Cape Town in South Africa is currently facing its worst drought in living memory. Restaurants are facing serious regulations to encourage water-saving. These include harvesting grey water from air-conditioning units, boiling ice-bucket water to mop floors, disconnecting scullery hoses, using disposable napkins, and not using tablecloths.
Cape Town has long been a ‘water scarce region’. But insufficient rainfall and fast declining levels in the dams that feed the city have led to the current water crisis. It has not been helped by sharply increasing population numbers
Amidst all these concerns, Luke Dale Roberts’ upcoming restaurant, The Drought Kitchen, has made use of an innovative idea. The restaurant plans to serve its food on disposable cards that fit into an empty picture frame. This not only helps eliminates the need to wash over 5,000 plates a week, it also frames the food itself as edible art!
Cape Town, in South Africa, had initially set April 15 as ‘Day Zero’, the date the city’s taps could be switched off. However, the citizens of the city have pulled together, reducing water consumption to 520,530 megalitres, from the earlier 1.2 billion megaliters. This has helped push Day Zero until July 9, by which time authorities hope that the winter rainfall will be well underway
Should Tourists Stay Away From Cape Town?
Tourists and visitors account for just one percent of water usage in Cape Town. More importantly, they create hundreds of thousands of jobs and bring in billions in investments each year. The city needs this support in this time of drought more than ever before.
Restaurants, such as Roberts’ The Drought Kitchen, are working on innovative measures to remain open through the drought. Hotels have also taken extensive measures to reduce their water consumption. Removing bath plugs encouraging guests to take quick showers, and asking them to swim in the ocean instead of filling their pools are just a few.
While the government has encouraged residents to get creative in their water-saving methods, there is much that tourists can do to help. Don’t use bathtubs, instead opt for short showers. Use your towels more than once. Pack extra clothes so that you can take your laundry home with you. Flush the toilet only when necessary. Drink bottled water, and use as little cutlery as possible in restaurants.
