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

[feralkid]

Can you imagine the state of agriculture in a place where people are allowed 6.5 gallons of water a piece/day?

Often water shortages are the result of the state of agriculture (along with mining and golf courses). Much like in the Southwestern U.S.

 

[justoh]

Often water shortages are the result of the state of agriculture (along with mining and golf courses). Much like in the Southwestern U.S.

Often agriculture shortages are the result of water. If they had been prudent and built desalination plants, they could have used any excess water, had the rains returned, to have more food, to save the fynbos at cape point, and do something about CT's modern 30% unemployment rate.

https://mg.co.za/article/2007-04-08-the-cape-of-deserts

The entire region seems to be drying up. what happens when aldi's $4 pinotage becomes aldi's $4.50 pinotage.

 

[Greenman]

The problem will solve itself. Everyone with the resources to do so will leave. The population will shrink to a sustainable level and Cape Town will continue to deteriorate. It's a sad story, but since it appears that South Africa as a whole is on the fast track to disaster this will end up being a footnote in the history books.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

If they had been prudent and built desalination plants...

Ironically many of the worlds desalination plants sit idle at the moment. They've turned into billion dollar white elephants that are built during droughts and then quickly abandoned when it rains because they're more expensive than using reservoir or reclaimed water.

 

[justoh]

Ironically many of the worlds desalination plants sit idle at the moment. They've turned into billion dollar white elephants that are built during droughts and then quickly abandoned when it rains because they're more expensive than using reservoir or reclaimed water.

hence the rest of the post, suggesting why that wouldn't be the case. They don't have water in reserve. And if/when it comes back they still need more as it is, even with the regular rains, there and throughout the region, and the need will continue to increase. The only sensible objection is environmental, since they have to dispose of the brine, but water > all other considerations

 

[Amused]

The problem will solve itself. Everyone with the resources to do so will leave. The population will shrink to a sustainable level and Cape Town will continue to deteriorate. It's a sad story, but since it appears that South Africa as a whole is on the fast track to disaster this will end up being a footnote in the history books.

Your assessment is ignorant to the actual state of affairs in South Africa. The ANC is losing support. The EFF has a mere 5% support and thus, their land seizure proposal will never make it into a constitutional amendment no matter how hysterical the news reports have been while failing to explain that this is not law yet and has not passed. It passed a committee. It will not make the 2/3 required for constitutional amendment. It's merely backlash from a party who is losing power and steeped in corruption.

By the way, the EFF backed land seizure proposal was a step towards communism and has been misrepresented by the press as a racial issue only. They want all seized land to be state owned and want to end all private ownership of land... by blacks, or whites.

https://www.enca.com/south-africa/m...make-black-farmers-permanent-tenants-of-state

The DA is an amazing party headed by people with integrity and has a near equal support against the ANC.

Unfortunately, South Africa was, for too long, a single party, ANC government. And as such, absolute power corrupted it.

I see a lot of hope while I am there. I see the DA taking over more areas and I see the futile backlash from the ANC like refusing to address the water issue in DA controlled Cape Town. Note it is not the DA who is taking the public blame as the ANC had hoped. People see the truth, and support for the DA grows.

South Africa is a beautiful country with a wonderful mix of cultures. It will endure. The problem with South Africa is not it's people. It is it's corrupt government and the people of South Africa are reversing that.

 

[Greenman]

Your assessment is ignorant to the actual state of affairs in South Africa. The ANC is losing support. The EFF has a mere 5% support and thus, their land seizure proposal will never make it into a constitutional amendment no matter how hysterical the news reports have been while failing to explain that this is not law yet and has not passed. It passed a committee. It will not make the 2/3 required for constitutional amendment. It's merely backlash from a party who is losing power and steeped in corruption.

By the way, the EFF backed land seizure proposal was a step towards communism and has been misrepresented by the press as a racial issue only. They want all seized land to be state owned and want to end all private ownership of land... by blacks, or whites.

https://www.enca.com/south-africa/m...make-black-farmers-permanent-tenants-of-state

The DA is an amazing party headed by people with integrity and has a near equal support against the ANC.

