(CNN) In Cape Town, South Africa, they're calling it "Day Zero" -- the day when the taps run dry.

City officials had recently said that day would come on April 22. They have since moved up the date to April 12.

Cape Town is South Africa's second-largest city and a top international tourist draw. Now, residents play a new and delicate game of water math each day.

They're recycling bath water to help flush toilets. They're being told to limit showers to 90 seconds. And hand sanitizer, once somewhat of an afterthought, is now a big seller.

"Unwashed hair is now a sign of social responsibility," resident Darryn Ten told CNN.

People collect water from pipes fed by an underground spring in St. James, a Cape Town suburb.

The genesis of the crisis

So how did this happen? How does a major city in the developed world just run dry?

It's been a slow-motion crisis, exacerbated by three factors:

The worst drought in more than a century, which has pushed Cape Town's water scarcity into a potentially deadly horizon

The metro area's population, which is 4 million and growing quickly.

4 million and growing quickly. A rapidly changing climate.

Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought Dry sand bakes in the sun on April 16, 2017, at the Theewaterskloof Dam, a key source of water to Cape Town, South Africa. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought The Theewaterskloof Dam on May 10 held less than 20% of its water capacity. Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought A boat lay on the sand on May 10 at the Theewaterskloof Dam. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought A truck crosses a bridge on May 10 at Theewaterskloof Dam. Bridge supports show previous high water marks. Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought Bare sand and dried tree trunks stand on May 10 at the Theewaterskloof Dam. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought The Theewaterskloof Dam on May 8 experienced an extremely low water level. Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Cape Town faces severe drought Sand and dry trees stand on April 16 at the Theewaterskloof Dam, where the water level has been extremely low. Hide Caption 7 of 7

Even with the predicament they find themselves in, residents haven't dropped their water use significantly, Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said.

The city has lowered the water pressure in its mains to help stretch the water supply. But usage is still 86 million liters above its target goal.

"It is quite unbelievable that a majority of people do not seem to care and are sending all of us headlong towards Day Zero," a statement from the mayor's office said . "We can no longer ask people to stop wasting water. We must force them."

Starting February 1, residents will only be allowed to use 50 liters, or a little over 13 gallons, of water per person, per day.

A campaign to help Cape Town avoid "Day Zero" offers residents some water-saving tips.

Coping with the shortage

The shortage is forcing some residents to get creative.

Alistair Coy, who's vacationing in Cape Town from the United Kingdom, strains the water that's left over from boiling potatoes into a bucket.

The reality of life in Cape Town right now! Saving every bit of water you can is vital. #water4capetown #usegreywater#CapeTownwatercrisis#CapeTowndrought#dayzero@CapeTown @SimonCalder pic.twitter.com/6tlyos3YcB — Alistair Coy (@alistaircoy) January 20, 2018

Many residents are reusing bucket water, such as Anne Verbist, who recycles her tap water to tend to her plants.

"We catch all water from the tap to wash hands and dishes and use it for the plants," she said.

But creativity is also creating problems.

"People (are) buying anything that can hold water," resident Richard Stubbs said. "No buckets, no (gas cans) or drums (are) in stock. So people (are) buying bins, vases and large storage boxes."

Some then fill up these containers with water from the city supplies -- further feeding the crisis.

Worries about drinking water

Verbist and some other residents said that while they use tap water for household needs, they are reluctant to drink it.

"They claim it is fine to drink, but the kids were having tummy issues," she said.

So now, she and her family trek to the Newlands Spring to get their allotted liters of water twice a month. They tried to replenish their drinking water reserves Monday, but the line was too long. They went back the next day.

Lincoln Mzwakali said his tap water "tastes funny" as well, so he relies on the same spring.

People carry water collected from a natural spring earlier this week in Cape Town.

"Many neighboring communities have started depending on it," he said.

CNN asked the city of Cape Town about the water quality concerns that some residents reported but has not received a response.

The massive influx of Capetonians collecting water at the spring has led to issues within the normally quiet neighborhood.

Now, the government is stepping in to help manage the queues and congestion at the spring. The site will only be accessible during certain times of the day and will be managed by city officials.

