Traveling to Cape Town? Take a shower before you leave and don’t flush when it’s yellow

Tourists traveling to Cape Town these days may have to select between experiencing one of the most beautiful towns in the world or taking a shower.

Forget pools, sauna, steam rooms, and please don’t take a bath. The day Cape Town, South Africa will run out of water is imminent.

The measures follow almost three years of water shortages, Cape Town’s rainfall dams are sitting at 27 percent full.

In a statement on the situation, South African Tourism said: “South African Tourism would like to thank the many tourists and tourism businesses that have heeded the call to reduce their water usage over the festive season – while urging them to not lose steam.”

South African Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona added: “We are pleased that we have not received any reports of any tourism attractions and services interrupted by the water shortage and we appeal to tourists, and tourism businesses to continue being good responsible tourism citizens and continue being water-wise, even as the peak holiday season in South Africa winds down.”

A BBC reporter puts it the way it is:

My wife does not use the shower anymore. Instead, she boils about 1.5 liters of water and mixes it with about a liter of tap water to have her daily wash while the rest of us catch the slow running water in a bucket for re-use in the toilet cistern.

As for flushing, which in the past would have used around six liters at a time, we have adopted the popular slogan: “If it’s yellow let it mellow and if it’s brown flush it down.”