South Africa’s drought-stricken city of Cape Town has pushed back its estimate for “day zero”, when residents will have to start queuing for water, to May 11 from April 16. According to authorities, this has happened due to the decline in agricultural water usage. The “Day zero" - when people of Cape Town will be experiencing no water because of a long drought has been pushed by nearly a month to May 11.
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Cape Town authorities have stated that this decline is due to an anticipated decline in agricultural use of water because many farms in Western Cape Province, which includes the city, have used up water supplies allocated to them.
Some experts have also said that the causes of the city's water shortages include climate change and huge population growth. The city's reservoirs have been dried by three straight years of drought.
Thus, municipal officials have said that city residents must stick to regulations requiring them to use fewer than 50 liters (13.2 gallons) per person daily to avoid the tap closure because the province’s dam levels are so low that if residents don’t reduce their water consumption, taps will run dry. However, some 70 percent of water used in Cape Town is consumed in homes.
From Cape Town’s elegant suburbs to its gritty townships, people are working very hard to reduce their water consumption. People restrict how often and how long they shower, wash clothes and flush toilets in order to conserve more water. Policemen are guarding some natural springs to avoid any scuffles over access to the increasingly precious liquid.
Moreover, the use of city drinking water to wash vehicles, hose down paved areas, fill up private swimming pools and water gardens is illegal. Residents using more than required water will be fined.
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