In the coming months, city officials say they will be diverting the flow to a nearby swimming pool to speed up queues and manage congestion.

Long lines and bare essentials

It's not lost on residents that "Day Zero" is fast approaching.

"It's frightening, especially when you actually see the dams where we get our water from," Verbist said.

Water levels at dams supplying the city continue to sink. Satellite images from over the past seven years show the water disappearing from the city's largest reservoir at Theewaterskloof dam..

Some who have money to leave Cape Town until the crisis subsides are doing so. Darryn Ten plans on doing just that.

"Basically, everyone I know who is in the position to be able to leave is doing so," he said. "The consensus is that everyone who can get out of town should do so in order to help lessen the burden."

But there are those who can't -- the elderly, disabled and the impoverished.

"They don't have the money to buy water," Verbist told CNN.

There's even a shortage of bottled water. The stores that do have water sell out fast and are unable to replenish their stock for days.

Those that can afford water are queuing at stores before they open. At one local chain grocery store, video shows shoppers swarming pallets of bottled water, clearing them in just minutes.

"People were already rushing in and out of the shop to buy water," Adele van der Spuy told CNN. "Some actually went in several times as we were only allowed to buy five boxes at a time."

Van der Spuy said she has never witnessed anything like it before.

"It is eye-opening, and an indication of the panic and also what lies ahead," she said.

"It's been a hard transition because a lot of Capetonians aren't understanding how we got to this point when the municipality was well-informed that we would experience a drought," Mzwakali said.

"There are a lot of angry people and not enough answers on how this is going to be resolved."</s>Image copyright AFP Image caption From next month residents in Cape Town will be limited to 50 litres of water per day

Residents in the South African city of Cape Town have been warned to "save water as if your life depends on it" to avoid the supply being shut off.

A severe drought has forced the city's municipality to limit consumption to 50 litres (11 gallons) per person per day.

Officials are urging people to switch off their toilet cisterns and limit flushing to conserve water.

The head of the provincial government said if the taps ran dry it would be "the disaster above all disasters".

Helen Zille said it was still possible to avoid what has become known as Day Zero, when the water supply will be shut off.

She said a full crisis could still be averted if everyone used 50 litres or fewer a day. "That is not difficult if we all put our minds to it in our homes and in our workplaces," she said.

Ms Zille then offered some suggestions on how to save water.

"Turn off the tap of your toilet cistern and use all of the grey water in your house from washing, save it, and put it into your toilet cistern", she said.

"No-one should be showering more than twice a week at this stage. You need to save water as if your life depends on it because it does."

Last year, Ms Zille revealed that she was showering once every three days. "I regard oily hair in a drought to be as much of a status symbol as a dusty car," she wrote in a column.

Cape Town, a popular tourist destination, has been hit by its worst drought in a century.

Much of southern Africa has been recovering from a drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, following heavy summer rains.

However, Cape Town is still gripped by a drought and has had very low rainfall for the past three years.

Change of habits

Mohammed Allie, BBC News, Cape Town

My wife does not use the shower any more. Instead, she boils about 1.5 litres of water and mixes it with about a litre of tap water to have her daily wash while the rest of us catch the slow running water in a bucket for re-use in the toilet cistern.

Like most residents of Cape Town, my household of four has had to change our habits to conserve water.

A bucket and jug have now become essential tools for me and my children when taking a quick two-minute shower.

Read more from Mohammed here

Last week, Mayor Patricia de Lille warned the city had reached a "point of no return".

"We can no longer ask people to stop wasting water. We must force them," she said at a press conference.

"Despite our urging for months, 60% of Capetonians are callously using more than 87 litres per day," she added, referring to the current daily limit.

A person uses about 15 litres per minute for a typical shower and the same amount when flushing a standard toilet, according to WaterWise, a South African water usage awareness campaign.</s>The coastal city of Cape Town, located in the Western Cape of South Africa, has issued new water restrictions as the city is on the verge of running out of water.

Cape Town officials anticipate the city’s water supply will possibly cut off due to drought on April 12 — otherwise known as “Day Zero.”

Residents of the South African city have been partaking in massive water conservation efforts to combat the area’s drought, but, according to Mayor Patricia de Lille, some people are “callously” using more than their current limit.

