The city that (almost) ran dry

Article Excerpt

Cape Town in South Africa, a city of almost 4.3 million people, narrowly avoided a major disaster earlier this year when it came within weeks of running out of water. It is hard to imagine how a city with a relatively high level of annual winter rainfall and adequate water storage facilities could run out of water. Nevertheless, a drought combined with a 50% increase in the population over the previous decade, nearly exhausted the city’s resources and forced stringent water restrictions. Those limits on water use became progressively tighter as the drought continued. As Day Zero approached—when the municipal water supply to households and businesses was to be shut off—individuals were limited to 50 litres of water per day. This is about one-sixth of what the average American uses. After Day Zero, the city’s plan was to distribute 25 litres per person per day from emergency water stations outside grocery stores and other gathering spots. Over the 3-year period of the drought,…