The preparation of water collection sites in Nelson Mandela Bay's 'red zone' serves as a stark reminder of what residents are increasingly likely to face in the next few months as the city's water resources dwindle to crisis point.

On Monday morning, Nelson Mandela Bay's director of bulk water supply, Joseph Tsatsire, had grim news.

The Impofu Dam, predicted to run dry in July, had fallen to such low levels that the barge pumps were sucking in mud. No water could be extracted.

That left the city with the Churchill Dam, expected to fail in 11 days; the Loerie Dam, with 37 days of water left; the small Groendal Dam with water for 168 days, but it supplies only a small part of the metro; and the Nooitgedacht Scheme, where long delays in building infrastructure have made it impossible for the city to extract all the water it needs.

"This is a very tricky time in the life of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro," said Luvuyo Bangazi, Mandela Bay Development Agency spokesperson, who has been appointed to handle communication on the water crisis.

While some rain has been predicted for the metro on Wednesday, it's not likely to have much...