Prepare for Water Day Zero

Last year，Cape Town said it was facing Water Day Zero．That was the date when the city's taps would go dry．It was first expected to arrive in April，2018． Thanks to hard efforts and a rainy season，it has been put off（推迟）．（1） 　 　．And it may hit cities all over the world．

How did Cape Town get into a Water Day Zero situation？The city gets its water from six reservoirs（水库）．They usually fill up during the rainy season，from May through August．However，since 2015，the city had been suffering from its worst drought（旱灾）in a century．（2） 　 　．Even worse，Cape Town's population grew greatly．As a result，the need for water rose．

（3） 　 　Because of climate change，serious droughts are becoming more and more common．At the same time，people are moving to cities．The United Nations says by 2050，two thirds of the world's population will live in cities．Since 2014，southeastern Brazil has been suffering from its worst water shortage in 80 years．In Mexico City，many of the 21 million people only have running water for half of the day．

Luckily，steps can be taken to avoid water crises（危机）．To start with，all of us can do something to save water and slow down climate change．（4） 　 　At the same time，water pollution must be stopped．

The world now has a chance to stop a series of Water Day Zero crises． If we don't act，many cities may soon face a time when there isn't a drop to drink．

A．Cape Town is not alone． B．The serious situation seems to be improved． C．Water levels in the reservoirs became very low． D．Cities can build more water﹣recycling factories． E．However，the problem is very likely to appear again． F．More and more countries are paying attention to the problem．