“CITY WITHOUT WATER” FINAL SCRIPT
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RADIO UPSOTS: Cape Town is facing a major water crisis…
…the very real possibility of a Day Zero scenario.
Residents of the metro have been warned to reduce their water consumption.
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IT’S THE DAY EVERYONE DREADS
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WOMAN AT SPRING (6C / 11.30): How will we survive without water coming out of our taps? I mean we were born with it.
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WOMAN AT SPRING (6C / 18.55): Day Zero is already happening. We are not waiting for Day Zero, Day Zero is already happening.
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CAN THEY STOP THE TAPS FROM RUNNING DRY?
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CHARLENE (1C / 1.37.55): I’m saying, “Government! Hello, wake up!” Because it’s the people on the ground that are actually having to find immediate, innovative ideas to save water.
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WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CAPE TOWN?
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RUTH (7C / 25.05): Everyone’s in trouble and I think Cape Town is a wake up call for the whole world.
DAVID: We’re going to be Mad Max 1 and you guys are going to be the sequels.
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PROGRAM TITLES |
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STORY TITLE: |
CITY WITHOUT WATER by Amos Roberts & Joel Tozer |
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MAP |
South Africa, Johannesburg & Cape Town |
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(2) LIVING ON LESS THAN 50 LITRES OF WATER A DAY |
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MUSIC
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You only need to look at Theewaterskloof Dam, to realise how serious Cape Town’s water crisis is.
After three years of record drought, the city’s biggest reservoir has become a desert.
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MUSIC
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The dams supplying water to 4 million people are at critically low levels.
This year Cape Town’s been on the verge of becoming the first major city to run out of water – but, incredibly, it’s managed to more than halve the amount of water it uses.
I wanted to find out how.
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BUSKERS MUSIC (1D / 36.18 for sync)
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To visitors, life in this stunning coastal city still seems pretty normal.
But for those who call Cape Town home, things may never be the same.
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RUTH (4D / 55.43): Ah, Lola, Beth, can you set the table?
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NATSOT GIRLS WITH CUTLERY (4D / 56.09)
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Severe water restrictions were introduced in February, and Ruth Hall’s family of four now lives on a fraction of the water consumed by a single Australian.
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RUTH (5D / 1.51): Some people are saying that because the dams are so low, we’re getting sediment and it’s actually unhealthy to drink the water, but we don’t believe it, we just carry on drinking the water. But we just ration everybody a couple of litres per person per day.
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They’re not allowed to use more than 50 litres a day – the average Australian consumes over 300.
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EGG ON PLATE (4D / 1.00.51)
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David Dunton says the most dramatic changes have been felt in the most private of spaces.
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What are your favourite water-saving tips? #DatelineSBS |
DAVID ENTERS BATHROOM (6C / 28.38): We do what most of the rest of Cape Town I think is doing, is the credo that when it's yellow let it mellow and when it's brown flush it down... I've just come in and noticed that it is indeed brown, thanks to my daughter not flushing, which she often doesn't do, which she's meant to, so I will flush. (flushes toilet) And you can hear that the toilet isn't filling up, that's because we have this elaborate system down here (points) of buckets of varying agedness, of bath water... that go into, into the loo. So I will fill it up, this is one that is next off the rank...
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DAVID AT BATHROOM SINK: This is another part of our water saving strategies. We’ve taken off the - there's a U bend down here, we've unscrewed it, very simple, and we just put a bucket under there, and every time you (sips water, water runs into bucket) brush your teeth or wash your hands, it goes into there. And it's actually surprising how much water you use like that.
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FOLLOW DAVID INTO SHOWER (6C / 33.27): OK we’re going into the shower now.
AMOS: Wow.
DAVID: You've got another big system of buckets and watering cans and all sorts of things here. Um.. I can do you a quick visual demonstration, when I shower, I stand in here (gets in bucket) it comes down and into there and again, that's used as water for our toilet. We try not to use any water once, other than drinking water.
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AMOS (6C / 36.30): Do you know how much water you are actually consuming here?
