Being told that your city will run out of water in less than six months may sound unrealistic to most, but for those in Cape Town, South Africa, this statement has become a reality. With little water and high temperatures, Cape Town has no more than an estimated 90 days before becoming a dehydrated city.

Cape Town’s doomsday is April 21.  Extreme measures are now being taken to conserve water such as only taking two minute showers. However, residents haven’t been listening to the officials and are only increasing the rate of the water running out. Suffering from a drought since 2005, many residents have stopped fearing the crisis, even refusing the existence of a problem.

“Some people may leave [Cape Town] voluntarily, but a law will have to put in place to conserve the water,” said science teacher Mrs. Eileen Cairo. “They needed to take the issue more seriously and should have looked ahead a long time ago.”

Cape Town’s large tourism industry and economy could be severely damaged by the lack of water.  Little knowledge and acknowledgment from other countries thus far has also dimmed the hope for a fast solution.

“I think it’s very sad that it’s not advertised across the news because it’s something we should all be aware of,” said junior Kiana Resch. “If more people—just like me and other people—found out what’s happening, I feel like there would be more actions that would be taken.”

Since the issue has progressed so far without adequate response, there is next to nothing that can be done to reverse the damage. The amount of water left will continue to decrease, and new sources of water will have to be found.  The main issue is what to do once the water is gone. More probable actions that could be taken at this point require large sums of money that most likely will, in part, need to come from other countries.

As the clock ticks on, only time will tell what the future has in store for South Africa.