(ThyBlackMan.com) On December 3th, 2017, the Executive Mayor of Cap Town Patricia de Lille officially warned the 4 million capetonians, the residents of Cape Town, the second main town of South Africa that early or late, taps will run dry “We reached a point of no return. The crisis has reached a gravity that requires a new series of emergency measures”. This day with no water, they call it “day zero”. In a panic context, many dates are claimed by meteorologists for “day zero”, April 12, May 18, July 15 but certainly, it is approaching. Cap Town will become the first major city in history to run dry. Indeed, this city is currently facing its worst drought ever since 3 years. This situation is due to a climate phenomenon, “El Niño” (Spanish word meaning the child) affecting southern Africa and stopping the rain seasons. The abundant rainy season of summer 2017 provided well enough water to many regions reservoirs but Cap Town could not benefit.
The lands were not been irrigated for a long time. The 6 major reservoirs of Cap Town are drying up quickly. The provincial government of Western Cap declared officially a natural disaster in Cap Town in May 2017 and immediately started looking for 
solutions, digging new boreholes to find water supplies, building new desalinization plants which are able to turn seawater into drinking water. They focus absolutely on new water projects.
Responding to an interview by CNN on January 25th, 2018 the President Cyril Ramaphosa said “I’m going to corral as many people as possible to put our heads together and see exactly what we should be doing, not only in the immediate term, but also in the long term. But in the immediate term, we’ve got to make sure that we bring water to the people of Cape Town without fail.”
A city council specially met on January 19th, 2018 to take unusual decisions in order to save drastically the available water. A range of emergency measures were told by the city to the residents who see their life radically changing since February, 1st 2018. Each one in the city will have as much as possible to save water for example not allowing the tap to run while brushing teeth, no more than just 2 mn shower. As the water reserves are already under 27%, only 50l for 150 days is recommended per person per day to avoid day zero in 2018. Farmers shall reduce their consumption for their fields. Dirty water or rain water in a basket shall be used to flush the poo in the loo. Washing cars and pools fillings are forbidden. Patricia de Lille blamed 3.7 million people for not obeying the restrictions, precisely people living in greater Cape Town.
Public pools, spray parks and fountains have been closed. On Day Zero, the water reserves will decrease to 13% of their capacity. The city will cut public water. People will have to queue for their daily rationing of drinking water by 200 water points under police presence and carry their gallons on the head: “25l minimum per day per person, 18l for laundry, 15l for shower, 9l for toilet, 3l for washing hands, 2l for cooking, 2l for drinking, 1l for animals”.
Alistair Coy, a British visitor to Cape Town, said to the British journal “The Independent “A true nightmare scenario is developing in front of our eyes.” Jamie Bowden, a long time visitor to the city explained to the same journal “The water crisis is the only topic of conversation”. In hotels, visitors are urged to limit showers to 90 seconds and to flush the toilet as little as possible. Hotel bath plugs have been removed. UK government advices not to travel to Cap Town. As the Bloomberg agency reported, South Africa tourism industry is losing benefits, wine industry too. South Africa wine industry is the 7th largest in the world. Bloomberg analysts fear more crucial threatens on public health and social order.
The water research commission accuses authorities for mismanagement of water supplies, for ignoring 1990 warnings that water could run out. Restrictions policy should have been applied long time ago as critics argue. Cap Town is governed by the main opposition party the Democratic Alliance and the water Minister is controlled by the National African Congress in power. The water Minister does not care to support financially Cap Town authorities. Day zero will happen maybe in 2019 or in the next weeks regarding the disrespect of restrictions. People wonder how in reality life would be as they never seen before in one of the most beautiful place in the world.
Sources; https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/cape-town-running-out-of-water-drought-taps-shutoff-other-cities/ and http://www.capetownetc.com/water-crisis/
Staff Writer; Abu-Jahlil Astrid Chacha
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