DAVID IN SHOWER: Last month we checked, and it was 41 litres per person, per day. So we are underneath the 50.
Q/ Does that make you feel like you could take some longer showers? And fill the bath up a bit higher?
No, I think we’re going to try and make it less than 41 next month.
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AMOS (7C / 2.18): So what's been the hardest thing to get used to for each of you?
RUTH (3.09): I find it a bit odd to be showering like two or three times a week.
That is really odd. And so you feel a bit stinky.
DAVE (7C / 3.33): I know what I've found the hardest to get used to, is a dying garden.
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MUSIC
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Many Australians are used to being told they can’t water their lawn, or wash their car – but we’re yet to face the prospect of completely dry taps.
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KITCHEN UPSOT
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David and his wife Ruth are doing all they can to avoid that happening.
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Ruth joins family (5D / 6.46)
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SITTING DOWN TO BREAKFAST
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Everyone’s water usage is publicly available, so if you’re middle class and you don’t do your bit, you not only risk a fine, but something worse.
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RUTH (7C / 17.08): We had a staff meeting recently, and my, my boss put up her water usage on the, on the board, and then everybody had to write up their own family’s water usage, it was like quite a sort of a shameful moment, like oh my goodness, I'm using more water than you are. (17.29) So people are actually talking about like, how much water are you using, and it’s a source of pride, you know – like, I’m using less than you are.
AMOS: Any particular examples of family or friends that you've been checking up on?
DAVE: I seem to recall your sister, Ruth
RUTH My sister was over 6000 litres, but that's shameful, it's very embarrassing, I was gonna to call her up but I didn't. (laughs)
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Read Amos’ blog about how shame is saving Cape Town sbs.com.au/news/Dateline |
MUSIC
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RUTH (7C / 16.07): I think that what's happened over the last twelve months is that our attitude to water has changed irrevocably.
(8.34) We've actually learned that getting water, and being able to turn on the tap and the water is there, that's a privilege. I don't think that we can always (big breath) rely on the idea that government is going to give us water.
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IT’S ABOUT MORE THAN JUST DROUGHT |
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SABC NEWS THEME |
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SABC news https://bit.ly/2EnPKtI |
AUDIO ONLY (00.00): Cape Town is facing a major water crisis, with predictions that taps will run dry in May 2018 and after that…
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SABC news https://bit.ly/2GF1gD1 |
AUDIO ONLY (00.24): …we start anticipating the very real possibility of a Day Zero scenario.
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TV2Africa (VOA)
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AUDIO ONLY (DZ Compile / 4.05): …that’s the date taps are due to run dry.
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SABC news https://bit.ly/2EnhSNu
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AUDIO ONLY (00.05): How did Cape Town get into this water crisis in the first place, and could this all have been averted?
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MUSIC – something Philip Glass-y
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Last year, Cape Town experienced the lowest rainfall since records began in 1933.
The city’s also thirstier than it used to be – the population has increased by a whopping 45% in a little over 20 years.
Ironically, it won an award for water-saving measures designed to keep pace with its growing population.
But government failed to significantly increase the water supply – and despite climate change ringing alarm bells everywhere, it was caught out when the drought struck.
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LINING UP FOR SPRING WATER – FEAR OF DAY ZERO |
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NATSOT RUNNING WATER (4D / 34.39)
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To top up their daily water allowance, some Capetonians come to natural springs like this.
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Share your own personal experiences of drought #DatelineSBS |
MUSIC
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If Day Zero ever happens, the water supply to households will be shut off, and lining up at water stations will be the only way to get water.
The daily ration will be reduced to a meagre 25 litres.
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BLACK WOMAN (6C / 18.24): There was no water the whole day yesterday, and then we find out that there's a place that we can come to fetch water.
AMOS: So you didn't even have water out of your taps yesterday?
Yesterday, the whole day, we didn't even have water in our taps.
AMOS: Was that the first time that had happened?
No, it's not the first time. It's been happening for many times.
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Drastically reduced mains water pressure has already left many households without water.
