Day 0

Avenged7Fold

Avenged7Fold

Avenged7Fold

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Apologies if there is already a thread on this but my search didn't bring one up.

Day 0 - the dramatic name given to the day when most of the taps in Cape Town will be cut from water, has been delayed due to a mixture of efforts to minimize water use and fortunate rainfall.

I wanted to start a thread discussing reasons why this is happening and the possibility of it being a common thing of the future around the world in both developing and developed nations, as well as what will happen to society when this does eventually happen.

Many are touting climate change for this specific case, which seems to be the reason why the reservoirs have been drying up but aging infrastructure introducing a lot of wastage through leaks likely has made controlling reserves difficult.
 
The "housing shortage" is commonly mentioned here in the UK, but already at the first hint of a long dry spell in the UK hose pipe bans are enforced, so not only do we need more housing if the population and immigration growth is sustained, we need more reservoirs. Where does a developed country draw the line at what is a sustainable population / quality of life balance?
 
Depends how long it lasts and what time of year.

Bottled water would sell out quickly. Probably some fights happening whilst bottles are sold.

Few days people would start dying. Hospitals would be getting busier. Public services would probably shut down.

End of week gangs stealing water.

End of month vampirism to get the last water out of people.

Or we'd just buy in water from another country or hope water aid would take pity on us. Unless it hit most of Europe simultaneously they'd just keep their water.

Brb stockpiling water.
 
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The Boers had literally decades to prepare for this problem and solve it in advance. They couldn't be bothered.

Then apartheid ended, a black government came to power, and... they didn't do anything either.

South Africa is a failed state.
 
Avenged7Fold said:
Apologies if there is already a thread on this but my search didn't bring one up.

Day 0 - the dramatic name given to the day when most of the taps in Cape Town will be cut from water, has been delayed due to a mixture of efforts to minimize water use and fortunate rainfall.

I wanted to start a thread discussing reasons why this is happening and the possibility of it being a common thing of the future around the world in both developing and developed nations, as well as what will happen to society when this does eventually happen.

Many are touting climate change for this specific case, which seems to be the reason why the reservoirs have been drying up but aging infrastructure introducing a lot of wastage through leaks likely has made controlling reserves difficult.
Click to expand...

This has nothing to do with climate change and everything to do with a corrupt political system in a broken country that has failed to prepare for this sort of issue for many, many years. Most people in government haven't got a clue what they're doing and just take money from where it should be going, mostly to plump themselves up rather than for anything beneficial to the country.

Look up Eskom and load-shedding. It isn't just the water that's affected by the corrupt government institutions. South Africa is broken :(
 
@Evangelion Not far from the truth. I know a few engineers from South Africa and from a technical point of view the end of apartheid has been disastrous. Positive discrimination has propelled incapable people to authority and dis-incentivised the competent. Failure rates in utilities increased directly in response to this in some areas. In the last few daces lots of experience has left the country because progress was blocked by placemen at a detriment to the outcomes. It's a tough situation.
 
As
said

The water crisis is purely political coruptness, there has been no attempt to create water distillation plants, even though cape town is surrounded by water.
 
To be fair, most of SA is a desert, not designed to support large populations in cities. In any other circumstance or species, nature would control the situation.
 
PlacidCasual said:
@Evangelion Not far from the truth. I know a few engineers from South Africa and from a technical point of view the end of apartheid has been disastrous. Positive discrimination has propelled incapable people to authority and dis-incentivised the competent. Failure rates in utilities increased directly in response to this in some areas. In the last few daces lots of experience has left the country because progress was blocked by placemen at a detriment to the outcomes. It's a tough situation.
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Yeah, although cape town is an acception.. surrounded by water, distillation could have solved the issue.
IMG_0745.jpg
 
Step 1: Price water sensibly. It falls out the sky for free, but collecting it, cleaning it, piping it to homes and businesses and collecting the waste cost money. Charging farmers naff all just encourages stupid things like growing thirsty crops in deserts with no attention paid to waste from evaporation or alternative crops. Similar applies to industrial use and domestic.

Step 2: Don't put your cronies in charge of the water company. Being your mate is not a qualification or sign of competence.

Step 3: Fix leaks. Collect payment. Helps an awful lot with step 1.

SA is on the verge of being a failed state. Mbeki was a useless buffoon, Zuma was an outright crook. Rhamaposa looks promising, but is too old to see everything needed through no matter how good he might be.
 
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i
Participant said:
We'll use renewable energy to convert sea water to drinking water. Maybe. I'm just guessing.
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if we know that water is h20 why cant we produce it artificially? just bung those 'gasses' together.. :s

I think regardless of when it happens, we waste too much water.. we can start those initiatives right now..
 
Mynight said:
Depends how long it lasts and what time of year.

Bottled water would sell out quickly. Probably some fights happening whilst bottles are sold.

Few days people would start dying. Hospitals would be getting busier. Public services would probably shut down.

End of week gangs stealing water.

End of month vampirism to get the last water out of people.

Or we'd just buy in water from another country or hope water aid would take pity on us. Unless it hit most of Europe simultaneously they'd just keep their water.

Brb stockpiling water.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of this:
https://www.creepypasta.com/evaporation/
 
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