Cape Town Day Zero. What Life is Like Limited to Just 6.5 Gallons of Water per person Per Day

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,079
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Please watch the video at the link and someone tell me how to embed it. Derp.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2018/02/22/cape-town-water-crisis-day-zero-life-orig.cnn


Eye opening and sobering. Cape Town South Africa. The first modern city in history to ever face this drastic of a water shortage now faces a 6.5 (six and a half) gallon per day, per person limit. Think about how much water we all use in modern life. These former residents of Cape Town living in Atlanta Georgia tried it in solidarity with their former home.

As some of you may know, Cape Town is my fiance's home and my second home now. Our family and friends there are faced with this. And here's something to think about: This can happen anywhere as droughts become more severe in already arid regions just like Southern California.
 
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Puffnstuff

Lifer
Mar 9, 2005
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Well I hope they get it all sorted out with the water projects they have underway.
 

KMFJD

Lifer
Aug 11, 2005
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was this caused by general ineptitude combined with once in 500 year drought?
 
Jan 25, 2011
16,987
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Please watch the video at the lick and someone tell me how to embed it. Derp.

https://www.cnn.com/videos/weather/2018/02/22/cape-town-water-crisis-day-zero-life-orig.cnn


Eye opening and sobering. Cape Town South Africa. The first modern city in history to ever face this drastic of a water shortage now faces a 6.5 (six and a half) gallon per day, per person limit. Think about how much water we all use in modern life. These former residents of Cape Town living in Atlanta Georgia tried it in solidarity with their former home.

As some of you may know, Cape Town is my fiance's home and my second home now. Our family and friends there are faced with this. And here's something to think about: This can happen anywhere as droughts become more severe in already arid regions just like Southern California.
Click film icon to the right of picture icon. Paste in https://youtu.be/NbQ4GxUAivk.
 

nickqt

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2015
8,054
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Let's increase our population, what could possibly go wrong?!
Anger God™, who made it clear that we should be fruitful and multiply, while burning as much of the earth we live on as possible, for profit.
 

justoh

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2013
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Lol. Modern city... hilarious. Anyway, all they need to do is build some desalination plants. They've refused help from the Israelis, for some reason. Maybe they're waiting for a vibranium based solution.
 

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
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was this caused by general ineptitude combined with once in 500 year drought?

Mostly the former. This is primarily chickens coming home to roost due to poor planning. That area has had a looming water problem for something like 30 to 40 years. There were warning signs way back in the 80s and 90s that they would pretty quickly outgrow their ability to provide water. So what happens? In like 30 years the population nearly doubled and reservoir capacity was increased by about the volume of a decent sized water balloon. This isn't a 500 year drought, it's a medium sized drought coupled with catastrophically poor reaction to a problem everyone knew was coming.
 
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Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
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Lol. Modern city... hilarious. Anyway, all they need to do is build some desalination plants. They've refused help from the Israelis, for some reason. Maybe they're waiting for a vibranium based solution.

Have you ever been to Cape Town?

Please explain why calling it a modern city "hilarious?"
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,079
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They ignored infrastructure planning and prioritized other things. If that isn't a modern American city, what is?

While the water issue was not addressed in a timely enough fashion, the city is very modern with the roads and most infrastructure in better condition than most US cities I've been to.

It's annoying when people talk about a place they have never been to like they know something about it. I've spent a combined total of 6 months in Cape Town. I think I know it pretty well. At least better than someone who has never been there.
 
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justoh

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2013
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Have you ever been to Cape Town?

Please explain why calling it a modern city "hilarious?"

Modern cities don't have homeless children approaching your car begging every time you stop, or car-watchers extorting money out of you every time you park. Aren't ridiculously unsafe. Don't have horrible internet access. Have water.
 

urvile

Golden Member
Aug 3, 2017
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Modern cities don't have homeless children approaching your car begging every time you stop, or car-watchers extorting money out of you every time you park. Aren't ridiculously unsafe. Don't have horrible internet access. Have water.

and you have been to cape town?