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AMOS (6C / 18.51): It sounds like Day Zero has already happened at your house.
BLACK WOMAN: Day Zero is already happening. We are not waiting for Day Zero, Day Zero is already happening. We went lot of places to look for water. We, we even went to the beach to fetch some water for the toilet.
AMOS: Some salt water from the beach?
Salt water from the beach just to use for the toilet, so that was not nice. We were looking for water everywhere.
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SUNGLASSES LADY (6C / 9.01): We're here because we try not to use too, too much of the waters out of our taps. We obviously want to keep um, Day…
HUSBAND: …Zero.
LADY: …Day Zero away. We really wouldn't like to be part of, be part of that happening.
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COLORED LADY (6C / 15.32): It’s extremely scary.
(14.38) When you have things that's freely available to you on a daily basis, you don't think, you know, you just still, you do the amount of laundry you do, you open the taps without thinking that this is something that, you know, reality is going to hit you tomorrow.
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MUSIC – DRAMATIC |
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DEPUTY MAYOR – DAY ZERO DETAIL & HOW TO GET MORE WATER |
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MUSIC CONT.
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DEPUTY MAYOR PRESSER (4C / 3.00): I'm Ian Neilson, the Deputy Mayor.
(3.28) We're here to talk about the water situation in Cape Town.
We believe there is still a way to go in terms of getting our consumption down further.
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Despite careful planning, the city’s leaders also fear Day Zero, especially the looming spectre of panic, and even violence.
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DEPUTY MAYOR INTERVIEW (4C / 51.31): Well I think it would very obviously be a very, very severe situation.
(51.44) We understand there are risks of social unrest in those circumstances, of disputes over access to water, over people finding the time to be able to collect that water.
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DEPUTY MAYOR PRESSER (4C / 19.37): We have to keep at it. We cannot relax at this point.
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Inevitably, there’s been a political stoush over the crisis, with national and city governments blaming one another for failing to build more infrastructure.
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DEPUTY MAYOR PRESSER (4C / 25.50): We have to diversify this water supply system. There has to be ground water, there has to be water reuse, there has to be desalination (26.07)
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MUSIC
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There’s been an expensive, last minute scramble to create more water sources, including the construction of desalination plants.
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AMOS (4C / 1.19.28): Do you have any regrets about the way things have been handled?
DEPUTY MAYOR INTERVIEW (4C / 1.19.34): I think we could've started sooner, but it's easy in retrospect. Very easy.
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WATER POLICE |
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Find out more about what’s behind Cape Town’s water crisis sbs.com.au/news/Dateline
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A crisis can bring out the best and worst in people.
On the whole the city has rallied behind the campaign to save water in all kinds of inspiring ways…
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https://bit.ly/2qbvLt9
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UPSOT SHOWER SONG Save the water, shower shorter….
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Local musicians have even recorded a 2-minute song to play in the shower – taps off when the music stops.
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MUSIC – more serious
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But there are always those who flout the restrictions.
This man is committing daylight robbery - a river like this in the middle of the city wouldn’t exist if people were allowed to take the water.
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MUSIC
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UPSOT POLICE BRIEFING (3D / 40.59): Guys, thank you very much for joining us on our water operation again.
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That’s why it’s been necessary for the city to get tough.
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POLICE BRIEFING (3D / 43.51): The water enforcement issue, the restrictions is a very emotional issue for many of the public, so just be sensitive in how you deal with people.
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MUSIC
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OFFICER MAXIM DRIVING AUDIO (4C / 00.50): I'm Officer Maxim. I'm employed by the City of Cape Town as a law enforcement officer.
(1.09) We are water police, enforcing the city's water by-law.
Unfortunately, it's part of human nature, where people will just, use the water as they please.
That is why there is enforcement. (2.52).
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MUSIC
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OFFICER MAXIM AUDIO (2C / 11.30): We’re going to a carwash at the BP garage.
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Carwashes are permitted so long as they don’t use tap water.
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MAXIM GREETS OWNER (2C / 12.36): How is it? Good, good, good.
