South Africa is Going Dry
The average shower time for people in the US is around 9 minutes, while the citizens of Cape Town, South Africa have to limit their showers to 90 seconds (Sachs). Americans consume as much water in a day as they want, while the citizens in Cape Town are limited to only 3 litres (Infographic). Day Zero is the day that Cape Town, South Africa is expected to completely run out of water on July 9th. The wealthier people of Cape Town have better ways of preparing themselves, while poor people rely on the government’s plans. The government is involved in the drought issue and water conservation, but exactly how are they addressing this issue? In the 21st century it is almost unheard of for a city to completely run out of a natural resource. Cape Town is quickly approaching Day Zero and their water reservoirs are quickly approaching alarmingly low percentages- 245 to be exact (Sachs).
The approach of Day Zero is not just a problem for the government to fix, but it has become a very prominent part of Cape Town citizen’s and even tourist’s everyday social lives. The government has restricted citizens to using around only 13 gallons of water a day (Sachs). With this being a fact, and knowing how much water every day tasks such as flushing the toilet or brushing your teeth must take, it is known among town that "It's not cool to have a green manicured lawn”, says Ntshona, the chief executive of South African Tourism in an interview by Andreas Sachs (Sachs). Judgement plays a big role in how water conservation is being carried out. It breaks down simply: rich people figure out their own solutions, poor people are left to fend for themselves. People in Cape Town who own nice houses fill their pools with good water, and can afford expensive equipment to make water from air (Braford). Restaurants and hotels are also taking initiative to be water-wise. Further following the social judgement, guests who stay at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa “who wish to take a bath must trot through the lobby carrying a rubber duckie, which they must trade for a stopper - the yellow bird as the scarlet letter” (Sachs). Some restaurants and hotels are also swapping out dishware for disposable napkins and utensils.
While the government has established some restrictions that help citizens know how to distribute their daily water use in a smart way, the citizens, who are the most hands-on with water conservation, blame the government for the drought. As of February 1st, the South African government restricted citizens of Cape Town from using over 13 gallons of water a day (Infographic). After announcing this, the government has only gone as far as to make popular songs shortened to 90 seconds in order to help residents stick to 90 second showers (Sachs). Four million residents are taking matters into their own hands and are trying to find private solutions. It is somewhat a known thing that this drought was brought on by “a government failure to provide an alternative water source to this city” (Braford). This connects back to who is set up better for these private solutions; all social classes, rich and poor, are running out of water but only few can actually afford repercussions.
Day Zero is as real as ever, and approaching rapidly. The South African government has not provided any further help or alternative resources to help its citizens, so residents, restaurants, hotels, and tourists continue to do their part with water conservation. As of March 21st, several Cape Town farmers have lost 25% of their orchards and vineyards due to lack of irrigation (Challenges). Waiting for drops to fall is not something South Africans have the time for, now is the time for them to keep actively conserving water.
The average shower time for people in the US is around 9 minutes, while the citizens of Cape Town, South Africa have to limit their showers to 90 seconds (Sachs). Americans consume as much water in a day as they want, while the citizens in Cape Town are limited to only 3 litres (Infographic). Day Zero is the day that Cape Town, South Africa is expected to completely run out of water on July 9th. The wealthier people of Cape Town have better ways of preparing themselves, while poor people rely on the government’s plans. The government is involved in the drought issue and water conservation, but exactly how are they addressing this issue? In the 21st century it is almost unheard of for a city to completely run out of a natural resource. Cape Town is quickly approaching Day Zero and their water reservoirs are quickly approaching alarmingly low percentages- 245 to be exact (Sachs).
The approach of Day Zero is not just a problem for the government to fix, but it has become a very prominent part of Cape Town citizen’s and even tourist’s everyday social lives. The government has restricted citizens to using around only 13 gallons of water a day (Sachs). With this being a fact, and knowing how much water every day tasks such as flushing the toilet or brushing your teeth must take, it is known among town that "It's not cool to have a green manicured lawn”, says Ntshona, the chief executive of South African Tourism in an interview by Andreas Sachs (Sachs). Judgement plays a big role in how water conservation is being carried out. It breaks down simply: rich people figure out their own solutions, poor people are left to fend for themselves. People in Cape Town who own nice houses fill their pools with good water, and can afford expensive equipment to make water from air (Braford). Restaurants and hotels are also taking initiative to be water-wise. Further following the social judgement, guests who stay at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa “who wish to take a bath must trot through the lobby carrying a rubber duckie, which they must trade for a stopper - the yellow bird as the scarlet letter” (Sachs). Some restaurants and hotels are also swapping out dishware for disposable napkins and utensils.
While the government has established some restrictions that help citizens know how to distribute their daily water use in a smart way, the citizens, who are the most hands-on with water conservation, blame the government for the drought. As of February 1st, the South African government restricted citizens of Cape Town from using over 13 gallons of water a day (Infographic). After announcing this, the government has only gone as far as to make popular songs shortened to 90 seconds in order to help residents stick to 90 second showers (Sachs). Four million residents are taking matters into their own hands and are trying to find private solutions. It is somewhat a known thing that this drought was brought on by “a government failure to provide an alternative water source to this city” (Braford). This connects back to who is set up better for these private solutions; all social classes, rich and poor, are running out of water but only few can actually afford repercussions.
