Opportunity came gushing in Rondebosch, Cape Town, on Tuesday when a pipe burst, leaving endless litres of water running for hours.
Armed with buckets, Oros bottles and Tupperware, locals caught the water as it streamed down Kromboom Road. The water had been running since the early hours of the morning.
A repair crew on scene said they expected the replacement of the burst pipe to take them the rest of the day.
Gardener Haswell Phili said he grabbed two containers to catch some water when he noticed it streaming down the road.
"This doesn't have to go to waste – there is almost nothing left so we can't let it just run away," he said, clutching about four litres of water.
"It's not super clean, so I can't make a cup of coffee with it, but it's usable. If I use this, my other reusable water can also last longer."
Dams at 26.5%
He does all he can to reduce his water usage, including using his shower water – which he keeps down to a trickle – to flush his toilet.
"Me? I don't have anything to do with water wastage. I do the right thing and I try to save."
Dam levels in the Western Cape are currently at 26.5%, with a slight chance of light rain forecast for the current week.
Dam levels are critically low, and when storage reaches 13.5%, the City will turn off most taps, leaving only vital services with access to water.
The City's previous target was 87 litres per person per day, which it said only 39% of residents were currently adhering to.
On Monday Premier Helen Zille stressed that should all residents keep their water usage below 50 litres per person per day, a disaster could be avoided.
"The dams will turn at 15%. Day Zero will hit when the dams go down to 13.5%, so you can see how narrow the margin is."