50 Litres of Water from Today

From today,1 February, our limit from the public water supply falls to 50 litres per person per day.

Sign in our bathroom

There's the expectation that water will completely run out on 12 April -- Day Zero -- leaving people to collect a 25L ration from tankers or standpipes.


I find it hard to visualise 50 litres, but that equates to flushing the toilet just five times. The 50 litres is not just for that, but also bathing, washing clothes, drinking, cooking and everything.

We only flush the loo when necessary. We don't let any water go down sink plugholes and scoop water we use to wash, dishwash and teeth clean from sink into a bucket which we pour down loo after No. 1s. 

Instead of boiling veg we're buying ready prepared veg that is microwaved in its bag. We're buying ready meals that can be microwaved and are eating them out of their containers to save washing plates. 

In the big Pick'n'Pay supermarket several people were buying huge plastic drums to store water. 

So far restaurant washrooms bathrooms are as normal; I don't know if they've their own water supply. I understand hotels are not washing towels and linen with the usual frequency and have removed plugs from baths.  

On arrival we tried buying bottled water at the supermarket but people are stockpiling and shelves were emptied of larger containers, however we managed to get enough drinking water for a few days.

Then yesterday Woolworths had a pallet of boxes containing 4 five-litre containers. There were 5 or 6 remaining and we grabbed one. Very heavy and difficult to get into shopping trolley.


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