What were the effects of the Cape Town Water Crisis?

South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of income inequality. This means that when the water crisis hits Cape Town, the lower strata of the society are likely to be badly affected. People with higher incomes may be able to buy water for their daily needs. However, poor people do not have the money to do so.

Why is water scarcity a problem in Cape Town?

Climate change has caused a decrease in rainfall and an increase in warmer temperatures which have resulted in water scarcity across the country. Between 2015 and 2018, a decline in rainfall resulted in Cape Town’s worst droughts on record.

How does the water crisis affect South Africa?

Some of the challenges affecting our water include the amount available, the unequal distribution and access to clean water, the quality and state of water infrastructure, droughts causing towns to run dry and corruption that has affected municipal treatment plants, resulting in sewage flows into streets, rivers and …

How will the impact of water scarcity affect the poor?

However, water scarcity leads to declining water quality and pollution, which has an especially adverse impact on the poor. Many (perhaps most) of the poorest people in developing countries are forced to drink water that is unfit for human consumption. They suffer from a range of skin related and other health problems.

How did the Cape Town drought affect the economy?

The drought has led to job losses in the province’s agriculture sector. The 2017 third quarterly labour force survey showed that approximately 25,000 jobs were lost from the agricultural sector nationally. More than 20 000 of these were lost in the Western Cape province. Many were associated with the drought.

When did Cape Town water crisis start?

May 23, 2017
Cape Town water crisis/Start dates

What are the negative effects of unwise water use in South Africa in the future?

Unwise Use of Water Will Result in Persisting Hunger, Drought, Political Instability, Secretary-General Warns in Observance Message.

How does Cape Town get its water?

The water drains into streams and rivers, and flows downhill towards the sea in rivers such as the Berg, Riviersonderend, Palmiet and Steenbras. Some of this water is captured and stored in dams that supply the Cape Town water system and the rest is returned to the rivers to sustain the river systems.