How natural infrastructure improves Water Security?

 




Wildfires threaten water security. Forests are vitally important for safeguarding water quality and freshwater access. Forested watersheds provide over 2/3 of the world’s drinking water, with 33 of the world’s 105 largest cities relying on forested areas for their water supplies alongside many smaller cities and rural regions.⁣
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Forests and trees increase infiltration and reduce rates of erosion, both of which prevent sedimentation and other pollutants from reaching rivers and lakes crucial for water supplies. After a wildfire there are fewer trees to intercept water runoff from storms, and soil becomes unstable and more prone to erosion. This means that when it rains, more sediment, ash and pollutants end up flowing into lakes, rivers and reservoirs. ⁣ After the 2018 Camp Fire in California, for example, post-fire rainstorms caused debris and toxic to enter nearby bodies of water, and some utilities had to stop using water from sources too close to the fire.⁣
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