Where water flows with reckless abandon
It’s early in the morning and as I reverse my car out of my driveway my eyes are privy to the scenes that take place on my quiet street at this hour. For reasons I will never be able to understand, all the residents of the street I live on have parked their cars out on the street side as opposed to in their driveway. Their drivers or car cleaners are partaking in the daily ritual of cleaning the cars. Some have water flowing through garden hoses while others have buckets of water and other equipment lying around as they get down to the business of washing the car down and cleaning the tires. With every household down the street partaking in the same ritual, there is a stream of water which flows down the street. Water on the street being a daily issue, especially on streets which haven’t been made well to begin with, causes damage to the road with the end result being, potholes and broken pieces of tar stripping themselves off the road.
Forward to the end of the day. It’s late at night and I am returning home. As I am about to turn into my driveway, I see leaking water flowing out from the neighbors water line. The city water supply flows well through the night. Any leak in anyone’s line and excess water flows out onto the streets adding to the possibility of more road damage to the already broken road.
Whose responsibility is it and why must we suffer has been a question which has haunted generations of residents in this beloved city of mine. No one ever takes responsibility and the citizens have become careless refraining themselves from having any civic sense or responsibility to at least maintain the affairs of their own homes. If everyone is partaking in the same activities then why shouldn’t we?
Once a year World Water Day rolls around and we read all kinds of articles regarding the imminent water scarcity issues the globe will face. We all talk about it for a day or two and then return to our lives which are filled with irresponsible practices. Can we focus on the ways we can improve our own use of water in our homes? Can we make the changes necessary to reduce wastage of water and recycle water where possible? Can we do our own little part in changing the daily rituals that take place on the streets where we live? Can we at least ensure water from our homes does not leak out?
We are one year away from the United Nations prediction that by 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed conditions. The truth is we already live in such conditions and we are turning a blind eye to this grave reality. We already face enough issues that result from lack of enough water flowing through our water lines.
The next time we feel the need to quench our thirst, can we acknowledge the value of every drop of water that plays such a vital role in our healthy existence? World Water Day may have passed but the issues the world faces with water remain. Paying heed to those issues is imperative. Can we step outside our homes and ensure no water flows with reckless abandon?