Cape Town is set to be the first modern metropolis to exhaust its clean water reserves.
Years of drought in the South African City have depleted water reservoirs.
Residents will have to queue at standpipes for daily rations if they do not drastically reduce water consumption. Heavy fines have been introduced water usage as people prepare for 'day zero'.
Discussions are underway with the South African armed forces to enable water to be stored at military bases. Officials have been criticised for failing to implement usage restrictions sooner, and accused of ignoring warnings by experts in the years before the drought.
Experts say it is unlikely the targets will be met.
“Day zero has been heading in one direction and that’s towards us,” said Christine Colvin, a resident and freshwater expert with the World Wildlife Fund. “The only way to push it back is for Capetonians to dramatically change their consumption, but we haven’t done it very successfully so far. Even now, only half are under the 87-litre limit.”
