Yay, we cracked the big time.

Of course, in this case, that’s far from good news. Last week we told you all about how TIME had covered our water crisis – including saying we’re headed for “Mad Max territory” – and now we’ll check in with CNN.

They start off with the usual ‘Day Zero is coming’ preamble, but then there’s this pearler:

“Unwashed hair is now a sign of social responsibility,” resident Darryn Ten [said].

Citywide dreadlocks for the win.

So how does a major city run dry? They say it’s as easy as 1-2-3:

• The worst drought in over a century, which has pushed Cape Town’s water scarcity into a potentially deadly horizon
• Its population, which is 4 million and growing quickly
• A rapidly changing climate

We discussed the “worst drought in 100 years” stat here, in case you wanted to unpack that one, but I reckon they’re leaving out provincial and national political incompetence.

Here’s your 50 litre a day water usage map:

That’s a 90-second shower, down from two minutes, so reset your timer if you must.

You’ve probably seen this one going around Facebook or WhatsApp the past few days, and you don’t need to understand the language to see what point this chap is making:

And then there’s Helen:

As many have pointed out on social media, you can heat the water in the kettle or on the stove. Anyway, every drop counts.

Back to CNN, discussing whether our tap water is safe to drink:

[Anne] Verbist, and several other residents, said that while they use tap water for household needs, they are reluctant to drink it.

“They claim it is fine to drink, but the kids were having tummy issues,” she said.

So now, she and her family trek to the Newlands Spring to get their allotted liters of water twice a month. They tried to replenish their drinking water reserves Monday, but the line was just too long. They went back to the next day.

Resident Lincoln Mzwakali says his tap water “tastes funny” as well. So he relies on the spring.

“Many neighboring communities have started depending on it,” he said.

Still, definitely better to drink than the water in Flint, Michigan.

You’ll find this video in the story as well, a sight which most Capetonians have seen numerous times across social media:

If you want to know how serious the water situation is in Cape Town, this footage of the largest dam, Theewaterskloof, was taken this morning! Day Zero is not far away! @CapeTown @helenzille@wwfsouthafrica#savewaternow pic.twitter.com/mL9Dr4JzKr

— Alistair Coy (@alistaircoy) January 24, 2018

The world is now watching, and I can’t help but feel just a little embarrassed.

[source:cnn]