“We have reached a point of no return. Despite our urging for months, 60 percent of Capetonians are callously using more than 87 liters per day,” de Lille said last week.

Residents must use no more than 50 liters of water daily beginning Feb. 1, and the city plans to fine households that use too much water.

"We can no longer ask people to stop wasting water. We must force them," the mayor said.

The original “Day Zero” was scheduled for April 21, but “due to a drop in the dam levels of 1.4%, Day Zero has, as of today, moved forward to 12 April 2018,” Deputy Mayor Ian Neilson said Tuesday, according to News24.

"Our main focus at this point must be on what we can do now to prevent our taps running dry by April,” Neilson said, noting that desalination and aquifer projects in Cape Town wouldn’t be able to provide enough water to prevent “Day Zero.”

“The people who are still wasting water seem to believe that Day Zero just can't happen or that the city’s seven augmentation projects — set to produce around 200 million liters per day — will be enough to save us,” de Lille said. “This is not the case and, while our water augmentation program will make Cape Town more water resilient in the future, it was never going to be enough to stop Day Zero.”

Cape Town, a major tourist destination and a city of 3.7 million people, has assessed 200 water collection points for residents as it prepares for the possible cutoff date.

Experts link the city's water shortages to factors including climate change and high population growth.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Long lines of South Africans collect water daily from a natural spring pipeline in an upscale suburb of Cape Town, illustrating the harsh impact of a drought that authorities say could force the closure of most taps in the country’s second largest city in just over two months, an occasion ominously known as “Day Zero.”

The prospect that large sections of South Africa’s showcase city, famously perched near two oceans, might go without running water has induced anxiety as well as resolve among its nearly 4 million residents. It has attracted scrutiny from scientists and city managers worldwide who also face the dual challenge of ballooning populations and shrinking resources. This would be the world’s first major city to go dry.

“There are a lot of people who have been in denial and now they suddenly realize this is for real,” said Shirley Curry, who waited to fill a plastic container with spring water from one of several taps outside a South African Breweries facility in the Newlands suburb.

Security guards made sure people took only an allotted amount (25 litres maximum in one line and 15 litres in another “express” line). However, things were more freewheeling at a nearby spring water source with no oversight. Mayor Patricia de Lille this month threatened to fine those who use too much water and said the city can no longer ask people to comply: “We must force them.”

The spectacle of people scrounging for water could become more common as “Day Zero” approaches in Cape Town, whose natural beauty has made it a coveted spot for international visitors. While the city urges people to restrict water usage, many living in poor areas already have limited access to water. They use communal taps in gritty neighbourhoods such as Blue Downs on the Cape Flats, where people washed clothes outside and carried buckets of water to shack dwellings on a recent afternoon.

Cape Town’s leaders have instructed residents to use only 50 litres of water daily from Feb. 1, down from the current 87-litre limit. “Day Zero” is projected to arrive on April 12 but some fear it could come sooner, while others hope it won’t happen if rationing works and rains eventually come.

If “Day Zero” arrives, many people would have to go to collection points for a daily ration of 25 litres. Taps would continue to run in hospitals and provisions would be made for schools, some of which can pump water from boreholes. Communal taps in poor areas known as informal settlements likely would run to avoid the threat of disease. Some central and downtown areas could be exempt from the cut-off for the sake of tourism and business.

While tourists are still welcome, tourism authorities urge them to flush the toilet as little as possible and “take a dip in the ocean instead of swimming pools, and maybe even spare yourself a shower.”

The water crisis is propelling Cape Town into the unknown, but the causes have been brewing for a while. Since around the end of white minority rule in 1994, the population has soared by about 80 per cent, straining municipal infrastructure. Meanwhile, the region has endured several years of drought. Scientists at the University of Cape Town say man-made global warming may have contributed to the severe weather, and that similar droughts could be more common in the future.

The average level of reservoirs that are Cape Town’s main source of water is currently about 27 per cent, but the final 10 per cent is considered unusable because of mud, weeds and debris at the bottom. Some residents are already complaining that silt in tap water makes it undrinkable. The city says it would have to turn off most taps if the average reservoir level falls below 13.5 per cent.

