I had spent the past week in South Africa on a reporting trip and had decided to pass through Cape Town on my way back, in part out of curiosity about the water shortage.
I spent a few months in Cape Town during the southern hemisphere’s wintertime in 2010.
My hotel greeted me with a posted “urgent notice” about the water, explaining that the steam room and jacuzzi were closed, and showers would be limited to two minutes or less.
Like The Atlantic’s other health editors, I don’t bathe much anyway.
I ordered a carafe of local wine for 30 rand, or about $2.50, thinking it would help save water.
Yet another sign said water purchases would be limited to 20 liters per person.
People said that for months, they have been showering into a bucket, then using that water for their gardens.
They’re allowed 50 liters per person per day—less than a bathtub’s worth—and risk fines if they exceed the limit.
Still, she worries about the city’s many, many poor people.
Like its hardy fynbos, the country always seems to find a way.