MAXIM IN AFRIKAANS (2C / 12.39): We’re here to inspect your systems, OK? We know about what happened last time. I hope you’re not using municipal water.
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MUSIC
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MAXIM (2C / 13.02): I'm checking where he is getting his water supply from. As you can see this is the connections over here, (points) this pipe is the municipal supply pipe, but as you can see it's, it's they closed it off, so they are not operating here. But we have to investigate where are they getting the water source from. If you come this way, you can see his tank, they're using this water, they're using these storage tanks to store the water.
AMOS (2C / 13.54): So they're doing the right thing?
MAXIM: They are doing, at the moment they are doing the right thing. So they are very compliant.
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This car wash is using bore water now – but the first time Officer Maxim visited, he slapped them with a $300 fine.
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MUSIC
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AMOS DRIVING (2C / 53.41): When you first started coming around and fining people, were they resistant?
MAXIM DRIVING: They were very resistant.
(54.12) They are swearing at you, they are bad mouthing you, they are calling you all this names and etcetera,
(54.48) They, they didn't understand in the seriousness of the drought. Because they, they will say things like um.. I'm paying for my water, who are you to come give me a fine for, for the water I pay for?
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MUSIC
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I’d been hoping to see Officer Maxim catching people out - but it’s probably a good thing for Cape Town that these days, his job is a lot less confrontational…
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MAXIM AT CARWASH (2C / 23.19): OK, so you have completely disconnected it?
OWNER – Yes
MAXIM AT CARWASH (3C / 23.22): So as you can see, the tap is completely disconnected.
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MAXIM DRIVING (2C / 52.51): I can see there is progress.
AMOS (22.54): People are doing the right thing.
MAXIM People are doing the right thing, there is definitely progress.
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AMOS (2C / 8.14): Your, your job is basically to try and save the city then.
MAXIM: Yes, exactly, so we're superheros (laughs)
AMOS Water super heroes
Water superheros, yeah that's right.
AMOS And it makes you feel good yeah?
- Yes very good.
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(6) HAIRDRESSER |
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MUSIC |
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CHARLENE INTERVIEW (1C / 1.19.29): I'm Charlene Miller. I'm the owner and director of the Charlie's Angels.
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GREETING STAFF (1D / 11.18)
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CHARLENE INTERVIEW: My nickname is actually Charlie. So, hence, the name Charlie's Angels.
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CHARLENE GREETS CUSTOMER (1C / 00.14): Hello Miss Kim, thanks for bringing your water.
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MUSIC
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Perhaps the real water heroes are the people who aren’t just following the rules, they’re going above and beyond in their efforts to save water.
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CHARLENE IN SALON (1C / 1.12): So I’m just going to grab your water and put it by the storage.
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MUSIC |
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Charlene asks her clients to bring their own water – and towels.
The salon relies mostly on donated water on Thursdays and Fridays, which have become “jug and bucket days”.
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POURING WATER INTO DRUM (1D / 13.11 onwards)
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Unless clients have come for a special treatment, Charlene also asks them to wash their hair beforehand.
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CHARLENE INTERVIEW (1C / 1.20.17): Our salon is completely reliant on water. We did have to kind of sit down and look at ways we can start saving water and how we were going to put that into place.
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CHARLENE IN SALON (1C / 29.11): Thank you for your water, my darling, I appreciate it.
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She says at first, clients weren’t sure about the changes, but they got on board once they realised it was otherwise business as usual.
If anything, business has increased as a result of Charlene’s innovations.
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PUMPING SPRAYER (1C / 15.28)
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AMOS (1C / 16.13): What are you using there to pump the water into the sprayer?
CHARLENE IN SALON (1C / 16.16): So that's actually just something that I found out on Facebook.
(16.40) This is what they actually use in the garden for fertilisers and insecticides.
(17.40) So it's actually the garden master power sprayer, (HOLDING BOX) and you can get this at any garden sections at any supermarkets. And in fact it's been almost sold out at every supermarket that you go to, because people are showering with this now.
