City in South Africa counting down days until water taps run dry

In the South African city of Gqeberha, activists have warned of “day zero,” the day their taps will run dry, and now that day is nearly here.

City officials announced on Monday that one of its four major dams reached levels so low that barges attempting to extract water sucked in mud instead, reported the Washington Post. It is expected that another dam will fail in the next couple of weeks, and a third in about a month.

By the end of the month, large parts of Gqeberha could be completely without running water. While droughts are frequent in the area, experts say the issue is exacerbated by climate change.

Infrastructure and poor maintenance further worsen the problem. According to Luvuyo Bangazi, spokesperson for the municipality’s joint operations crisis committee, the city has estimated it loses around a third of its water to leaks in piping and has a backlog of approximately 3,000 unfixed leaks.

The municipal council approved an emergency intervention plan by the national department of water and sanitation on Tuesday.

Sibusiso Khasa, a campaigner with Amnesty International in South Africa, said the “government has down since 2016 that there was a drought. So why are they only intervening now, when it’s too late?”

Image from the Washington Post