Unfortunately, South Africa was, for too long, a single party, ANC government. And as such, absolute power corrupted it.

I see a lot of hope while I am there. I see the DA taking over more areas and I see the futile backlash from the ANC like refusing to address the water issue in DA controlled Cape Town. Note it is not the DA who is taking the public blame as the ANC had hoped. People see the truth, and support for the DA grows.

South Africa is a beautiful country with a wonderful mix of cultures. It will endure. The problem with South Africa is not it's people. It is it's corrupt government and the people of South Africa are reversing that.

It's an interesting take on the issues, and I hope it plays out as you think it will. Unfortunately, I have far less faith in people than you.
South Africa has the earmarks of a nation in decline, and people in power that are more interested in personal gain than the general welfare of the population. That may well change for the better, but the safe bet is that it will get worse.

 

[Amused]

It's an interesting take on the issues, and I hope it plays out as you think it will. Unfortunately, I have far less faith in people than you.
South Africa has the earmarks of a nation in decline, and people in power that are more interested in personal gain than the general welfare of the population. That may well change for the better, but the safe bet is that it will get worse.

That's the difference between actually going and living there part time and just reading stuff sensationalized by the news, I guess. Also, expats tend to have a more negative viewpoint because they need to justify their decisions.

We have a lot of expat friends here in the US. Their viewpoints are far more negative than current residents.

And as Denise's parents who still live in Cape Town said once: The older generation, black and white, needs to die. They were including themselves in this. This was after her dad had watched a group of young teens, black, colored and white playing volleyball and hanging out together. He was amazed how how close of friends they were. He commented that his and my own generations still self segregate. He admitted his own racism was not easily overcome. It was a rare, self aware moment for a man and wife who still refer to full grown black men as "boys."

It's the same for the resentment of the oppressed.

I have tremendous hope for South Africa and all of it is evidence based. In the last few years the things have been slowing marching towards the end of the single party system and end to the corruption. It's slow, but I believe inevitable. That's what happens when the information is free and unstoppable as it is in SA.

 

[WHAMPOM]

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.

Composting toilets and sponge baths, spring loaded water faucets, Do the California model and recycle water for drinking at the sewage plants? A limit switch at the water meter would be a good retrofit.

 

[tynopik]

It will not make the 2/3 required for constitutional amendment.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201803010068.html

To amend the Constitution, two-thirds of the National Assembly must vote for a proposed amendment and, in the National Council of Provinces, six of the nine provinces must be for the proposed amendment.

This means 267 of the National Assembly's members must vote for the proposed amendment. The ANC currently has 249 MPs and the EFF 25.

The EFF has repeatedly promised to vote for an amendment that would allow expropriation without compensation.

This means that there will be enough votes to amend the Constitution if all ANC and EFF MPs vote according to party lines.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

https://theconversation.com/cape-towns-water-crisis-driven-by-politics-more-than-drought-88191



"Two tiers of governance – the Western Cape province and the City of Cape Town – went above and beyond what was required to prepare for drought. The system failed, however, at the level of national government.

Wasteful expenditure in the national Department of Water and Sanitation, erroneous water allocations to agriculture and a failure to acknowledge or respond to provincial and municipal calls for help obstructed timely interventions.

National government’s numerous spanners jammed up the works of a system that could have managed the crisis quite effectively."


.......................

"In 2007, the national Department of Water and Sanitation issued a warning about Cape Town’s water supply, saying the city would need new water sources by 2015."

 

[piasabird]

Just get rid of all the white invaders.

 

[bshole]

Just get rid of all the white invaders.

????? From 0 to race-baiting in one post ????

 

[Amused]

????? From 0 to race-baiting in one post ????

Don't feed the trolls.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Meanwhile in California....

Voters OK’d $2.7 billion for new reservoirs. Critics say California won’t spend it
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article197968574.html

 

[Amused]

Meanwhile in California....

Voters OK’d $2.7 billion for new reservoirs. Critics say California won’t spend it
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article197968574.html

What is funny is the facts fleshed out in the article do not match the headline as they do not justify the "critics" complaints. In fact, it shuts them down.

