What is the issue?
- The southern coastal city of Cape Town in South Africa is currently facing its worst drought in over 300 years, which has entered its 3rd year.
- The region is also experiencing a long-term decline in average rainfall.
How bad is the situation?
- Reservoirs in Cape Town and surrounding areas now have water below their 25% mark.
- The largest dam supplying water to the city, the “Theewaterskloof Dam”, is filled to only 11.3% of its capacity.
- Water supply has already been reduced from about 1,200 million litres per day in 2015 to about 566 million litres per day now.
- The city is fast approaching a situation where “water supply” to nearly 75% of the population would have to be cut.
- Once such a situation is reached, water would then have to be rationed at some designated distribution points only.
- Notably, residents of the city at present do not have more than 50 litres of water per person per day.
Is climate change the cause?
- It is difficult to ascertain the impact of climate change over a small geographical region.
- But preliminary analysis suggests that three-year cumulative rainfall deficits have become five times more likely due to global warming.
- The area has become prone to fluctuations in rainfall, and climate change does accentuate the variability.
- But there is good reason to believe that Cape Town’s case has significant links to larger changing climatic patterns.
Source: Indian Express
