Precious Water

What oil is to the far north, water is to the deep south. Granted, you can't run your car on water, nor can you command $125.00 per barrel of water; but, on the other hand, without water you can't irrigate your fields, service your garden, or even perform simple household tasks without water.

Water in the ground must become water out of the ground in order to be useful, via such exciting toys as pumps and pipes. At any given time, when any one of the individual pieces fail, there is a water crisis.

We have are having such a crisis, and it started last past week. When the gurgle becomes a screech, you know you are in trouble. Fortunately for us, we were able to re-route the water from the well to where we could actually still get water into the house, without using the jet pump to bring it in from the cistern.

It is a temporary fix, but at least I can now take care of all the personal affects, namely washing, brushing, shaving, and showering. Not that you care, but you might if you had to sit beside me on a bus for a few hours.

My point? I have learned (or perhaps I am still learning) that we tend to take our easy access to plenty of water for granted. With this current setback, I have found that I don't run the tap like I once did; I am selective in how much water to use when washing the dishes. (I even offered to not brush my teeth for a while, but that idea was shot down.)

Water in the third world is literally a matter of life and death. From my perspective, those who go into these countries as what we call missionaries would be well-advised to have some well-digging, water-cleansing techniques up their sleeve. I think it would advance their cause: They might save some bodies as well as some souls!

Until we are faced with a water crisis on a personal – not national – level, we probably won't buy into what wags call a water conservation programme. We have to personally be confronted with bad water, limited water, or, heaven forbid, no water at all, before we act more responsibly. We have heard for years how we must cut down on water consumption, but few of us ever act on it. Water meters, one of life's ultimate intrusions, would be one way to go, but who really wants that?

I am not sure if the alarmists are right when they speak of a coming water shortage, presented generally in the same breath with the alleged global warming crisis. The trouble is, like the boy who cried 'wolf' too many times, we may discover that there is some truth to some of these warnings – but it may be perilously late by then. I think we could avert some of the problem by acting (= washing, brushing, shaving, and showering) in a prudent manner now.

I suggest that we should at least enjoy the ease with which get our water. Many of our grandparents used outhouses, drew water from outside cisterns, and showered irregularly due to lack of facilities. They knew little else, to be sure, but at least they survived.

In the meantime, I have a few plans to conserve water. Shave using water leftover from cooking your vegetables: You will then have that natural fragrance, with Eau d'Veggie Tales as aftershave. Drink rainwater after you have distilled it; it will turn that outside feeling to an inside one. And shower less, but use deodorant more; it may not help you, but it will certainly help the local economy.

For myself, I brush my teeth now when I have a shower. I tried it recently, but I got the Crest and Pert mixed up: Now my bald spot is pearly-white and I have no dandruff in my gums.