The "Problema de Água"

Something that became immediately evident when we arrived in Namaacha was the difference in our relationship with water here versus the US. I have lived all my life with clean, potable water just a turn of the faucet away. I remember having conversations in elementary school about the importance of conserving water and being a little confused as to why we had to worry about our water supply. It wasn't like leaving the tap on meant it would suddenly stop running. Looking at a globe that was mostly blue, it seemed like lack of water was about the least important problem we might face. And saving the rainforest was way sexier back then anyway.

As I got older, I came to understand the problems that many parts of the world face for want to clean water and irrigation. On an intellectual level, at least. I was still never more than a flick of the wrist away from a seemingly endless supply of clean water, however.

Here, the situation is a little different. Here, when there isn't rain, tanks and wells run dry. The omnipresent machambas, or small subsistence farms, whither. Right now it is raining. Pouring, actually. There has been thunder and lightning all night and the power cuts off and back on every half hour or so. Tomorrow, the roads will be full of mud and the walk to class will be an adventure unto itself. But since my host mom spent my first two weeks here dealing with the "problema da agua," I am thrilled that the rain has come.

Even when the tanks are full, water here is a constant concern. Water has to be hauled in giant buckets into the house and stored in a huge barrel. Every morning, I heat a kettle of water on the stove for my bath, then carry the bucket of steaming water to the bathroom where I mix it with cool water until the temperature is perfect. Instead of standing under a steady stream of hot water until I am awake enough to begin washing, I carefully use each cupful, making sure I have enough left at the end of my bath to wash my smaller pieces of clothing.

Water for drinking is an even more precious commodity. Peace Corps provided us each with a large, fantastic filter. All drinking water must first be boiled, then cooled completely before it is filtered. I never leave the house without my 1 liter Nalgene filled. Even when brushing my teeth, I use the boiled and filtered water.

When we wash dishes, we fill two bowls, one with soapy water and the other for rinsing. When the dishes are done, we dump the wash water and refill that bowl with the rinse water. Rarely is a drop wasted.

I have only been here a month and I already cringe at the thought of my lifelong habits of leaving a faucet running or turning on the shower and walking away for a few minutes while the water heats up. A lifetime of after-school specials couldn't communicate the message conveyed by the women hauling buckets every day here.