Cape Town May Avoid Running Out of Water

The city’s severe water restrictions may have averted Day Zero.

AP

On Wednesday, officials in Cape Town, South Africa, which is in the midst of a water crisis caused by a three-year drought, finally delivered some good news to residents: Day Zero, the day the city’s reservoirs fall bellow 13.5 percent and residential taps would be turned off, may not come this year after all.

The city’s Executive Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson says that Day Zero has been pushed to August 27—which is well into rainy season, when city officials hope enough rain can fill up the six Cape Town reservoirs. “Provided we continue our current water savings efforts, Day Zero can be avoided completely this year,” Neilson said in a statement.

For the last several months, the city of 4 million people has been living with severe water restrictions. As of February 1, each person is only allowed to use 50 liters, or roughly 13 gallons, per day. By comparison, the average American uses between 80 to 100 gallons. Cape Town residents have been taking two minute showers, using hand sanitizer instead of water and soap, and using recycled gray water to flush toilets.

Earlier this year, city officials estimated that Day Zero would occur on April 22. At that point, the city planned on setting up water checkpoints, where each resident could collect water for daily use. Many residents were left wondering if there would be enough checkpoints and how the sick and elderly would get their daily water.

The city still isn’t in the clear yet. “If winter rainfall this year is as low as last year, or even lower, ” Neilson said “we are still in danger of reaching Day Zero early next year.”

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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