Another day closer to Day Zero.

Yesterday we showed you the City of Cape Town’s new Water Map tool, a decision that has been met with mixed reaction from residents who fear it will lead to harassment and naming and shaming.

I’m sure you’re not part of the problem, because you’re a good person inside, but only 54% of the city’s residents are hitting their target.

TIME decided to take a look at what’s going down in this neck of the woods, and they’re not pulling any punches.

Here’s some of what they had to say:

The date is just a scare tactic, surely?

Nope. Day Zero, as it is called, is real, and is calculated every week based on current reservoir capacity and daily consumption…

The city won’t literally run dry; in most cases, reservoirs can’t be drained to the last drop, as silt and debris make the last 10% of a dam’s water unusable. City authorities have decided that once the dams reach 13.5% capacity, municipal water supply will be turned off for all but essential services, like hospitals.

What happens when the taps are turned off?

Cape Town enters Mad Max territory (well, almost). Residents will have to go to one of some 200 municipal water points throughout the city where they can collect a maximum of 25 liters [sic] (6.6 gallons) a day. Armed guards will be standing by to keep the peace and prevent anyone from taking more than their share. Of course, the truly wealthy will be protected.

The local version of Craigslist is already full of listings for companies wiling to truck in tankers full of water from less drought-prone parts of the country, for a price.

What steps are residents taking?

The city has capped household water usage at 87 liters (23 gallons) per person, per day. For most homes, that means keeping showers under 2 minutes, no watering the garden or washing the car, refraining from flushing the toilet unless absolutely necessary, recycling bathing water where possible and severely limiting dishwasher and washing machine use.

Water storage tanks are already on backorder, unwashed hair is now a symbol of upright citizenship, and public restrooms are festooned with admonishments to “let it mellow.”

Yeah, and restaurants are so upstanding that they’re refusing to sell tap water, selflessly charging patrons for bottled water.

We see you, cheeky buggers, and we’ll remember when you took the piss.

 Are the self-imposed limits working?

Not really. According to city statistics, only 54% of residents are hitting their target, one of the reasons why Day Zero was moved forward a week earlier this year. But the city has few options for punishing individual water abusers and ensuring compliance, so everyone pays the price.

Didn’t anyone see this coming?

Yes and no. City planners have long pointed out that Cape Town’s water capacity hasn’t kept up with population growth, which has nearly doubled over the past 20 years. Still, a three-year drought on this scale is a “once a millennium” event, say climatologists, and even the best-planned water system would have taken a hit under current conditions…

But it’s unlikely any of those systems will be brought online before Day Zero, or even before the rainy season is due to start up again in May (if indeed it does). These systems are unlikely to go to waste, however. Climate change researchers predict more frequent dry years and fewer wet years to come.

More likely, they say, Capetonians are just getting a preview of the new normal.

Pretty rough final line there.

They’ve even made a video, if that’s more your cup of tea, with the image below the once-popular Newlands swimming pool not looking so flash:

So, what exactly will it take for that other 46% of Capetonians to start pulling their weight?

[source:time]