Drought in Cape Town, South Africa (Business Insider, Hilary Brueck)

Link: http://www.businessinsider.com/officials-in-cape-town-warn-day-zero-will-beworst-disaster-since-sept-11-water-shortage-2018-1/#even-if-day-zero-does-arrive-notall-the-taps-will-be-turned-off-9 Please see link above for original text, embedded hotlinks and comments.

A major South African city is about to run out of water, and officials say it will be the worst disaster since 9/11 Business Insider, Hilary Brueck February 2, 2018

wolffpower/Shutterstock Cape Town, a coastal South African city of 4 million people, is about to run out of fresh water.

1

After three years of persistent drought, the government is warning that "Day Zero" — when they will be forced to turn off the faucets — will be April 16, 2018. That's when reservoirs and water sources will hit 13.5% capacity, at which point the city will move most residents to a strict bucket- and jug-based water rationing system.

As Cape Town's reservoirs of fresh water get dangerously close to running dry, locals are beginning to store water in jugs and fill up at spring-fed taps set up by local breweries.

Those who can afford it are boring mini backyard wells to collect private water stashes, and some hotels are investing in pricey desalination plants to make ocean water drinkable.

Take a look at how people are dealing with the looming crisis: The drought is the region's worst in over a century.

Associated Press The Theewaterskloof dam, the city's largest, is just 13% full.

The South African weather service says climate change is making their historical models useless.

2

Associated Press Long-term forecasters say it's impossible to predict how long the crisis might last.

Cape Town's population has also been growing rapidly, compounding the effects of the three-year drought.

3

The Theewaterskloof dam outside Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.Associated Press Data from the UN shows the percentage of South Africans living in cities has been climbing since the 1950s.

The city is trying to push people to use less water at home.

People collect water from a communal tap at an informal settlement near Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018.Associated Press After weeks of failed attempts, there's some evidence that people are finally starting to heed the city's calls.

55% of the city's residents are now using less than 87 liters of water a day at home. But that's not going to be enough to avoid the catastrophe.

4

Twitter/@LivvyRussolillo "Only if each of us reduces our daily use down to 50 liters or less, and the City implements the necessary projects, will we avoid Day Zero," the city's website says.

Local beer bottlers are opening up their natural spring taps so that people can collect free water, off the city's grid.

5

Associated Press Most of the other plans to create new desalination plants, water recycling facilities, and ground-water sources are running behind schedule.

6

People queue to collect water from a natural spring outlet in the South African Breweries in Cape Town, Tuesday Jan. 23, 2018.Associated Press Only one "alternative water source" project in the works is running on schedule: a waterfront hotel's plan to build its own private plant to treat ocean water.

The government is worried that if people can't conserve enough water to avoid the shut-off, anarchy will erupt.

7

AP Photo/Anwa Essop Even though apartheid ended more than two decades ago, inequality in South Africa is still soaring. In 2015, black South Africans made only one fifth what their white counterparts made, according to a New York Times report.

Even if 'Day Zero' does arrive, not all the taps will be turned off.

Associated Press 8

People who live in settlements and shanty towns where there's no running water in their homes will still have access to the city's supply from spigots like the one shown above.

But everyone else will be limited to 25 liters a day.

AP Photo/Anwa Essop They'll have to collect their water ration from one of the 200 water distribution points the city will set up around town.

That means thousands of people will line up at each tap every day to collect their water.

9

Associated Press Western Cape Premier Helen Zille wrote in the Daily Maverick that "if every family sends one person to fetch their water allocation, about 5,000 people will congregate" at each tap per day.

"As things stand, the challenge exceeds anything a major city has had to face anywhere in the world since the Second World War or 9/11," Zille wrote.

10

Cape Town's main water supply, the Theewaterskloof dam, on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.Associated Press "I personally doubt whether it is possible for a city the size of Cape Town to distribute sufficient water to its residents, using its own resources, once the underground waterpipe network has been shut down," she said.

Borehole companies, meanwhile, have been doing a nice business, as those who can afford to build their own private water storage wells opt to do that.

11

People queue to collect water from a natural spring outlet in the Cape Town, South Africa, suburb of St. James, Saturday Jan. 20, 2018.Associated Press Source: Bloomberg They've also been asking residents and tourists to collect and re-use their bathing water to flush toilets, and limit shower times to two minutes.

Instagram/roxyplum19 12

They're also telling people to shower less often and use hand sanitizer instead of washing their hands some of the time.

City of Cape Town But Cape Town isn't the only city in water trouble — the World Wildlife Fund estimates that by 2025, two thirds of the world will be dealing with water shortages.

13

Associated Press As droughts fueled by climate change become more frequent and developing cities become more packed with people, some fresh water sources could be under threat.

14