Cape Town has come dangerously close to running out of water after 3 years of persistent drought.
Cape Town has come dangerously close to running out of water after 3 years of persistent drought.
Tight water usage restrictions have been successful in stalling 'day zero' - when the city's taps will be turned off - until 2019, buying time for authorities to look for more ways to manage the crisis.
The JRC, with data from its Global Drought Observatory (GDO), provides analytical reports on the crisis as it develops.
Rainfall levels in April, May and June, during the wettest period of the year, can give some indication as to the likelihood and timescale for recovery.
But the roots of the current situation run much deeper. A new JRC technical report has found that the massive water shortage, while exceptional, is characteristic of longer-term weather patterns.
With climate change spurring more and more extreme weather events, severe shortages could become an increasingly regular occurrence in the future.
Read more at European Commission Joint Research Centre
