The holiday hotspot that’s in danger of running out of water

It’s the worst drought to affect Cape Town in a century and in just a matter of weeks South Africa’s top tourist destination could be faced with Day Zero, when the city’s taps run dry

for agriculture as farmers have been ordered to cut back on water usage. It is claimed that this has led to the loss of 37,000 jobs and has forced former workers into poverty. Businesses which rely on water are threatening to relocate.

For any modern city it is the ultimate nightmare and some experts are warning that because of global warming Cape Town is just the first to run dry. This could serve as a wake-up call to other cities in the world – Los Angeles, Perth in Australia, Mexico City, Sao Paulo in Brazil and Jakarta in Indonesia are all said to be at risk.

Meanwhile the authorities are rushing to build desalination plants, seek out underground water supplies and plug leaking pipes – but this is proving expensive. So far more than £4million has been allocated to fight the drought.

A water management strategy was introduced after the last drought in 2000 and a new dam was constructed to increase storage. Recently water pressure was reduced to slow the flow to homes and businesses.

But is it all a case of too little, too late for Cape Town? “I’m afraid we’re at the 11th hour,” says South African water management expert Anthony Turton. “There is no more time for solutions. We need an act of God. We need divine intervention.”

There is hope if the city can keep eking out reserves until May, the start of the South African winter when rainfall normally begins to increase. This year after such a long-lasting drought the date has taken on near-Biblical significance. All eyes will be on the heavens over Cape Town.