Taps have run dry across South Africa's largest city in an unprecedented water crisis

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Updated 4:04 AM CDT, March 21, 2024

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — For two weeks, Tsholofelo Moloi has been among thousands of South Africans lining up for water as the country’s largest city, Johannesburg, confronts an unprecedented collapse of its water system affecting millions of people.

Residents rich and poor have never seen a shortage of this severity. While hot weather has shrunk reservoirs, crumbling infrastructure after decades of neglect is also largely to blame. The public’s frustration is a danger sign for the ruling African National Congress, whose comfortable hold on power since the end of apartheid in the 1990s faces its most serious challenge in an election this year.

A country already famous for its hourslong electricity shortages is now adopting a term called “watershedding” — the practice of going without water, from the term loadshedding, or the practice of going without power.

Moloi, a resident of Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg, isn’t sure she or her neighbors can take much more.




Read more: https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-johannesburg-water-crisis-weather-fa8c921c6a063a31aec37e05864d61fb

[CrispyQ]

1. We think it can't happen in this country.

Humanity's about to embark on the final episode of Survivor.

[airplaneman]

6. It is happening in this country check out lake Mead n/t.

[CrispyQ]

7. Living in Colorado, I'm aware of water issues facing the west & southwest. -nt

[Bundbuster]

2. Preview of coming attractions

for much of the planet. Climate change giveth - water scarcity/conflicts, food shortages/conflicts, resource depletion/conflicts, displaced populations/conflicts, habitat loss and species extinctions, tropical disease expansion, more severe flooding & intense rainfall, increased severe fire danger, increased drought and heat waves, rising sea levels,...

Thanks Big Oil. Big Gas, Big Coal
Thanks lobbyists
Thanks Republicans
Thanks Evangelicals

[Kaleva]

13. This has been going on for eons

Civilizations like the Mayan and Pueblo collapsing and peoples migrating, mass starvation.

[Marthe48]

3. Humans have lived beyond their means and the bills are coming due

Dinosaurs dominated the Earth, but they didn't overwhelm its resources. The only species that does that, or allows it are the humans. We don't consider living frugally and if a species benefits us, we let them propagate out of control. If they don't benefit us, we exterminate them. I don't even want to think what we do to other humans.

[airplaneman]

8. Dinosaurs reigned for 180 million years - how many more years do we have ? n/t.

[sanatanadharma]

4. 11-10 months ago Montevideo UY was in drought and the reservoirs were drying out

11-10 months ago Montevideo Uruguay was in drought and the reservoirs were drying out.
The water still flowed but was too salty for drinking. We were buying bottled (big) water.

Today the rivers are overflowing, floods are emptying barrios, and you don't want to be caught out in the recent rains (biblical flood 'shorts&quot .
Infrastructure is failing from age, lack of maintenance, and having been engineered for the past 'normal' not today's new needs.

[Kennah]

5. Prequel to Dune

[IcyPeas]

9. Or "The Man Who Fell to Earth"

[rockfordfile]

10. Idiots just let things slide.

"crumbling infrastructure after decades of neglect is also largely to blame"

[Kaleva]

12. Massive, widespread corruption in the ANC

[Kid Berwyn]

11. Mexico City is about tapped out, too.

You know who knows how to live life in balance with the natural world?

Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth.

You must teach you children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of our grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.

This we know. The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.

— Chief Seattle

https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Classroom%20Materials/Reading%20the%20Region/Texts%20by%20and%20about%20Natives/Texts/8.html#:~:text=Whatever%20befalls%20the%20earth%2C%20befalls%20the%20sons%20of%20the%20earth.&text=the%20earth%20is%20our%20mother,ground%2C%20they%20spit%20upon%20themselves.