Plain tap water a resource to be cherished
There’s so many services we take for granted in our daily lives that it’s only when we lose access to them that we really appreciate how important they are.
This thought crossed my mind when the water supply to my home was cut off for a few hours last week. Fortunately our property management company always provides sufficient advance notice, so there’s enough time to prepare before the taps run dry — by filling every available receptacle.
That was fine: I was prepared well in advance. But then one begins to think about practical issues, such as how long I would have to cope without having access to a shower — a particularly vital issue considering the daytime temperatures had been well into the 30s.
Fortunately the cutoff of the water supply did not last for long, and water was flowing again by midafternoon. Everything was back to normal.
However, incidents like that do really focus the mind. They make you think just how much you rely on these essential services, and make you start thinking about just how you would (or perhaps wouldn’t) cope if, one day, one of these essentials (water, gas or electricity) went off and just never came back on again.
How would we cope without a direct supply of water pumped to our homes? Well, maybe it would involve a journey to a nearby standpipe or a water supply truck. It would certainly involve carrying around heavy containers and would mean storing them in your home. It would also spell the end of just frittering water away with every flush of the lavatory or rinse of a cup. Actually having to carry the water and storing it in our homes would really bring home the fact that piped-in water is a resource to be treasured. Like everything else, there is no never-ending supply.
The next time you idly let a tap run down the drain, bear in mind that at least 1-in-10 of our fellow humans on this planet don’t even have safe drinking water, never mind a bathroom, or even a simple tap.
And if you don’t have access to a direct, piped supply of water, there is the issue of getting it from the source.
Inadequate sanitation and a lack of water traps women, particularly, in a cycle of poverty worldwide. They are disproportionately affected by any water crisis, as they are often responsible for collecting it. This means they have less time for other vitally important aspects of life, such as work, education and looking after their families.
In fact, women in Africa spend an average of six hours a day collecting water. And it's not just the time, it’s the energy involved.
These are points to ponder the next time you’re tempted to complain about the water being cut off for a few measly hours.