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Climate change has had a visible effect on the environment and in many places across the globe for years, but none have really captured the attention of the vast majority of people. The case of Cape Town, South Africa might just change this thanks to its reputation among the rich and powerful. The city is literally on the verge of running out of water, with there being only 100 days left as of writing.
In a recent announcement by the city’s officials, Cape Town residents were being instructed to reduce water consumption as much as possible. This was supposedly in an effort to prevent the Day Zero disaster, which would be when the city runs out of water. Right now, that dreaded day is April 21st.
“Day Zero has moved a day closer this week to 21 April 2018. Day Zero is when the City will be forced to turn off most of the taps and every resident will have to queue for 25 litres of water per day,” the announcement reads.
As to why this is even happening, the region that Cape Town is located in has been experiencing a severe drought for three years in a row. This is a huge problem because the city, which is located in a geological basin, has always depended on precipitation from the Table Mountain for its water. With the drought, the supply has essentially been cut off.
This is alarming on several levels, with the first being the fact that Cape Town has historically been rich in potable water, Futurism reports. The metropolis has never had to contend with this kind of issue to this extent before. If this trend continues and Day Zero does arrive, this South African city would be the first major urban area in the world to no longer have access to water.
