Realities of WATER Conservation

 I am thankful to have 2 water barrels at the house.  However they were put up during the dry season which is still with us. So before the 10 visitors came, we rushed a water tanker to fill both barrels to the brim.  It is now 3 weeks since they left and there is only 1% of one tank left for me to use until the next rains come - estimated at two weeks away.  Imagine cooking for ten visitors and bathing and washing clothes for 5. I am seriously praying the rains come soon!!!  For water conservation I am no longer heating any bath water but using that only for drinking. Then boiling food only once a day. Not mopping, and waiting to do laundry until a good rain storm!!   Some people say the rains won’t be here until March, which of course is 13 days away – seems like forever.  But the clouds are already beginning to form and it has threatened to rain – a few sprinkles - 3 times now since last week.  We could order another water tanker, but it costs a lot and just seems unrealistic for just me at the house for the next month and with the rains coming soon enough.  Today, for the first time in my life, I paid someone to "fetch" 4 jerrycans (10 gallon plastic drums) of water from the borehole 500 meters away.  He had a boda (motorcycle) and it cost me 1 dollar.  Hopefully this will last at least 2 days, 3 if I don't do laundry. And I promise to bath every day (I love my bucket baths!).

second graders waiting in line to receive a empty used water bottle

getting a lesson by headmistress Lydia about water and pronunciation of "bottle"

kneeling to headmistress Lydia as a sign of respect and gratitude

they now have bottles to carry water in to have at school every day

even the boxes are re-used as rubbish bins in the classrooms

 Did I mention I am really looking forward to gardening once the rains come??  Everything grows so fast here it’s exciting!  The other 10 visitors also had some water trouble, we couldn’t boil and filter water fast enough so they unfortunately had to buy a bunch of water bottles, which I gave to the second grade students at Kasiisi today to bring home to fill with water for their next day at school. They can be used for many other things too; nothing here goes to waste, not even the cardboard boxes that the water came in. Those will become rubbish bins in the classrooms.  Empty paint cans can also be used for rubbish bins, planters, etc.

Well I hope you all are doing well. I hear the weather back home is a mild winter.  That’s a relief!

Thanks for tuning in once again to Amy Akiiki’s blog and by the way, HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!