Climate Adaptation
Fears of Water’s ‘Day Zero’ Spur Cape Town to Consider Rainless Day Fund
- City almost ran out of water in 2018 amid worst-ever drought
- Augmenting water supply to cost $381 million over next decade
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Scarred by a water shortage that almost saw Cape Town become the first major world city to run out of water, local authorities are planning measures ranging from cutting down alien trees to establishing a “rainless day fund” to cushion its more than 4 million people from the next dry spell.
Cape Town was hit by the worst drought on record between 2015 and 2018, forcing South Africa’s second-biggest city to clamp down on usage by boosting water tariffs and advising residents to spend no more than 90 seconds in the shower. The municipality repeatedly warned of “Day Zero” -- when taps would run dry. While that day came close, it never arrived.