A major South African city is facing a once-in-a-millennium disaster as it runs out of water - photos show how dangerously low the levels have gotten

Associated Press

Cape Town's main water supply is running dry, at the Theewaterskloof dam.

A beloved coastal city on the southern tip of Africa is months away from running out of fresh water.

Cape Town is rapidly draining its remaining freshwater resources, and soon its biggest dam, the Theewatersklooof, will be bone dry.

Some residents have started coming up with new ways to meet their water needs as the region struggles through its third year of drought. Many who can afford to do so have started digging private backyard wells. Others are carrying jugs to local breweries, where beer-makers have begun to share the spring water they normally use to make more potent drinks.

Those efforts seem to be working, at least a little. The city recently pushed back it's 'Day Zero' target from April to May, which means the roughly 4 million Capetonians will have another month of running water before the city's reservoirs get so low that most taps will be shut off. But the dams are still draining, and with no substantial rainfall in the forecast, time is running out.

This batch of aerial photos shows how the crisis has unfolded.