The government announced “day zero” – a moment when dam levels would be so low that they would turn off the taps in Cape Town and send people to communal water collection points. The Western Cape’s multi-pronged response to its water crisis – from farming innovations to reducing urban water use to diversifying water supply sources – could serve as a blueprint for cities that find themselves, like Cape Town, looking at near-empty dams. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The taps in Cape Town airport were turned off and visitors were asked to use waterless hand sanitiser instead. Photograph: Krista MahrA lot of ideas about how to bring more water to Cape Town have come past Neilson’s desk, including cloud seeding, harvesting water from the air and even towing a 100-million-tonne iceberg from Antarctica. By clearing non-native plants that are sucking up 38 million cubic metres of precious water each year, Colvin says Cape Town could be getting 7% more water annually.

Source: The Guardian May 04, 2018 12:00 UTC