Dear tourist on your way to Cape Town, please be aware of our water crisis

Dear tourist,

I’m not sure if you’ve been to Cape Town before, but I am sure you have grand expectations. We do one heck of a job marketing this city. So much so that a mall – the V&A Waterfront – with the same shops that you find in your country – is a must-see attraction. But, I digress.

The Western Cape currently finds itself in the grips of one of the worst droughts it has ever experienced. This is not a drill. We will run out of water at our current consumption rate. And you haven’t even arrived yet.

By the time you get here, any chance of rainfall pushing the dam levels up a little would have long disappeared and the long summer days will be gobbling the miniscule reserves we currently have.

Yes, plans are being made to help us reach winter without having to take extreme steps, but we have to do absolutely everything we can to preserve what we currently have.  And we need your help.

Most of us have now adapted to putting buckets in our showers, sinks and just about everywhere else to catch what we can and reuse.

But you’re not here for a conservation project, are you? Don’t worry, most of your holiday will still be pleasant. Rumours of throttling the water pressure to a trickle probably won’t happen while you’re here – we’re kind to our tourists, we wouldn’t want to completely ruin your holiday.

But this is our reality. And we need your help. Water is a finite resource and we are heading towards the wrong end of finite.

Our current restrictions have us at 87l of water per person per day. Please calculate how much this is and do whatever you can to stay below this.

So, dear tourist when you arrive in Cape Town, please be mindful of your water usage.  We are an official disaster area. This is not a drill.

Please keep your showers short. And for goodness sake, do not take a bath. Please restrict your flushing – if it’s yellow, let it mellow. Do not expect the swimming pool at your hotel to be operational. You might be able to go swim at Sea Point public pool – since it uses sea water – but don’t expect splashing around at your hotel.

Please do not run the tap while brushing your teeth. Please do absolutely everything you can to conserve water. If you want to be a really good tourist, go as far as to put a bucket in your shower to save the water to flush.

Also read: People are loving this guy’s snarky (but valid) advice on how to save water

Because at our current consumption rate, we will run out of water. And we haven’t factored your usage in yet.

Dear tourist. This is not a drill. This is a plea. Remember, when you go home, we still have to live here.

Please be mindful.