Cape Town could run out of water in 90 days
- 6 years ago
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — One of the biggest cities in South Africa may soon become the first major city in the world to run out of water.
Cape Town is facing a water crisis, and has less than a hundred days before "Day Zero" on April 21, when the water supply is expected to run out, according to the South African.
Years of extreme drought have caused storage levels in dams to drop below 30%. Once it falls to 13.5%, taps in the city will be shut off.
Local authorities restricted water usage to 87 liters per person per day, but after only 39% of residents complied, the limit has now been lowered to 50 liters.
Its four million residents are being told to take 2-minute showers, and have been banned from filling pools, watering gardens, or washing cars.
Households that go over their water allowance will also be asked to pay higher tariffs.
After "Day Zero", citizens will need to line up at one of 200 water collection points throughout the city, where each can collect a maximum of 25 liters a day.
Authorities have also been looking into alternative ways to source water, like wastewater recycling, drilling into aquifers, or seawater desalination.
Cape Town is facing a water crisis, and has less than a hundred days before "Day Zero" on April 21, when the water supply is expected to run out, according to the South African.
Years of extreme drought have caused storage levels in dams to drop below 30%. Once it falls to 13.5%, taps in the city will be shut off.
Local authorities restricted water usage to 87 liters per person per day, but after only 39% of residents complied, the limit has now been lowered to 50 liters.
Its four million residents are being told to take 2-minute showers, and have been banned from filling pools, watering gardens, or washing cars.
Households that go over their water allowance will also be asked to pay higher tariffs.
After "Day Zero", citizens will need to line up at one of 200 water collection points throughout the city, where each can collect a maximum of 25 liters a day.
Authorities have also been looking into alternative ways to source water, like wastewater recycling, drilling into aquifers, or seawater desalination.