'Day Zero' water run-out delayed as water donations pour in to drought-stricken city
— -- The drought-stricken city of Cape Town has had some reprieve from its continuing water crisis, as other regions of South Africa have agreed to donate about a billion liters of water to help it avoid "Day Zero" water run-out.
Though the water donations -- about 264 million gallons -- will provide much-needed assistance, it isn't likely to be enough to completely reverse the drought and water shut-off.
The city announced that the new day zero is likely to come on May 11. Originally forecast for mid-April, the date when taps were forecast to run dry was pushed back a month, but only because of a decline in agricultural use. Residents don’t seem to have been abiding by the restrictions.
"Capetonians must continue reducing consumption if we are to avoid Day Zero," the city’s deputy mayor Ian Neilson said in a statement. "There has not been any significant decline in urban usage."
Cape Town enacted extensive measures, including Level 6B water restrictions and tariffs on water use, starting last Thursday. The deputy mayor say that city residents remain under a water usage restriction of no more than 13 gallons per day, per person. He also said the city plans to build more water desalination plants.
The city is working to stretch its water to June, when heavier rains are expected for the beginning of winter.
