[imagesource: John Snelling/Getty Images]

This weekend saw plenty of rain around the Western Cape, but you know better than to think we’re in the clear.

Some parts of South Africa, like the Eastern Cape towns of Graaff-Reinet, Bedford, Makhanda and Adelaide, have no water at all, and the situation is only worsening.

Whilst we’re nowhere near the frenzied coverage at the height of the Day Zero scare, it’s never a great look when international media outlets start talking about our predicament again.

Our tourism numbers are set to struggle this season, and worries about our water crisis won’t do that sector any favours.

Here’s what Gizmodo had to say:

South African residents are being urged to use their water sparingly as hot, dry weather pushes the country toward another water shortage…

Over the past 12 months, much of South Africa has experienced drought with the most extreme conditions in the western half of the country. As a result, the dams are suffering: Compared to 2018, levels in the country have dropped to 60 percent this year, 10 percent lower than last year.

There are direct consequences for human lives..In Johannesburg, a heatwave has caused water restrictions already…

All these growing impacts finally forced the South African government to speak out Monday. For the residents who are already feeling the impacts of such water shortages, however, this response may come too little too late…

Last year’s brush with catastrophe and now this year’s dip in rainfall align with projections showing that South Africa is largely expected to get drier due to the climate crisis.

It’s not doom-mongering just yet, but it’s not ideal.

AFP, the world’s oldest news agency, also ran a story saying that Day Zero ‘looms’:

Intermittent water shortages have left neighbourhoods in the central and northern regions of South Africa without water over the past week as the country reels from a string of heatwaves…

In the capital Pretoria, taps ran dry last week in the suburb of Laudium as a result of dwindling supplies, infrastructure failure among other issues at the country’s largest water utility and supplies, Rand water…

The earliest rains were expected in December, “so we are in for a long dry season,” that would be “getting longer, more intense and more frequent,” [water affairs minister Lindiwe Sisulu] said.

The minister will announce a water plan next month.

Here at home, IOL reports that the KwaZulu-Natal Natal South Coast is also on the brink of disaster:

Municipal officials told The Mercury yesterday that the water situation was so dire that they had made an urgent proposal to Umgeni Water to build a bulk pipeline that will supply water from Port Shepstone to Harding…

The drought has prompted the municipality to ask the national government to declare Harding a disaster area…

A Harding resident, who asked not to be named, said they were now collecting water from the river, while those who could afford it were buying from the shops.

“The situation here is very hard. We’re now drinking water with cattle and goats. It’s hard because even in rivers, there’s no water, and where there is some, it’s dirty. Most people in this area survive with planting in the gardens, but now their veggies are dying,” said the resident.

We may turn on the taps and see water here in the Mother City, but other parts of the country are not so lucky.

Just imagine how many Vaalies we’ll have heading to Cape Town in December and January if their taps run dry? Please, no.

[sources:gizmodo&afp&iol]