Feature: Water bargaining
In pictures: Under the bleached skies of California
California has been suffering from unusually heavy droughts for over 20 years. The photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz has been documenting them. His photos provide disturbing testimony to its lack of water and to the abuse of this vital resource.
The Palm Springs golf course in California, surrounded by desert. The city is a big draw to rich US citizens and tourists alike. And its water consumption is way above average. Photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz
In the drought year of 2015, the water level of its reservoir Lake Mead fell by 37 metres compared to the year 2000. Photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz
Here, a girl is swimming in a pool at the ‘Raging Waters’ waterpark of San Dimas in 2015, right at the time of the great drought. Photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz
Fields lie fallow as far as the eye can see in East Orosi in Tulare County, California. The drinking water situation is especially precarious here. In April 2015, California’s governor mandated a reduction in water usage of 25 percent. This didn’t apply just to showering at home and watering lawns. It also hit in agriculture, which is responsible for most water consumption in the state. Photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz
Little black balls were supposed to be a quick fix for the problem. As of 2015, Los Angeles began dumping some 100 million plastic balls into the Ivanhoe Reservoir in an effort to suppress evaporation. But they didn’t help much, and researchers are worried about the side effect of additives entering the water. Photo: Mustafah Abdulaziz
