Uncovering Cape Towns water crisis
Cape Town is the first major city in the world that might soon run out of water. Water reserves are at a historical low and the cities water taps are estimated to run dry within 90 days. The historically low dam levels of the city of Cape Town are triggered by three years of unprecedented drought combined with a 30% population growth within in the last 15 years.
Local authorities have decided that if the water capacity level drops below 13.5%, municipal water supply will be turned off for all but essential services, such as hospitals. Based on the current water consumption per day, it is estimated that water taps will run dry by April 22nd.
An analysis of high-resolution Sentinel-2 imagery demonstrates the current water crisis in South Africas second biggest city. The animation below shows the “Theewaterskloof Dam” (Cape Town largest water reservoir) over the last two years and drastically uncovers the falling water levels.
