Cape Town could become first city in the world to run out of water
Taps “will be turned off” on April 22, 2018 unless drastic measures are taken to decrease usage.
The government says the taps “will be turned off” on April 22, 2018 unless drastic measures are taken to decrease usage. City officials expect dam levels to reach 13.5 percent of capacity by then meaning there will be no water to deliver to residents.
Radical measure are being taken to address the situation with desalination plants to make sea water drinkable, groundwater collection projects, and water recycling programmes.
The government has urged the city's four million residents to conserve water and use no more than 87 litres (19 gallons) a day. Car washing and filling up swimming pools have been banned.
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Locals are also being asked limit showers to two minutes, turn off taps while brushing teeth as well as to avoid flushing toilets regularly.
Such is the situation that even tourists that even tourists are being reminded of the gravity of the situation when they arrive at the city known to be a tourist mecca.
"A single flush uses 5 days of drinking water," a sign greets tourists. "Our taps will run dry if we don't act now."
Cape Town is however not the only city dealing with water issues in a warming world.
The World Wildlife Fund estimates two-thirds of the world may face water shortages by 2025 as droughts become more frequent because of global warming.
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