Cape Town prays for rain

Drought-stricken city holds interfaith prayer service for rain.

Cape Town held an interfaith religious service on Table Mountain on 25 May, with prayers calling for rain as the Western Cape grapples with the worst drought in a century.

The service was attended by Cape Town's mayor Patricia de Lille who said the city was suffering the "harsh impacts of climate change."

Following months of no rainfall and increasingly strict water regulations, the city has begun using its last 10 per cent of potable water reserves, expected to supply its four million residents for between 11 and 14 weeks.

Mayor de Lille has appealed to Cape Town residents to not use more than 100 litres of water per person, per day. She said the city is moving to "Level Four" water restriction regulations, with a daily collective usage target of 600 million litres.

As the crisis continues, residents have been banned from watering their gardens and topping up their swimming pools, while additional city staff have been hired to deal with leaks in the water system.