{"id":104375,"date":"2017-11-07T22:47:44","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T20:47:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/cape-town-water-crisis-7-myths-that-must-be-bust-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2017-11-07T22:47:44","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T20:47:44","slug":"cape-town-water-crisis-7-myths-that-must-be-bust-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/cape-town-water-crisis-7-myths-that-must-be-bust-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Town water crisis: 7 myths that must be bust | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cape Town water crisis: 7 myths that must be bust<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Informal settlements in Cape Town only use 4.7% of the city's water.<\/span> Flickr\/Blackwych<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of South Africa\u2019s biggest cities, Cape Town, is gripped by a rising panic. People are haunted by the idea that they may soon have to queue for water, carefully rationed out by local authorities under the watchful eye of the army.<\/p>\n

But these doomsday scenarios need to be tempered. It\u2019s true that the first step to getting people motivated to save water is to create the \u201cimpression of a crisis\u201d. In Cape Town, however, this impression is being blown out of proportion by a number of myths that are perpetuated in social and popular media. <\/p>\n

Myth 1: Lack of preparedness<\/h2>\n

This myth has it that the City of Cape Town saw the drought coming but didn\u2019t prepare for it.<\/p>\n

Climate trends over the past 40 years gave no indication of the drought\u2019s timing, intensity or duration. In fact, dams were overflowing in winter 2014. The weather forecasts gave no indication that the 2015 drought would continue over another year. <\/p>\n

A study by the University of Cape Town came out a few weeks ago, saying that the odds of the drought carrying over again into 2017 were less than one in one thousand. Understandably, they exonerate the Cape\u2019s government from blame for the water crisis.<\/p>\n

Myth 2: Lack of enforcement<\/h2>\n

This myth has it that the city didn\u2019t enforce restrictions to curtail water wastage.<\/p>\n

South East Queensland, Australia, became one of the most water-efficient communities in the western world because of their Target 140 campaign. Their \u201cMillenium Drought\u201d from 2006 – 2008 prompted residents to reduce water usage from 300 litres per person per day to 129 litres per person per day. Cape Town\u2019s savings are already below 100 litres per person per day, and dropping.<\/p>\n

Cape Town\u2019s superior performance is due to its campaign introducing some pretty original stunts. For example:<\/p>\n