GALLERY: Five years of thirst – SA’s Eastern Cape battles brutal drought

South African farmer Steve Bothma heaved a sigh of relief when the weatherman finally predicted rain.

Rapid urbanisation and growing water consumption have placed a strain on water reserves and caused the coastal city of Cape Town to almost run dry in 2018.Dam levels dropped dangerously low in October, prompting President Cyril Ramaphosa to call for “drastic measures”. Arid fields flanked the windy gravel road leading to the nearest town of Adelaide, tucked at the bottom of a mountain range.In town, livestock roamed the streets and nibbled at scorched grass on the golf course.Some of Adelaide’s 15,000 inhabitants had been without running water for seven months.An aerial view of the Adelaide Dam with a 0% water level outskirts of Adelaide on November 26, 2019.

Assanda Sais, 38, complained that she could only spare enough water to bathe once a week and that her house was “smelling”.Bezuidenhoutville’s local middle school has had to shorten its week by half a day due to the lack of water.“Kids have to help parents to carry water,” said teacher Zeenat Gangat, sweltering as the sun beat down on the container walls of a classroom.

“It is only when the dam reached a very low level – around four percent — that they woke up,” said DA councillor Ernie Lombard.

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