The End of Water Comes First to Cape Town
- South African Tourism CEO sees reduced consumption lasting
- Expects growth in desalination plants, water-neutral tourism
Water scarcity made worse by climate change is a growing issue worldwide, and no place knows that better than Cape Town, the South African city contending with the worst drought on record, according to Sisa Ntshona, CEO of South African Tourism. The city’s tools for reducing water consumption, though, could be used around the world to preserve limited resources, he said.
Among those lessons: Cape Town residents have learned to shower in 90 seconds or less, and hotels in the popular tourist destination are working on building their own desalinization plants to ensure clean water supplies off the grid. Thanks to lower residential water consumption and a slower rate of decline in dam levels, Cape Town officials on Feb. 20 pushed out the estimated date on which it may have to turn off water supplies to residents by more than a month to July 9. The region’s rainy season, which could provide some relief, is expected to start in May.