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AMOS (1C / 1.01.53): I heard that the premier of Cape Province was telling people that they should take oily hair as a badge of honour. Have you heard about this?
CHARLENE IN SALON: I have not. But I'm rolling my eyes, because I'd like to see her come and tell me that. (laughs) I'll explain to her why it's not a good thing at all.
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CHARLENE INTERVIEW (1C / 1.37.55): I'm saying government, "Hello, wake up" because it’s the people on the ground that is actually having to find immediate innovative ideas to save water.
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AMOS (1C / 8.30): It looks like a lot of extra work.
WOMAN POURING WATER: Oh, it’s tiring, ay!
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No one’s forcing Charlene to make these changes – the water restrictions don’t actually apply to businesses like this.
But there’s more at stake for her in this crisis than for most people…
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CHARLENE INTERVIEW (1C / 1.27.04): If Day Zero hits, our business will close. There is just no way that we'd be able to operate at all.
(1.28.21) (shaking head) I don't even want to think about it because we won't be able to feed our families, educate our families; we'll not be able to pay the bills. So, the negative impact on that will just ripple into something else that I don't even really want to think about. But it's a huge possibility.
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IT’S ALREADY DAY ZERO IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS |
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MUSIC
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South Africa is one of the world’s most unequal countries.
Around a quarter of Cape Town’s population live in informal settlements, but they only use 5% of the city’s water.
Every day is Day Zero here.
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MUSIC
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Water and sanitation have always been huge issues in places like Khayelitsha, which is said to be the fastest-growing township in South Africa.
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MUSIC |
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Middle class families might complain about short showers and dying gardens, but people here have to queue for taps and toilets that don’t always work.
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NTHUTHUZELO (6C / 1.17.45): About 50 houses would rely on these taps, even more. Because all this section here doesn't have toilet - doesn’t have taps inside.
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AMOS (6C / 1.28.12): What do you think when you hear people in the city talking about Day Zero?
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NTHUTHUZELO (6C / 1.30.36): Day Zero is not new to people living in informal settlements. People have been carrying bucket on top of their heads, walk long distance, to access water.
(1.31.22) I think it's big to people who
are living comfortably, people who had water in their houses,
AMOS: If it’s not cut off…
(laughs) If it’s not cut off, you know!
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BACK TO MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY |
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MUSIC
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KIDS RUN BATH (5D / 24.00)
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RUTH (7C / 6.20): I think that Day Zero is coming, and I think that as middle class people we are going to have to think about life in a way that poor people have been living for a long time, which is, you have to go with your bucket, and you need to go to the communal tap, and you need to get your water, and so on. And this is how we're going to live. I think that that's how we're going to have to do things.
DAVID: You really think that’s going to happen.
Yeah.
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KIDS IN BATH
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RUTH INTERVIEW (7C / 7.54): One possibility is that we leave Cape Town. One possibility is that we take our kids and put them into a school elsewhere in the country, and just stay there for 6 months…. (cont. below)
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DAVE SCOOPS WATER FROM BATH
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RUTH CONT. FROM ABOVE: …Because we can't actually sit around spending half the day looking for water. We can't do that.
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Story video extras: facebook.com/DatelineSBS |
TIME LAPSE SUNSET (4D / 20.32)
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RUTH INTERVIEW (7C / 24.38): I think Cape Town is like the wake-up call for the world. The rest of the world should wake up and say ok, this is how it's going to be. Which is, a, not just there's not enough water, but rainfall is going to be erratic, it's going to come at the wrong time, it's not going to, you know, water your right crops and so on. So we're in trouble, everyone's in trouble and I think Cape Town is a wake up call for the whole world.
DAVE: We're going to Mad Max 1 and you guys are going to be the sequels. (laughs)
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If there are good winter rains, the city could avoid Day Zero.
In the meantime, the current water restrictions remain in place. |
GRAPHIC: Because at least some rain is expected
in the coming months, Day Zero has been pushed back to next year.
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AD BREAK
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