Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Value of H2O

Living without running water from the tap for the past two weeks or a functioning borehole (since I've been at site) has given me a new appreciation for the clean, readily available water I enjoyed and took for granted stateside. Residents have to walk 2km each day to the community well just to retrieve a gerrycan of water. To cook their food. To drink. To bathe. To launder their clothing. To clean. I am fortunate because my organization hires a worker to retrieve enough water for everybody at site, so I don't have to make the daily hike.

Nevertheless, living on a limited water supply has guiltily reminded me that while there is a dearth of clean, accessible water in Uganda, thousands and thousands of gallons of water are simultaneously wasted everyday in the States. I was certainly guilty of contributing to this. For one, I am considering just continuing to bucket bathe after the conclusion of my service. Or at least take shorter showers.

How else can we limit our water usage? By using less toilet paper, thus flushing less. By not aimlessly leaving the water on at innopportune times. By using the dishwasher sparingly/"as-needed". By preventing water pollution. By educating other people about water wastage.

Let's all make a concerted effort to, at the very least, be cognizant of our water usage, and if possible, limit our water consumption.

Just a thought.

No comments:

Post a Comment