Stop! Don't go to Cape Town

omotolani

January 29, 2018 12:30 PM

There's a water crisis in this coastal city and officials are concerned they would run out of water on April 29, 2018.

The beautiful coastal city of Cape Town is currently dealing with a drought that has hit critical levels.

There's a water crisis in this coastal city and officials are concerned they would run out of water in April 2018.

Unseasonably dry winters have caused the dams in South Africa to become dangerously low, resulting in the dams hovering around 33% capacity as of mid-December according to South African officials.

Once the dams drop below 13.5% capacity taps in South Africa will be turned off. The projected date for “Day Zero” is projected to be April 29, 2018, based on current water consumption behaviour and anticipated rainfall. Once taps are turned off, residents will have to have to go to one of 200 checkpoints to receive daily water rations.

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Although officials still encourage tourism, the city is hoping to spread the word about the water crisis to encourage travellers to be responsible. Visitors don’t have a major impact on the city’s water consumption, but Cape Town’s travel industry has made a point to inform visitors of the crisis with many hotels installing water-saving shower heads, eliminating daily linen changes, offering timers to help guests remember to take short showers.

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Residents are currently allotted 23 gallons of water per person each day as the city tries to find alternatives.

Cape Town residents are also asked to keep showers to two minutes, use hand sanitizer instead of water, refrain from watering lawns and to avoid flushing toilets on a regular basis.

omotolani