Turning off taps for the islands
Wellingtonian Paula Feehan thinks the craft beer bottles she has lying around at home will come in handy next week.
Aro Valley resident Feehan will fill them up with water to go a full 24 hours without turning on her taps as part of the inaugural Oxfam Taps Off challenge - which is open to anyone in the country.
Taps Off encourages Kiwis to turn off their taps to raise funds for Pacific communities struggling to access clean drinking water.
Feehan, the Advocacy and Campaigns Director at Oxfam New Zealand, visited Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam struck the country and witnessed first hand the struggle to get clean drinking water.
The challenge starts at midnight on March 22 and for 24 hours participants will not be able to use taps at home, work or anywhere else, but will be allowed to prepare beforehand.
Feehan has a game plan for those in her household - herself, her husband and cat Dougal. ‘‘Preparation is key,’’ she said. ‘‘As a proud Wellingtonian I’ll be using my craft beer empties, as well as jugs and buckets, to store my water for the day.’’
She has started stockpiling water and estimates the household will use about 14 litres of water for the challenge - four for cooking, four for drinking and six for washing.
‘‘As this is a day of cutting back and really experiencing what it is like to not live with eas- ily accessible water – we are going to try and be as frugal as possible.
‘‘For one day we will not be indulging in a full shower - more like a hospital bath.’’
While in Vanuatu, Feehan watched women and girls spend hours each day collecting water that was often not safe to drink.
People could pledge $10 to the campaign to register, but $75 funded a new tap stand in Vanuatu, Feehan said.
Money pledged towards the event will go to Oxfam’s water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
‘‘Most of us don’t even think about what it’d be like not to have an endless supply of this lifegiving liquid at our fingertips.’’ Oxfam New Zealand spokesperson Charlene Fitisemanu said.
However many Pacific neighbours weren’t so lucky and spent hours travelling each day to reach a water source which might not be clean, she said.
To take part in the Taps Off Challenge, register at tapsoff.org.nz.