Day Zero

Cape Town, South Africa, is facing a major challenge — a lack of water. The town is literally running out and has assigned a Day Zero, April 16, when taps of the city go dry. Cape Town’s PR smacks of desperation. Curtail your water use or else. The problem is that the “or else” is going to happen whether one conserves water now or not. For the most part, citizens are aware of the problem and are taking action, but there are always a 10 percent who don’t know or don’t care. They will be objects of peer group action, which could get ugly. City managers have to prepare for trucking in water for Cape Town’s four million residents. That will be a major logistical nightmare on its own. What it does will be studied. No other major urban area has run out of water, but with climate change, it might happen again.