Dangerously Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces ‘Day Zero’
- 6 years ago
Dangerously Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces ‘Day Zero’
Cape Town was described as one of the world’s top "green" cities, and the Democratic Alliance — the opposition party
that has controlled Cape Town since 2006 — took pride in its emphasis on sustainability and the environment.
The national government controls the water supply to Cape Town, other municipalities
and the province’s agricultural sector, including the large wine industry east of Cape Town.
Cape Town has grown warmer in recent years and a bit drier over the last century, according to Piotr Wolski, a hydrologist
at the University of Cape Town who has measured average rainfall from the turn of the 20th century to the present.
With water and time running out, Mr. Neilson said he was "acutely aware" of needing to scare people into changing their behavior without causing them to panic, adding, "I don’t think we quite got
that right yet." So far, only 55 percent of Cape Town residents have met the target of 87 liters per day.
The question now, she said, is, "When Day Zero arrives, how do we make water accessible
and prevent anarchy?" Cutting back is a difficult message to convey in one of the world’s most unequal societies, where access to water reflects Cape Town’s deep divisions.
Helen Zille, the premier of Western Cape Province, which includes Cape Town, wrote
in The Daily Maverick last week that she considers a shut-off inevitable.
At one house, Leigh De Decker and Mark Bleloch said they had reduced their total water consumption
from the city to 20 liters a day, down from 500 liters a day before the drought.
Cape Town was described as one of the world’s top "green" cities, and the Democratic Alliance — the opposition party
that has controlled Cape Town since 2006 — took pride in its emphasis on sustainability and the environment.
The national government controls the water supply to Cape Town, other municipalities
and the province’s agricultural sector, including the large wine industry east of Cape Town.
Cape Town has grown warmer in recent years and a bit drier over the last century, according to Piotr Wolski, a hydrologist
at the University of Cape Town who has measured average rainfall from the turn of the 20th century to the present.
With water and time running out, Mr. Neilson said he was "acutely aware" of needing to scare people into changing their behavior without causing them to panic, adding, "I don’t think we quite got
that right yet." So far, only 55 percent of Cape Town residents have met the target of 87 liters per day.
The question now, she said, is, "When Day Zero arrives, how do we make water accessible
and prevent anarchy?" Cutting back is a difficult message to convey in one of the world’s most unequal societies, where access to water reflects Cape Town’s deep divisions.
Helen Zille, the premier of Western Cape Province, which includes Cape Town, wrote
in The Daily Maverick last week that she considers a shut-off inevitable.
At one house, Leigh De Decker and Mark Bleloch said they had reduced their total water consumption
from the city to 20 liters a day, down from 500 liters a day before the drought.