You may find this DW documentary “Who owns water?” very interesting…
Water shortages occur all over the world. Here in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, where cisterns are a way of life, we are in a sense better prepared than a lot of places. We are used to water shortages, droughts, water deliveries and the need to maintain your water supply. Rainwater harvesting is an excellent way of making sure you have enough water for the entire year. Even in cities, where the water comes from municipal water reservoirs, it is recommended (for new construction even required) to install some sort of water storage – even if it is only a water barrel – to supplement your garden water needs.
In Canada we are blessed with a lot of rain. We only need to make sure we have enough cisterns to store all that precious liquid. So do it while you can, because in certain jurisdictions in the world, collecting water and storing it is actually ILLEGAL!