South Africa's Cape Town has been scrambling to avoid an impending Day Zero scenario when taps are expected to run dry and people are left without water.

City officials have announced that a Day Zero situation would most likely happen on April 12.

If Day Zero arrives, Cape Town, which has been hit by nearly three consecutive years of drought, would become the first major metropolis in the world to run out of water.

For weeks, residents of South Africa's second most populous urban area have been forming long lines to collect water every day.

Many Cape Town residents are stockpiling supplies, fearing that an even graver situation awaits. ( Reuters: Mike Hutchings )

The Theewaterskloof Dam, whose reservoir was once Cape Town's biggest provider, is currently estimated to be at a level of less than 10 per cent.

The city said it would have to turn off most taps if the combined water storage level of all the dams falls below 13.5 per cent.

Locals have taken to social media to express their astonishment at Theewaterskloof's arid state.



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If Day Zero arrives, residents would need to go to collection points for a daily ration of 25 litres.

Water-saving posters have been put up in every corner of the city and tips urging people to conserve supplies also abound on social media.

Christine Colvin, senior manager of World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Fresh Water Program in South Africa, said residents must take precautions against the looming Day Zero situation.

"I think the prospect of Day Zero in a city of four million people is really frightening, because if Day Zero comes and nobody is prepared, there is going to be panic," she said.

"There are other cities that have come very close during drought conditions to having no water — Sao Paulo in Brazil is one of those.

"But, I think to make sure that all of Cape Town survives Day Zero and everybody helps each other to get through this crisis, that it doesn't become a catastrophe, is the challenge for us Capetonians to deal with now."

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The WWF says it is imperative that the people of Cape Town arm themselves with relevant information and share information and resources with one another.

"We're collaborating with a range of different experts who can give us the best advice. So far we have been saying to people, 'Make sure you've got an emergency store of drinking water at home.' 'Have at least 10 litres of bottled drinking water per person in your household, and start talking to your neighbours — who's got alternative sources of water; who's got a borehole; who's got a large rainwater tank; who's even got a swimming pool with some water left in it that you could start sharing and using together,'" said Ms Colvin.

The debilitating water shortage has forced the government in Cape Town to implement a controversial online water consumption map, which allows residents to check up on their neighbours' water habits based on households' municipal bills.

Meanwhile, a slew of new water projects are also up and running, including three desalination plants and projects to tap groundwater.

Xanthea Limberg, a water services councillor in Cape Town, said there was hope that the city could avoid the disaster of Day Zero.

"Much of the equipment has been delivered in early December, and work continued in most of December. So, that work is progressing well. With our efforts in bringing new water online and combined efforts of citizens reducing their consumption dramatically, we can collectively avoid a Day Zero," she said.

Reuters