The power of water
August 27th 2008 09:48
Category: No Category
As I sit and write this at the kitchen table, I look around and see countless containers full of water. By the sink, on the chopping block and behind me in large buckets on the floor. It is a hot, sunny day here in Istanbul and I am not catching drips from a leaking roof. I frantically filled them up last night as I read an email saying that huge chunks of this sprawling city would be without water for 24 hours.
As many spots around the world struggle with drought and water shortages, putting severe medium and long-term restrictions in place, expecting citizens to obey these new laws, in Turkey they just cut the water off. Last year when it became obvious that water levels were low and unlikely to meet the summer’s demand, signs went up in several parts of Istanbul telling people to have shorter showers. As far as I could tell this was the extent to which the public were actively, or passively, targeted.
I thought about the people where I lived and the fact that many of them did not have showers in their houses, instead making do with rudimentary baths and buckets. I thought about the other ways that water is wasted. I thought about the practices that were already technically illegal that still went on without reprimand. Washing carpets in the street is pretty common sight around here. On hot days, women haul out their floor coverings and spend several hours scrubbing them, hoses running continuously, water gushing down the street. On any day shopkeepers continuously water the path or road in front of their shop to keep dust under control.
Water is the cheapest utility here in Turkey. In comparison to electricity, the cost of which seems to rise monthly, water bills almost slip by without notice. So, why would people willingly cut down their consumption when it seemed, almost, free? Clearly, they will not! So, the next best solution is just to deprive people of water for a period of time. Thankfully these days, it is done in an organised and advertised fashion. In years gone by, I would get up and find the water would just dripping out of the shower hose. Frantic and desperate about not being able to have my morning wake up call, I would ask the neighbours about what was going on. When would the water come back on? No one knew so I would call the water company, sometimes getting a clear answer, sometimes not. One hot, sweaty summer the water disappeared for three days.
The uncertainty of when the water would come back on would mentally paralyse me. I would spend the day almost inert, afraid of expending a dot of energy and working up the tiniest beads of perspiration. But as I said, these days the limits are defined, my buckets are filled and my mind does not seize and cease to function.
As many spots around the world struggle with drought and water shortages, putting severe medium and long-term restrictions in place, expecting citizens to obey these new laws, in Turkey they just cut the water off. Last year when it became obvious that water levels were low and unlikely to meet the summer’s demand, signs went up in several parts of Istanbul telling people to have shorter showers. As far as I could tell this was the extent to which the public were actively, or passively, targeted.
I thought about the people where I lived and the fact that many of them did not have showers in their houses, instead making do with rudimentary baths and buckets. I thought about the other ways that water is wasted. I thought about the practices that were already technically illegal that still went on without reprimand. Washing carpets in the street is pretty common sight around here. On hot days, women haul out their floor coverings and spend several hours scrubbing them, hoses running continuously, water gushing down the street. On any day shopkeepers continuously water the path or road in front of their shop to keep dust under control.
Water is the cheapest utility here in Turkey. In comparison to electricity, the cost of which seems to rise monthly, water bills almost slip by without notice. So, why would people willingly cut down their consumption when it seemed, almost, free? Clearly, they will not! So, the next best solution is just to deprive people of water for a period of time. Thankfully these days, it is done in an organised and advertised fashion. In years gone by, I would get up and find the water would just dripping out of the shower hose. Frantic and desperate about not being able to have my morning wake up call, I would ask the neighbours about what was going on. When would the water come back on? No one knew so I would call the water company, sometimes getting a clear answer, sometimes not. One hot, sweaty summer the water disappeared for three days.
The uncertainty of when the water would come back on would mentally paralyse me. I would spend the day almost inert, afraid of expending a dot of energy and working up the tiniest beads of perspiration. But as I said, these days the limits are defined, my buckets are filled and my mind does not seize and cease to function.
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