(CNN)In Cape Town, South Africa, they're calling it "Day Zero" -- the day when the taps run dry.

A few days ago, city officials had said that day will come on April 22. This week, they moved up the date to April 12. Cape Town is South Africa's second-largest city and a top international tourist draw. Now, residents play a new and delicate game of water math each day. They're recycling bath water to help flush toilets. They're being told to limit showers to 90 seconds. And hand sanitizer, once somewhat of an afterthought, is now a big seller. "Unwashed hair is now a sign of social responsibility," resident Darryn Ten told CNN. People collect drinking water from pipes fed by an underground spring in St. James, about 25 kilometers from the city center of Cape Town.

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