Theewaterskloof Dam, whose reservoir was once the city’s biggest provider, is a startling sight. Large areas consist of sand and cracked earth. Boats used to moor against tires embedded in a wall near a yacht club, but now the water line is so low that the clubhouse is far from the dwindling lake.

“This is a natural disaster of immense proportions,” said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the Democratic Alliance, an opposition party that runs Cape Town and the surrounding Western Cape province.

The party says the national government, run by the ruling African National Congress party, has failed to deliver water to all municipalities as required by law. Nomvula Mokonyane, the water and sanitation minister, counters that the city should do more to crack down on people using too much water.

For now, Cape Town residents are advised to limit showers to fewer than 90 seconds and use a bucket to collect the runoff and flush the toilet.

Noel Borman, a resident collecting water, was asked about “Day Zero,” if it comes.

“I don’t even want to be here,” he said.</s>Cape Town – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will put together a team to help prepare for the possibility that Cape Town will run out of water soon, he told CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour in Davos, Switzerland, this week.

"Climate change is a reality," said Ramaphosa, in the interview on Thursday.

"If people around the world, specifically South Africa, ever thought that climate change is just a fable or a fiction, we in South Africa as regards Cape Town are now seeing the real effects of climate change.

"We're facing a real, total disaster in Cape Town which is going to affect more than four million people.

ALSO WATCH: 'Don't ask me about Day Zero,' says the man in charge of CT's water crisis

"And I'm going back home and I'm going to corral as many people as possible to put our heads together and see exactly what we should be doing, not only in the immediate term, but also in the long term.

"But in the immediate term, we've got to make sure that we bring water to the people of Cape Town without any fail."

The City of Cape Town has predicted that Day Zero – when most taps will be switched off – will occur on April 12, as it gears for even stricter water rationing from February 1.

The permitted potable water consumption amount per person per day has been reduced from 87 litres to 50 litres and people in the city who can afford it are starting to stockpile bottled water.

READ: Magda Wierzycka calls on Ramaphosa to take charge of CT water crisis</s>Cape Town is less than three months away from almost completely running out of water.

The South African city’s four million residents could be forced to queue for emergency water by April, making it the world’s largest metropolis to run out of water.

As the worst drought for a century hits the city, residents are counting down to what has become known as Day Zero – that is, April 12, the day the water supply will be shut down.

But there are already strict water restrictions in place, with the maximum allowance per person set at 50 litres per day. Hotels are being forced to re-use water used for cleaning in order to water their plants.

Officials are hoping that these strict water limits will delay Day Zero.

However, Day Zero has actually been brought forward from the original date of April 22, after water levels at dams continued to drop week-on-week.

The overall amount of usable water in the region is now just 17.2%.

When these levels drop to 13.5%, people in Cape Town will be forced to queue for daily rations of 25 litres from 200 water collection points.

To put this in perspective, this isn’t even enough to have a two-minute shower.

The city’s mayor Patricia de Lille recently admitted that officials don’t have a detailed plan for how the system will work after Day Zero.

She did, however, blame residents for not heeding her warnings earlier on.

‘It is quite unbelievable that a majority of people do not seem to care and are sending all of us headlong towards Day Zero,’ she told news reporters in South Africa last week.</s>Cape Town might run out of water on 12 April due to a severe drought.

People are being told to limit their use of water, but one South African writer has pointed out on Twitter this is not an unusual experience for many residents.

Khaya Dlanga recalls having to use one cup of water to brush his teeth and wash his face and armpits.</s>Residents of Cape Town, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, could be forced to queue for emergency water by April as the city battles its worst drought for a century.

Within months, South Africa's oldest city, nicknamed the 'Mother City', is at risk of becoming the world's largest metropolis to run out of water.

Strict water restrictions are already in force, limiting the maximum use per person to 50 litres per day.

The measure has been brought in to delay what has become known as 'Day Zero' - 12 April, the date the water supply will be shut down and taps will run dry.

It had been 22 April, but it has been brought forward as water levels at dams in the region continue to drop week after week, with the overall amount of usable water now falling to 17.2%.

When levels drop to 13.5%, the city of four million people will be forced to queue for daily rations of 25 litres from 200 water collection points - not even enough for a two-minute shower.

