Cape Town is facing its worst drought in over a century, with dam levels perilously low. The population has grown significantly, but residents haven’t heeded warnings to use water sparingly. “Day zero”, when taps will run out, is estimated to be April 16, 2018.
The water crisis in Cape Town is nearing breaking point. For the past three years, South Africa’s second largest city has suffered its worst drought in over a century. Furthermore, the population of the Cape Town metropolitan area has grown significantly over the past two decades, from 2.4 million people in 1995 to 4.3 million in 2018, all of whom need water for the basic necessities of life. To make matters worse, residents haven’t heeded warnings to use water sparingly, so dam levels remain perilously low. It is estimated that “day zero”, the day when the city’s taps will run out, is April 16, 2018.
A drought that has lasted for 300 years:
Water is mainly supplied by the six major dams of the Western Cape Water Supply System in the mountainous areas near the city. Dams are recharged by seasonal rains, typically from May to August.
The period between 2015 and 2017 marked the three driest years in the region since 1933. It has been estimated that a drought of this severity occurs only once every 311 years.
Starting February 1, every Cape Town resident will only be able to use 50 liters of water per day (just over 13 gallons).
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