A charity announced Monday Jan. 29, 2018, it is organizing a nationwide collection of bottled water for stockpiling in military bases in and around the tourist city which might have to turn off most taps in April because of a prolonged drought.
(AP Photo) JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Officials in Cape Town on Monday tried to allay international concerns about the water crisis in the South African city, saying tourists and investors are welcome despite fears that most taps could be turned off in April because of drought.
In a "two-way conversation," some diplomats who met officials managing Cape Town’s crisis referred to water shortages in their own countries, including in Barcelona, Spain and the U.S. state of California, said Tim Harris, CEO of Wesgro, an agency that promotes tourism and trade in Western Cape province.
"I think a lot of cities are going to go through challenges like this," Harris said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press after the meeting.
Rival political factions are arguing over alleged failures to prepare for the crisis.
Western Cape province includes Cape Town, where municipal authorities say they will have to close most taps on what they call "Day Zero," slated for April 12, if residents don’t save enough water.
A South African charity said it was organizing a nationwide collection of bottled water for stockpiling in military bases in and around the city of 4 million people.
The goal, he said, was to deal with the "unintended consequences" of the city’s blunt warnings to residents.
"When you start talking ‘Day Zero’ to an international audience, you get quite a different reaction," he said.
International tourists make up only 1 percent of Cape Town’s population during peak season, but they support more than 300,000 jobs, according to the Wesgro agency.