It has attracted scrutiny from scientists and city managers worldwide who also face the dual challenge of ballooning populations and shrinking resources.
This would be the world’s first major city to go dry.
“There are a lot of people who have been in denial and now they suddenly realise this is for real,” said Shirley Curry, who waited to fill a plastic container with spring water from one of several taps in the Newlands suburb.
Mayor Patricia de Lille threatened to fine those who use too much water.
The spectacle of people scrounging for water could become more common as “Day Zero” approaches in Cape Town, whose natural beauty has made it a coveted spot for international visitors.
Swim in ocean, not pools Cape Town’s leaders have instructed residents to use only 50 litres of water daily from February 1, down from the current 87-litre limit.
If “Day Zero” arrives, many people would have to go to collection points for a daily ration of 25 litres.
Communal taps in poor areas known as informal settlements likely would run to avoid the threat of disease.
Some central and downtown areas could be exempt from the cut-off for the sake of tourism and business.
The average level of reservoirs that are Cape Town’s main source of water is currently about 27 per cent, but the final 10 per cent is considered unusable because of mud, weeds and debris at the bottom.