The City That Ran Out of Water

April 22, Earth Day, might have a bit of extra significance this year. It might be the day that, for the first time, a great world city runs out of water.

On that day, according to the local government of Cape Town, water in the reservoirs that feed this most beautiful of coastal cities will drop below critical levels, and stand at 13.5 percent of capacity. Taps will run dry in homes and businesses, and residents may have to start lining up "between metal fences, waiting to fill up containers from standpipes." In this "Mad Max"-style dystopia, they will then get a maximum of 25 liters per person, as the city government desperately tries to reduce water consumption to half of what it was just two years ago.