With 100 Days of Water Left, Cape Town Risks Running Dry
- Supply should last until rainy season, may run out by 2019
- Plans are being implemented to supplement city’s water supply
Cape Town Mayor Says Water Shortage Is a 'Real Crisis'
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Cape Town, the crown jewel of South Africa’s tourism industry, has 100 days before it runs out of water.
After two years of the least rainfall on record, the average level of the six main dams that supply the city of 3.7 million people has dropped below 30 percent, one of the lowest levels on record. The last 10 percent of the reservoir water is unusable, and the risk is mounting that taps and pipes will stop flowing before the onset of the winter rainy season that normally starts in May or June.