Lack of water is not something we think of as affecting first world nations, but developed countries can and do suffer water shortages in many situations.
During natural disasters water may be very scarce, or at least clean, fresh, healthy water may be. Often whole cities are supplied by a single reservoir. Should there be a problem with this water supply, such as drying up or contamination, then you will need to find water elsewhere. And finally, during droughts it is not rare for local governments to enforce restrictions on how and when water is used, to help it go further.
So what can everyday people like you or I do to ensure that we have enough water to last us during a shortage? There are several ways of prepping for such an event:
Don’t Overuse the Water You Have
This should go without saying, but if you are short on water, you need to use it carefully and cleverly. We all know the basics: don’t wash your car, don’t water your lawn, etc. However, there are other ways of using water efficiently. For example, when washing the dishes fill two small tubs that fit in the sink, one with soapy and one with clean water. Use the soapy water for washing and dip in clean water to rinse. Or when cooking vegetables or pasta, save and refrigerate the water and reuse it for up to 48 hours, at which point use it up by making a stew. Having a very shallow bath rather than a shower can help, too. You won’t be immersed, but just sit in the water and you can use a cup to pour it over yourself.
Collect Rainwater
Just because the water reservoir has dried up doesn’t always mean it will have stopped raining. So set up a large rainwater collector to grab as much water as humanly possible. The bigger the surface of the collector, the more water it collects per minute. So your house is a huge rainwater collector. Keep your gutters clean and place barrels underneath the downspouts to gather water. At the very least, you will have some water for cleaning outside, watering plants, or giving to pets. But, if you have methods for purifying water, you will have washing water, or even drinking water, for free.
Keep Water Filters
Whether you plan on collecting your own water or not, make sure to make use of a water filter, or store them in case you need them. Home water filters are an amazing tool, and very advanced in this day and age. So much so that you can get systems which will all but completely eliminate toxins, bacteria, and parasites. Shop around and find yourself a good one. Water filter systems mean that you can safely drink rainwater, or purify contaminated water which is coming out of your tap, from a stream, or even recover water which has been left in a jug and gone a bit stale.
Stockpile Sugary Drinks and Mild Alcoholic Beverages
It is ordinarily very bad advice to tell someone to drink sugary drinks and alcoholic drinks instead of water, as they will slow down how quickly you hydrate. But when we are facing a long term water shortage, slow hydration is better than no hydration. Fresh or bottled water has a nasty habit of going stale very quickly, and can grow bacteria of all kinds. Sugar and alcohol will help keep bacteria at bay if you really have no other options.
Buy and Eat Watery Fruits and Vegetables
Finally, often when there is a water shortage the rest of life carries on as normal. But what do you buy when the supermarket is all out of drinks? Simple: watery plants. Many plants have a high fluid and mineral content which makes them excellent for hydration. So buy up cucumbers, oranges, tomatoes, radishes, pineapple, coconut, all kinds of melons, etc., and try and use them to stay as hydrated as possible until water is available again.