Apocalypse Now?
The charming seaside metropolis pictured above is facing a far-from-picturesque problem: while it is surrounded by water, it has nearly none left for its residents to drink. Without immediate action, the city will literally run out of water within months, and its 4 millions residents will likely be put under military rule to combat the inevitable outbreak of chaos. Cape Town has been implementing successful water conservation policies in recent years, including the installation of new pipes and meters, as well as steep fines for over-use of water, which is now rationed. However, Cape Town has not done enough to diversify its water supply. Currently it relies nearly entirely on reservoirs that in turn depend on rainfall. An infographic in the attached New York Times article chronicles the shrinkage of the Theewaterskloof Dam upon which half of Cape Town relies. As of now, the dam is at just 13 percent capacity - just one example of the damage caused by several years of persistentl