The police and army are on standby to be deployed to prevent any unrest in the queues.

The city's mayor, Patricia de Lille, said warnings to use water sparingly have fallen on deaf ears.

"We have reached a point of no return," she said.

"Despite our urging for months, 60% of Capetonians are callously using more than 87 litres per day.

"It is quite unbelievable that a majority of people do not seem to care and are sending all of us headlong towards Day Zero."

City councillors are set to vote on the introduction of a punitive tariff, which will charge households using more than 6,000 litres per month higher water rates.

Trial water collection sites have already been set up, and in a further possible sign of things to come, people have been lining up with jerry cans at AB-Inbev’s Newlands brewery to get up to 25 litres of free water from a mountain stream on its property.

Hotels have been limiting showers to two minutes and using water used for cleaning dishes and clothes to water gardens.

A typical shower uses 15 litres per minute while a standard toilet consumes up to 15 litres per flush, according to WaterWise, a South African water usage awareness campaign.

Around two million tourists flock to Cape Town every year to bathe on its sandy white beaches, explore its natural landmarks like Table Mountain or to drink wine at the dozens of nearby vineyards.

Farrel Cohen, manager of the Metropolitan Golf Club in Mouille, said he was "too afraid to even think about" what Day Zero would mean for Cape Town.

"Nobody knows what to expect. People are running to supermarkets to buy water."</s>Plans to deal with Nelson Mandela Bay’s own “Day Zero” are being drawn up – but the municipality is likely to avoid the looming crisis facing Cape Town, thanks to the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme.

Officials plan to release details of the municipality’s emergency response plan next week as dams level continue to plummet, with no heavy rain forecast in the upcoming months.

However, residents are still urged to conserve water as the scheme is only able to supply about half of the city’s needs at this stage.

Phase two of the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme supplies 130ML a day at its peak, while the city uses about 290ML a day.

After phase three is completed in March next year, the scheme will be able to supply an additional 80ML a day.

It is not yet clear how the municipality would keep the taps flowing in a worst-case scenario should the dams run dry soon.

Municipal water and sanitation director Barry Martin said he was not able to divulge this information.

“It has to be tabled at the next portfolio committee meeting next week,” he said.

The infrastructure, engineering and energy committee meets on Thursday.

Municipal dams are expected to be at dire levels – below 20% – by the end of the year if there is no significant rainfall.

Weekend Post fired off detailed questions to the municipality earlier this week as the Cape Town water crisis reached frantic levels.

A press conference and prayer session was then held yesterday at the epically low Churchill Dam.

Martin said KwaNobuhle, Summerstrand, Central and the suburbs immediately surrounding the area were most at risk of running out of water.

“Our day zero and Cape Town’s day zero are very different. In Cape Town, day zero [April 12] is when there is no more water in the taps. It is highly unlikely that this will happen in the Bay,” he said.

“Our day zero is when we are unable to supply water to every area of the metro and we have to tank water in. That is what we view as day zero.”

Asked about plans for the worst-case scenario, infrastructure and engineering mayoral committee member Masixole Zinto said: “We have enough water.”

He said the municipal dams would never run dr y.

“The people of the Bay will always have water.”</s>Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will gather a team of “many people” to find as many ways as possible to make sure that people of Cape Town do not run out of water.

Ramaphosa was speaking to CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour as Cape Town‚ a centre of tourism and of the country’s wine industry‚ faced the possibility of no water supply in April.

Ramaphosa was at the World Economic Forum in Davos‚ Switzerland.

“I am going back home and I am going to corral as many people as possible to put our heads together and see exactly what we should be doing‚ not only in the immediate term but also in the long term.

“In the immediate term we have got to make sure we bring water to the people of Cape Town without any fail‚” Ramaphosa said.

He said the impending shortage of water in Cape Town showed that climate change was a reality.

“If people around the world ever thought climate change is just a fable‚ we in South Africa are now seeing the real effects of climate change.

“We are facing a real total disaster in Cape Town which is going to affect more than 4 million people‚” Ramaphosa said.
Cape Town announces that they will reach their "zero day", when they run out of all available water reserves, on April 12, 2018.