Photography

Somoe Mohammed gathers water at sunset in the village of Usuru, Tanzania. I was in Tanzania working on a story about man eating lions and learning that sunrise and sunset are very dangerous times to gather water and be outside because of lion attacks. Women and girls are disproportionately responsible for gathering water, a task which is time consuming and here, even be dangerous, especially as water becomes more scarce as a result of climate change.
Cape Town is making headlines this week because it is increasing expected to face a "Day Zero" in April, when water will be shut off to residents and businesses, and the city's 4 million residents will be forced to obtain water from 200 water stations. Cape Town is not the only major city currently facing water shortages and even similar situations in the future. According to National Geographic, Mexico City, Melbourne, Australia, Jakarta, Sao Paolo and a number of major Indian cities are all facing or have recently faced severe water shortages.