Cape Town to face drought

Cape Town at the risk of running out of water by April as the city is to experience worst drought in a century.

“Day Zero”  (the date taps are due to run dry) has shifted forward to April 22 as city authorities race to build desalination plants and drill underground boreholes.

Almost 2 million tourists go to Cape Town every year to bathe on sandy white beaches, explore natural features like Table Mountain or to sip wine in dozens of nearby vineyards. Travel and tourism accounted for an estimated 9 percent or 412 billion rand (US$33 billion) of South Africa’s economic output last year, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council.

According to councilor Xanthea Limberg, Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for water, “At the current rate, the city is likely to reach Day Zero on 22 April, there is a real risk that residents will have to queue.”

A maximum 25 litres of water will be provided per person, per day,  the drought situation was being worsened by some people ignoring a push for residents and visitors to use no more than 87 litres of water per person per day, Limberg said.

Businesses in the hospitality industry also say they are trying to help, limiting showers to two minutes and using water used for washing dishes and clothes to water gardens.

Authorities want to reduce the city’s consumption to 500 million litres a day – half the amount used two years ago.

Spokeswoman for the five-star Belmond Mount Nelson hotel Gabrielle Bolton said, “Everyone is taking as many steps and measures that they possibly can to try and make sure we don’t reach Day Zero.”

In a possible sign of things to come, security guards have been monitoring a steady flow of cars and people lining up at AB-Inbev’s Newlands brewery to get up to 25 litres of free water from a mountain stream on its property. The popular Newlands public swimming pool across the road from the brewery has been closed due to water restrictions with still two months of the South African summer left to run.