water: i am glad we don't have this problem

[baronrenfrew]

this article I read this morn got my attention so I thought I'd share it. from Forbes magazine

Cape town population 3.7 million and half the size of Toronto

Cape Town, South Africa is in crisis mode right out of a Mad Max movie. Given current water consumption, the city has approximately 90 days until it runs out of water.

The city recently pushed forward what they call Day Zero, where the city will be forced to shut off water supplies to all but essential consumers, such as hospitals. This would mark the first major city in the world to run out of water, a result of a prolonged 3-year drought.

The city has mandated that every household limit their water consumption to 23 gallons per person per day. However, only 54% of households are meeting that target. The city has asked residents to limit their showers to a couple minutes, stop watering their lawns, no washing of cars, and flushing toilets only when necessary.

As the city approaches Day Zero, four million South Africans living in the Cape Town metropolis fear for what seems inevitable. On April 22nd, apart from a major reduction in residents daily usage, the city will turn off water supplies and implement rations for residents.

The fact is, water supplies will never completely run out as the last 10% from a reservoir becomes costly and difficult to extract. The city has agreed that once the dams reach 13.5% capacity, water supplies will be shut off and residents will have to queue to collect their daily rations of 6.6 gallons of water. To keep the peace and prevent water theft, armed guards will be employed.

For wealthy Capetonians, there are numerous advertisements of people willing to drive trucks full of water from less water-constrained areas for a hefty price. The rest of the residents will have to settle for the likely long lines for daily water rations.

The severe water shortage is due to a three year, once in a millennium, drought. While meteorologists believed the drought was initially due to the strong 2015 El Niño, the drought has continued despite no longer being in El Niño conditions. Most climate models predict that as global temperatures continue to warm, South Africa will continue to receive less and less precipitation. To combat this, the city is investing in desalination plants, however, they won't be operational before Cape Town runs out of water in just 90 days.

Trevor Nace is a geologist, Forbes contributor, founder of Science Trends, and explorer. Follow his journey @trevornace.

[JP*]

The Rain Barrel Season is coming soon

[Ontario Chick]

I have noticed that story too, and what really interested me, is exactly how short attention span we all have.
So this has been in the news off and on for few weeks, and then whichever way it goes we will all happily forget it, because really, we all want to think that whatever comes out of the tap is fit to drink, or at least fit to shower in.
San Diego CA, has ran out of underground aquifer water few years ago, they now re-cyckle water, by pumping " used, cleaned" water back in to the empty aquifers, leave it there for a while, to quote the city official; "To get rid of the YUCK factor, and back it goes in to the taps again.
Nobody but nobody talking about it anymore

[baronrenfrew]

News? Watch the news? I haven't "watched" news in years other than the weather network. If I need to know it shows up on radio (where I am usually on a couple of times per day) or in the newspaper/ news magazines (fortune, economist etc) which I look at occasionally.

[Ontario Chick]

Sorry I misspoke, when I said it has been "in the news" I meant media of all ilk in general.

[TomK]

On a side note, i recall a commentary by an American behavoural psychologist on the expected reaction by our first world city dwellers when the expected moment arrives when they get up in the morning, go to turn on the tap and nothing comes out...they will lose their freaking minds...they will not know how to process the event properly...just a thought... :running-chicken:

[windwalkingwolf]

We've had times when there was a drought, and water restrictions, and people just don't take it seriously. They continue cutting their grass to within an inch of its life and beyond, and continue watering their lawns. ) By the way, I think the very concept of having a "lawn" that you have to trim is ridiculous and pointless, but that's off topic and a conversation for another day )
They continue washing their cars, and even using water to rinse dust and lawn clippings down their laneways. The threat of mandatory restrictions, fines and forced rationing stops some people and slows others, but still some entitled folk continue to guzzle gallons willy-nilly. These are droughts that last a month, maybe two: imagine if this went on for seasons, or years! The middle and upper class are the worst offenders, people who think it somehow reflects badly on them if there's dust on their SUV or a stray weed in the grass.
I'm glad that we don't have the problems of Capetown or California. Yet. Our turn is coming.
But by that time, we'll likely be too poor from sending flood aid dollars to other places to put money into our own water shortage crisis, because their turn for WET is coming and it will probably be a doozy. Weather is strange like that and it's not really "news". It's only "news" how thoughtless, careless, entitled and STOOOPID people continue to be.

[baronrenfrew]

Jan, I'd like you to stop being polite and tell us what you really think!

[Killerbunny]

A couple of years ago I was carrying washing water down to the veggies in case the well ran dry and then the last couple of years sooo much water. One of the swimming group just got back from visiting her relatives in Capetown and she said that you just have a quick wash and deal with it.

[ross]

Water shortage is why sweet smelling perfumes etc were invented & Vicks up your nose if that don't work .
Save water shower together . Lol