Cape Town water crisis
What if we turn on the taps and nothing comes out? With dam levels at record lows and rain still not falling, this is a serious threat facing a city of four million people. GroundUp did an in-depth investigation of the water crisis.
GroundUp's investigation into the water crisis
- 15 May 2017: Water shortage in photos
- 16 May 2017: What's causing the problem — but the following article is more up-to-date (22 January 2018): How severe is the drought? An analysis of the latest data
- 17 May 2017: Data and the water shortage
- 18 May 2017: What is being done and what needs to be done
- 19 May 2017: What happens if the dams dry out
- 21 July 2017: What government is doing
Also see:
- Cape Town's precarious water supply (8 June 2016)
- This water crisis will not be Cape Town's last (17 Feb 2017)
- Cape Town's taps could really run dry (3 April 2017)
- Drought: Cape Town may ban swimming pool top-ups (13 April 2017)
Useful articles on other sites
The University of Cape Town has an excellent series on the Cape Town water crisis.
Also see:
- How severe is the drought? by Dr Piotr Wolski, UCT’s Climate System Analysis Group
- Water restrictions explained on City of Cape Town website
- Cape Town's weekly dam levels on City of Cape Town website
Articles on Cape Town water crisis
Cape Town’s taps could really run dry
No guarantee of winter rain, scientists say
News | 3 April 2017
This water crisis won’t be Cape Town’s last
It’s time to implement long-term strategies in the face of climate change and population growth
Analysis | 17 February 2017
Cape Town’s precarious water supply
Drought has left dams very low but the City is taking steps to secure the future water supply
By Rejul Bejoy
Feature | 8 June 2016