A magnificent change in the “Mother City” compared to its dire situation just two years ago. In 2018 Cape Town was on the precipice of becoming the world’s first major metropolitan area to run out of water, prompting what officials referred to as “Day Zero.” A combination of strict water rationing, infrastructure changes and above-average rainfall this year in the South African city has made those memories a thing of the past. At the height of the crisis and just days before dams ran dry, residents were restricted to 50 liters per day (just over 13 gallons) for all cooking, drinking, washing and bathing. If “Day Zero” had been implemented, residents would have had to queue for daily water rations of 25 liters per person. Capetonians rallied together to ration water like never before, changing its societal relationship with water. It was and continues to be a united effort to save their precious, limited resource. However, this celebration may be premature if future water conservation efforts are relaxed and the city falls back into a period of demand outweighing supply. Cape Town has a long history of water stress, as it’s situated in a semiarid region of southern Africa. Fortunately, the Western Cape has received above-average winter rains, which has helped alleviate the city’s drought stress and replenished the dams to their former glory.
SOURCE: CNN