10. San Francisco, CA
San Francisco is the leading financial hub and the cultural center of northern California and San Francisco Bay Area. It has a large population and is a very dense county which is located on the northern side of San Francisco Peninsula on an area of 121 kilometer square. In the early 2000’s, San Francisco suffered a major drought which brought the underground water supply on the brink of extinction. Again in 2005 and 2007 it suffered drought which affected about 3.7 million people. According to a research done by CERES and NRDC, it is on the verge of experiencing a major drought in the coming 50 years which will cause a severe crisis in the city.
9. Fresno, California
Fresno is the fifth largest city of California State with a population of 500,000 approximately. Although it is a big city and has a lot of water resources but unfortunately more than 75% of the city are categorized as the D4, which is the highest category of a drought affected area. Shortage of water has caused so many problems which has affected not only the residents of the city but also the industries and other growing sectors badly. The whole city is considered to be in extreme drought which is the second highest category of drought.
8. Fort Worth, TX Fort
Worth is situated on the northern side is a beautiful and famous state of Texas and is the fifth largest city of this state. It covers a vast area of 910 kilometers square and serves as the economic and cultural gateway of Texas. It has a multiple water resources but the demand of water is exceeding day by day which is not possible to counter through these current resources. On the other hand several steps are taken by the local government to overcome shortage such as storing water and bringing in more water from Red River, Oklahoma. Beside this, Fort Worth is still in danger and the residents should be ready to face severe conditions in the upcoming years.
7. Merced, CA
Merced is a city in the state of California with a population of 82,000 people approximately. It is named after Merced River which flows nearby the city. It’s already a dry area and is one of the most drought affected area of California. A major part of local water for the residents of the city was provided by Lake McClure but it has very low in recent years. According to local water district management, more than 78% of the city is under “Extreme drought” in 2013, which is the second highest condition.
6. Santa Cruz, CA
Santa Cruz is the largest city of Santa Cruz County with a population of about 63,000 in 2013 U.S Census Bureau. It is known for its moderate climate, redwood forests, the natural beauty of the coastline and the green and environment friendly living. Last year only half of the city was affected by drought but suddenly the conditions worsened and almost whole of the city was under drought. The local government is trying hard to find alternatives to this issue as it has severely affected the lives of residents, industrialists and people related to other sectors of life.
5. San Antonio, TX
Officially known as the City of San Antonio it is the second most populated city of Texas State with a population of 1.4 million approximately. It is located in the south central region of Texas in the urban region known as Texas Triangle. Most part of the city uses underground and ground water resources but the demand is exceeding the supply which has caused major drought in recent years. New projects by government in order to stop drought include establishing desalination plant.
4. Gilroy-Morgan Hill, CA
Also known as Morgan Hill, it is officially known as City of Morgan Hill which is situated in the south of Santa Clara County in California. Due to the influence of Pacific Ocean, Morgan Hill enjoys Mediterranean climate all the year. Previously, only a little part of the city was affected by drought but last year about 80% of Morgan Hill is at a high risk of drought.
3. Salinas, CA
Salinas is the largest municipality of California’s Monterey County located at the southeast mouth of Salinas River. It is a small city with a population of only 164,000 only according to 2014 census. Unfortunately, it is now more than 85% surrounded by exceptional drought. The drought has affected the agriculture and private industrial sector very badly. The food supply chain has been affected which has caused shortage of food in neighboring cities. The government is taking some serious actions to get rid of this problem and all the people are also helping government.
2. Hanford, CA
Hanford is the county seat of Kings County, California and is the cultural and commercial of San Joaquin Valley. According to 2010 census the total population of Hanford was 55,000. It is an agricultural center and has been affected heavily by drought. The condition became worse as the local farmers use excessive water for their lands and in return no or very less water is available for domestic use. Along with the government, the people of Hanford are also taking measures to solve this as soon as possible.
1. Bakersfield, CA
Bakersfield is suffering from the worst droughts ever in whole United States. Besides suffering from worst droughts ever, they have not implemented any water restrictions which have caused a water shortage of 73% last year. It is suffering from exceptional drought under which about 90% of city is under drought.
It is located at the end of San Joaquin Valley in California, Kern County. it has a population of 840,000 and it is the 62nd largest area in United States. Its economy depends on oil and agricultural. Despite being a central industrial hub, it has been severely affected by drought and so many industries have been sacked due to this.