why financing remains a bottleneck in the global water crisis, especially in low-income regions, and what tools, investments, and partnerships are being used to turn money into meaningful impact.

Article:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/publication/water-security-financing-report-2024

Links:

Tap: https://findtap.com/

PodSnacks (Podcast Summaries): https://www.podsnacks.org/