 

[bshole]

That's the difference between actually going and living there part time and just reading stuff sensationalized by the news, I guess. Also, expats tend to have a more negative viewpoint because they need to justify their decisions.

We have a lot of expat friends here in the US. Their viewpoints are far more negative than current residents.

And as Denise's parents who still live in Cape Town said once: The older generation, black and white, needs to die. They were including themselves in this. This was after her dad had watched a group of young teens, black, colored and white playing volleyball and hanging out together. He was amazed how how close of friends they were. He commented that his and my own generations still self segregate. He admitted his own racism was not easily overcome. It was a rare, self aware moment for a man and wife who still refer to full grown black men as "boys."

It's the same for the resentment of the oppressed.

I have tremendous hope for South Africa and all of it is evidence based. In the last few years the things have been slowing marching towards the end of the single party system and end to the corruption. It's slow, but I believe inevitable. That's what happens when the information is free and unstoppable as it is in SA.

According to Wikipedia, South Africa peaked in 1980 when they were 120% of the world average for GNP, they bottomed out in 2002 at 50%. They are now at 69%. Interestingly enough Botswana went from 30% to 58% in the same time period.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

What is funny is the facts fleshed out in the article do not match the headline as they do not justify the "critics" complaints. In fact, it shuts them down.

Yeah...11 projects...all of which failed to show adequate “public benefits”. Apparently, the California Water Commission has forgotten the "public benefit" of having stored water available during a severe drought.

 

[Amused]

According to Wikipedia, South Africa peaked in 1980 when they were 120% of the world average for GNP, they bottomed out in 2002 at 50%. They are now at 69%. Interestingly enough Botswana went from 30% to 58% in the same time period.

Botswana has a great government and is the rainbow nation South Africa originally strived to be. Namibia is a little more complicated and has corruption issues, but is still not bad.

I gotta tell you, southern Africa is a great vacation spot. Even now. With 12-14 to 1 exchange rate you can live like a king there during your visit as long as you stay away from internationally owned hotels and safari camps.

I spend a few months a year down there and it's wonderful.

I feel like David Attenborough should be narrating my trips.

 

[Amused]

Yeah...11 projects...all of which failed to show adequate “public benefits”. Apparently, the California Water Commission has forgotten the "public benefit" of having stored water available during a severe drought.

You didn't read the entire article, did you?

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

You didn't read the entire article, did you?

I read that article and several others on the subject as well. The CWC is playing horseshit political games to restrict voter approved funding for new reservoirs by assigning a very low and arbitrary monetary value to the "public benefit" of providing this additional water storage capacity so that it would be available during times of severe drought. You didn't understand the article, did you?

 

[Amused]

I read that article and several others on the subject as well. The CWC is playing horseshit political games to restrict voter approved funding for new reservoirs by assigning a very low and arbitrary monetary value to the "public benefit" of providing this additional water storage capacity so that it would be available during times of severe drought. You didn't understand the article, did you?

I did. What I gleaned from it is the site studies they presented were not adequate and they were told to fix the shortcomings and come back if they wish to meet the standards.

Commission officials insisted they haven’t closed the door on funding Sites or any other project.

“We’re not knocking anybody off the table,” said Yun, the executive officer. “We have 11 applications. They’re all viable. This is solvable. We’re looking for information. They have three weeks to turn it around.”​

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

I did. What I gleaned from it is the site studies they presented were not adequate and they were told to fix the shortcomings and come back if they wish to meet the standards.

Commission officials insisted they haven’t closed the door on funding Sites or any other project.

“We’re not knocking anybody off the table,” said Yun, the executive officer. “We have 11 applications. They’re all viable. This is solvable. We’re looking for information. They have three weeks to turn it around.”​

The folks at the CWC apparently weren't thirsty enough when they made their evaluation. Anyway, I hope they wake up and build additional reservoir capacity as soon as possible....for the less "principled" among us...those who prefer to prepare for the inevitable rather than wait for it.