Inevitable Day Zero
Miles and miles of sand now cover an area that was once filled with an abundance of water. In as long as two years, the main source of water to South Africa, the Theewaterskloof dam, has gone from 52% capacity in November of 2016 (Haden), to 11.5% capacity in 2018 (Smith). Through this drought that is taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, we can see the extent of the limitations of water on Earth, with the residents of Cape Town being restricted to the devastatingly low amount of 50 liters of water a day, more than seven times less than the amount of water used by the average person a day. Not only is a lack of water inconvenient to the people of Cape Town, but it is very unsanitary, leaving people more susceptible to dehydration and disease.
By 2019, if the people continue to cut down their water usage, South Africa is expected to reach “day zero”, a day in which the dam levels fall below 13.5 percent capacity and the government is then forced to turn off taps (Crabtree). When the impending “day zero” occurs over four million people in Cape Town will no longer have access to clean water from their homes, but will instead only have access to water through communal emergency water stations (“Why”). Yet, despite the postponing of day zero from May in 2018 to 2019, due to the conservation efforts of residents, the drought is threatening serious long-term consequences on all of South Africa.
One serious ramification of this drought is on the South African economy, which can no longer make a profit due to the lack of crops from the government needing to preserve water. According to Western Cape’s economic opportunities minister, Alan Winde, Cape Town is expected to lose $495 million in profits due to the loss of crops, specifically wheat (Roelf). The deficiency of water has forced Cape Town to cut down agriculture production by 20 percent meaning that the number of exports will be severely reduced and the country will not be able to make as much money from trade. An insufficiency of crops in Cape Town from this catastrophe, will not only have an impact on Cape Town but on all of Africa because the Cape Town economy is 13% of the nation's economy (Crabtree).
The drought also has a substantial impact on the residents of Cape Town, who are scrambling to find a way to deal with the repercussions of this drought. The government is putting a complete ban on any unnecessary water use, making it illegal to do something as small as taking a 15-minute shower. Not only this but, due to the major cuts in water usage, over 30,000 jobs have been lost (Roelf). The poor population, like those who lost their jobs, may be forced out of their homes because they can no longer afford the tariffs that have been placed on water and need to move to a place where they have access to a necessity like water.
While a drought is a natural occurrence, the government is being partially blamed for letting the drought get this bad after three years of ignoring signs. This controversy has, however, brought together the African National Congress, who is working together with the Democratic Alliance, to set up projects such as desalination plants and new water wells that will hopefully minimize the impact of the drought (“Why”). But even with the efforts of the government, “day zero” is unavoidable, and the amount that Cape Town will suffer will inevitably be severe.
Works Cited
Crabtree, Justina. “Cape Town Is Running out of Water, and No One Knows What Economic Impact That Will Have.” CNBC, CNBC, 6 Mar.2018,www.cnbc.com/2018/03/06/south-africa-cape-town-drought-econo mic-impact.html.
Haden, Alexis. “Watch: Chilling New Footage of the Empty Theewaterskloof Dam [Video].” The South African, 22 Mar. 2018, www.thesouthafrican.com/chilling-time-lapse-theewaterskloof/.
“Why Cape Town Is Running Out of Water, and Who's Next.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 5 Feb. 2018, news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/cape-town-running-out-of-water-drought -taps-shutoff-other-cities/.
Roelf, Wendell. “Drought Inflicts Mounting Losses to Crops in South Africa's Western...” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 1 Mar. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-drought/drought-inflicts-mounting-losses-to- crops-in-south-africas-western-cape-idUSKCN1GD4K.
Smith, Graig-Lee. “Authorities Drill into Theewaterskloof Dam for Last 10% of Water.” Eyewitness News, 23 Feb. 2018, ewn.co.za/2018/02/23/authorities-drill-into-theewaterskloof-dam-for-last-10-of-water.
I appreciate how you described in your article all the facets of the issue and described the many ramifications of this water crisis in depth. Your article was really organized and in depth. My main takeaway is that the water crisis will have extremely detrimental effects on Cape Town and South Africa as a whole, as not only a economic issue, but also a public health concern. The government is now trying to take actions, which also produces detrimental effects. I would want to ask you what got you interested in this topic.
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