Day Zero is as real as ever, and approaching rapidly. The South African government has not provided any further help or alternative resources to help its citizens, so residents, restaurants, hotels, and tourists continue to do their part with water conservation. As of March 21st, several Cape Town farmers have lost 25% of their orchards and vineyards due to lack of irrigation (Challenges). Waiting for drops to fall is not something South Africans have the time for, now is the time for them to keep actively conserving water.
Bibliography
Braford, Andrew. "As Cape Town's water runs out, the rich drill wells. The poor worry about eating."
Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2018. Student Resources in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528657601/SUIC?u=los42754&xid=ed272533. Accessed 11 Mar. 2018. This article highlights how social Cape Town’s drought scare has become. Gathering words from different people living in the Cape Town area of South Africa, this source appears to be pushing the readers to feel empathy for the poor people of South Africa, as they cannot afford water alternatives when the drought hits. Andy Braford previously worked as a staff editor at the New York Times, and recently joined The Washington Post’s Design team, where he contributes his strong talents as a writer/reporter. The Washington Post which is an American Daily Newspaper. I found this source on the school’s online database. This source most closely relates to the article by Andrea Sachs as there are details about Cape Town citizen’s everyday lives living through the drought situation. I used this source in my first and second main points.
“Challenges, Possible Solutions and the Future of SA Agriculture.” IAgrifood South Africa, 30 July 2017,
iagrifoodnetwork.com/challenges-possible-solutions-future-sa-agriculture/.This source is an interview of the ARP, an organization who’s mission is to create an effective long-term plan to stabalize and strengthen South Africa’s current agricultural state. Since this is their mission, the source was pretty bias as they were trying to inform the readers of the gravity of the situation. Agri Food Network (or IAFN) was established in 1992 and works as a unifier of internation trade associations involved at the agri-food region on a global level. This article goes into closer detail about the ARP’s plan for South Africa and what the root causes for the issues are. This article relates to Scott Moore’s writings on the Washington Post about water conservation in South Africa. I referenced this article in my conclusion for recent agricultural effects due to the drought.
“INFOGRAPHIC: What Can You Do to Reduce Water Consumption.” ENCA, ENews Channel Africa, 30 Jan.
2018, 5:39, www.enca.com/south-africa/day-zero-what-can-you-do-to-reduce-water-use. This inforgraphic was supplies by the News channel for South Africa, and since South Africa (Cape Town) is the place suffering the drought, they have bias since htey want everyone, even tourists to conserve water. eNCA is a 24-hour television news broadcaster, owned by e.tv, focusing on South African and African stories. This site supplies tips on how to reduce water usage by stating bullet point tips as well as displaying an inforgraphic. I referenced this source in my second main point to describe how the government and socials are influencing people to conserve.
Moore, Scott. "On 'Day Zero,' Cape Town will run out of water. It's not the only city at risk."
Washingtonpost.com, 5 Feb. 2018. Student Resources in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A526414822/SUIC?u=los42754&xid=e511ad69. Accessed 8 Mar. 2018.This article describes the gravity of drought, specifically in South Africa and Cape Town, but it also relates this drought issue with other countries. This article seems to have a bit of bias, especially when describing South Africa’s intense pressure on citizens to reduce their water usage. The author, Scott Moore is a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, and is expected to come out with a book about water conflict and how to prevent it; this futher backs up his bias as, evidentally, his book will be about preventing water issues, showing he holds a position with how he thinks people should go about this issue. This article was published by The Washington Post which is an American Daily Newspaper. I found this source on the schools online database. This source relates to the source by Andrea Sachs as they both describe in detail what the people have to go through everyday being so concious about water. I used this source in my first main point to elaborate.
Sachs, Andrea. "What do tourists need to know about the Cape Town drought?" Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2018.
Student Resources in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A528973822/SUIC?u=los42754&xid=022f2bb9. Accessed 6 Mar. 2018. Andrea Sachs is a reporter who has written many articles on the Washington Post, which is an American daily newspaper. This article, having been recently published, is very relevant with Africa’s drought issue. Being un-bias and purly informational, this article informs the readers of what the South African government is doing and enforcing in order to help Cape Town’s “Day Zero”. As well as briefng the audiance on what the government is doing, this article also goes into detail with how citizens and tourists, as well as restarants and hotels are doing to help. I found this source on the school’s online database. I used this source in my first and second main points to describe how drastic Day Zero is and how it affects the citizens of Cape Town, which connects to the article by Scott Moore which further elaborates on the affects the drought has on the people.
Great article! The sense of urgency was really well conveyed, and it got me invested into the topic. My main take-away from this text is that the drought in Cape Town has hurt the lower class the most, and those people have had to rely on poor government decisions. I would also like to know if there are rich people that are helping the lower class out or if they are just keeping to themselves during this time of urgency.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article because you provided some great insight about the situation in South Africa currently. My main take-away of this article is that the government has been ineffective in providing more water and therefore the citizens of South Africa suffer. I am curious to know how this drought became so severe.
ReplyDelete