EDIT: I am genuinely curious because I know people who have lived in south africa and I am interested to get your take on it.
 

urvile

Golden Member
Aug 3, 2017
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Modern cities don't have homeless children approaching your car begging every time you stop, or car-watchers extorting money out of you every time you park. Aren't ridiculously unsafe. Don't have horrible internet access. Have water.

One of my buddies worked in south africa for a while and he said everyone is armed*. They live in fear of the impoverished and thirsty black man. Which leads me into every time I walk to work in the city I get accosted by beggars....well that might be an exaggeration but I do get asked for change I ignore those bums and keep walking. Why can't those stupid blacks just build desalination plants? I mean the white man was offering to save them. You think they could agree to it given their dire situation. I mean if you put blacks in charge of a country everyone dies of dehydration.......amiright?

*He also said that once you have been in a shower with an african.......your puny white penis feels well puny.

I also have bad internet access and know how those darkies feel. I can't surf porn at an acceptable speed and I feel this separates whites from the lower races. It's very disconcerting.
 

justoh

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2013
3,686
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and you have been to cape town?

EDIT: I am genuinely curious because I know people who have lived in south africa and I am interested to get your take on it.
Yes, I've lived in cape town. It's a kakhole.
 

Skyclad1uhm1

Lifer
Aug 10, 2001
11,383
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Lol. Modern city... hilarious. Anyway, all they need to do is build some desalination plants. They've refused help from the Israelis, for some reason. Maybe they're waiting for a vibranium based solution.

It took decades to get rid of the apartheid regime. Why would they want 'help' from another fascist apartheid regime?
 

KMFJD

Lifer
Aug 11, 2005
31,769
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They built some fancy football stadiums there over 10 years ago, maybe they should have built infrastructure instead? Is this another story of the general ineptitude of the ANC government? (Although i thought the DA where in charge of Cape Town?) Kind of like the power situation down there?
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,238
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Have you ever been to Cape Town?

Please explain why calling it a modern city "hilarious?"

Cape Town and the entire Western Cape is an amazing place. A Wonder of the world. I've been there as well.

There are some really poor and fucked up areas, but as a whole it's (getting to be was...) a wonderful place.

A lot of people are ignorant of Africa, even President Dumbass thinks people live in huts there.

In some ways I think it's because Americans are so unaware how the rest of the world actually is, but cling to this idea that everywhere else is a shit hole, that we don't realize how terrible our own infrastructure is and in need of considerable investment.

That being said, the SA national govt under the Zuma & ANC have done a terrible job managing the country. SA has so much potential but it's being wasted.

Glad to see Zuma go, but you wonder if it will make a difference in the long run.
 
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boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
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Their troubles are just beginning. The South African parliament recently voted to seize white-owned farmland without compensation. Radical leftists are in control and it looks as though South Africa may be headed the way of Zimbabwe.

https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFKCN1GB23N-OZATP

"Tuesday’s motion was brought by the radical left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party but was supported by the ANC, which controls almost two-thirds of the parliament compared with EFF’s 6 percent.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said after his inauguration two weeks ago that he would speed up the transfer of land to black people although he stressed that food production and security must be preserved.

Launching a debate on the motion in parliament, EFF leader Julius Malema said“it was time for justice” on the land issue.

“We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land,” he said."
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
10,676
5,238
136
Modern cities don't have homeless children approaching your car begging every time you stop, or car-watchers extorting money out of you every time you park. Aren't ridiculously unsafe. Don't have horrible internet access. Have water.

Have you ever been to Camden, NJ? They'll just shoot your ass. Even the cops were afraid to go to areas of the city.

There are lots of urban areas like this in the US, and some of the rural areas can be real hellholes themselves. No jobs, no money, buildings and whole towns abandoned and collapsing.