Hello everyone,

Given the huge impact of the Cape Town Water crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town_water_crisis that has impacted the city for the past few years this year's Wikimania edit-a-thon https://wikimania2018.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_edit-a-thon will have a water sustainability focus. Water sustainability issues for large cities, such as the Cape Town crisis, are likely to become an increasingly common phenomenon https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/cape-town-water-crisis-cities-should-prepare-for-water-scarcity.html around the world in the future.

It will take place at the Cape Town Tourism office in the City Centre http://www.capetown.travel/visitors/plan/information/visitor-centres/right across the road from the Southern Sun Hotel where the conference is happening. From *10:00 to 16:00, 19 July 2018*.

I have just put up the edit-a-thon details onto the pre-conference program. Please sign up if you are interested in attending, it will help give us an idea of how many people will be joining us.

The point person for this event is Rossouw van Rooyen rossouwvr@gmail.com. Rossouw will be present at the event to ensure everyone finds the place and it all goes well. The location is very very nearby to the main venue and so it should not be a problem finding it.

We have teamed up with Cape Town civil society and government to include local water sustainability experts in on this event so Wikipedia editors will have access to expertise on the subject.

Thankfully the water crisis, whilst still a drought, is not a crisis this year due to good rains so far. This means that water situation will not directly impact the conference https://wikimania2018.wikimedia.org/wiki/Water_shortage or the daily lives of the city's residents this year but people are still requested to try and use no more than 50 litres of water a day.

Regards,

Douglas.