Prime
Living and loving it: The things scarcity can make you do
A woman bathing.
What you need to know:
- We went about business as usual. And then three weeks into the problem, the NWSC tank run empty, when someone was in the middle of their shower, all soaped up! How convenient!
- I managed the amount of water our daughter used to bathe by measuring and pouring it for her in the basin
It is amazing the things scarcity can make you do. Our neighbourhood did not have running water for about three weeks. We did not know of this crisis in our house until one week into the problem. This is because we have two 1,000 litre water tanks at home. One stores water provided by NWSC which water we use in the bathrooms and kitchen. The other harvests rain water and we use that for doing the laundry, mopping the floors and other activities outside the house. So while our neighbours were upset and wringing their hands in frustration, we went about our merry ways, unaware, until the hubby was alerted on the neighbourhood WhatsApp group about the matter.
On learning about the information we first patted ourselves on the back for having ensured we have capacity to store water that can take us for up to three weeks. Then we started praying and hoping the problem would be fixed before our taps run dry. For some reason, we did not think to ration and start using the precious resource carefully – I am not even sure why. We went about business as usual. And then three weeks into the problem, the NWSC tank run empty, when someone was in the middle of their shower, all soaped up! How convenient!
There were many things to be thankful for. We still had plenty of water in the rainwater tank. Also, it being the rain season, we knew that even if we used more than usual from that tank, it would keep being replenished.
After being thankful, I decided it was time to start measuring carefully, the amounts of the suddenly precious liquid we were using. Buckets, jerricans and bottles were brought out and filled with water. I started checking all these regularly to make sure that water was being used considerately. One evening, I asked the house-help to remove some rain water she had put in a one-litre bottle and replace it with boiled water. She started pouring the water into the sink and I almost had a fit! I asked her not to pour anything away and to instead put it in a saucepan or bucket and it would be used for something else. Both she and our daughter looked at me like I was growing a second head. But I was adamant. We had to use what we had sparingly. My next victim was the hubby. I had left a full 20 litre jerrycan in the bathroom. I thought he would use half or maybe two thirds of it to bathe. When I went to check, it was empty.
Staring at him incredulously, I asked, “You use a full 20-litre jerrycan of water to bathe?!”
“I have also just discovered that myself,” he said with a cheeky smile.
This was not going to be an easy job. Nevertheless I soldiered on. I told the help that the water she had used to rinse the clothes could be used to mop the floors. I managed the amount of water our daughter used to bathe by measuring and pouring it for her in the basin. I made sure all the dirty dishes after a meal were put in the sink for washing at the same time and not taken or washed at leisure.
On the third day, I was still thinking of more ways to ration and save, when hubby announced that the NWSC had sorted the problem out, late in the night. Minutes later, we heard the toilet cisterns filling with water. I sighed with relief. The rest of the family was probably secretly sighing with relief that the “harassment” from me would stop.
I am thankful for the neighbourhood group committee that worked hard to get the problem sorted out even if it took weeks. Otherwise we might have gone months without flowing water. But I am now also beginning to wonder if we can indeed use less than we are doing, and chop a few shillings off our bill.
The hubby’s thoughts? I am overdoing it.
My thoughts? He will be fine.
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