Soldiers on streets: Patricia de Lille’s vision of Cape Town’s arid, dystopian tomorrow
Intermittent water supply‚ followed by having to collect water in buckets under the supervision of soldiers: this is Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s vision of the near future if the city’s dams run dry. After meeting Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane‚ De Lille outlined the city council’s disaster plan at a briefing on Wednesday. Cape Town’s taps could run dry within five months if consumption is not reduced to required levels, she warned. The drought-stricken city was banking on late winter rains to refill its dams and stave off water cuts, but rainfall has been disappointingly erratic. With the winter rainy season effectively over, dam levels are still falling fast and water use remains high. De Lille begged Capetonians to stave off a disaster by saving more water‚ warning that otherwise Day Zero — when dams are no longer usable — would arrive in March. In phase two of the disaster‚ water collection points would be introduced. "Residents will be able to collect a ...
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