Day Zero How Cape Town is running out of water For several decades Theewaterskloof dam has provided more than half the water supply for the four million inhabitants of nearby Cape Town​. But after three years of relentless drought, the reservoir is almost depleted. Unless the city can drastically cut its water use, the taps will run dry in a matter of weeks. Cities is supported by About this content

Josh Holder and Niko Kommenda

Day Zero is looming for Cape Town. According to the latest estimates 16 April is when the city’s water supply will be turned off until the rains arrive, leaving residents to line up for water rations at one of 200 points across the city.

The scramble for water is already raising tensions among residents. Freshwater springs now require 24-hour policing as congestion builds in surrounding streets and there have been sporadic reports of fights break out in the lengthy queues.

How did one of the wealthiest cities in Africa find itself in this position?

Rainfall levels have plummeted

Cape Town is in the middle of an unprecedented drought, with some researchers estimating the dry spell to be a once-in-a-millenium event.

Rainfall has been been far below expected levels for the past three years. As the driest season of the year draws near, Day Zero looms large over the ever-thirsty city.



Even though extreme droughts are difficult to predict, researchers point out that the city council has failed to adapt the local water supply to the demands of a growing metropolis.



Since 1995, Cape Town’s population has grown by 79%, while water storage only increased by 15%, straining the region’s existing reservoirs.

Cape Town’s key reservoirs have visibly shrunk since 2014

As local politicians debate whether the city could have prepared better for the crisis, the United Nations is warning that climate change could lead to more frequent droughts around the world and in this region of Africa specifically.

Many climate scientists are worried that Cape Town’s current predicament is just a glimpse of what is to come.

Capetonians have to use less than 50 litres of water a day. That’s a big ask

Residents have had to drastically cut their water use since the rainy season drew to a close, with the city council implementing tight water restrictions and limiting everyone to just 87 litres of water a day.

But despite the threat of fines, only around half of residents met the goal, leading Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille to announce that the city had reached the “point of no return”.

With Day Zero fast approaching – and most of the city’s efforts to source alternative water sources behind schedule – water use must be reduced, and fast.

Now residents are being asked to limit use to 50 litres a day, which is less than a third of the average daily water use in Britain, for example. According to De Lille, “we can no longer ask people to stop wasting water – we must force them”. She wants severe charges for those exceeding the limit.

How far do 50 litres of water go?

Select the activities you do in a typical day to see how you would fare in water-stressed Cape Town.









Satellite photos: ESA/Sentinel 2

Reservoir outlines: NASA/Landsat 8, Guardian analysis

Rainfall data: SAWS through GSOD (recorded at Cape Town airport)

Water use estimates: Bristol Water, Ruapehu District Council (NZ)

Icons by Freepik, Swifticons, Creaticca Creative Agency, Pixel perfect and monkik, via Flaticon