A few weeks ago, I had boasted about how I make pasta from scratch when I am 'too tired' to cook a proper meal. This week, I realised that this only applies to physical tiredness.I have been soul-tired for the last few days. And this has meant no posting, no keeping in touch with friends, no housekeeping, and store-bought patties for lunch.
Why the tiredness? I don't know. Or at least, I find it difficult to pick out a single reason. The Mangalore plane crash. Work. The heat. The lack of water. People watering down their concrete paths in spite of the lack of water. People refusing to consider demand management as an option. A colleague was complaining of being forced to use only one bucket of water for his bath! That is a luxury for most people!
But today, I was vindicated in a way. There are three households in the complex where I live. For the last two days, the others have been lugging up buckets of water because their taps are running dry. I turn on the tap with abandon..or atleast, as much abandon as I normally exercise when it comes to water. The nice man who is the Man Friday of the establishment told me that he would help me carry the buckets up, and was amazed when I thanked him, but refused and explained that I have water in my taps.
The reason? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
I do the first two zealously.
Reduce: Bathe in a half-bucket of water. It gets one just as clean as the three buckets a colleague was boasting of using. Shut the tap while brushing teeth, scouring dishes.
Reuse: Use laundry water (wash and first rinse) for flushing, mopping. Second rinse goes to the plants. Shanpoo under the tap, use the water for mopping. The water in which beans and dals have been soaked goes to the plants- they don't worry about flatulence!
As for the third, I have heard of peeing on plants, but I ain't going there!
Demand Management. A good mantra to live by.
A Tidy Site is a Safe Site
1 week ago
2 comments:
yes, the Mangalore crash- i landed on the same place exactly one month before the -22nd April-
and photos of charred bodies of kids...
concrete paths- and in my town-cars!
and concrete courtyards-
and washing of balconies
and parking lots!
just a few kms outside Pune, women walk miles for a kalshi full of drinking water-
than you for those things you do-
dal washed water for plants- i do everyday
and brushing-
and economical baths-
though not the shampooing as yet, but my partner and i make it a point to be careful with water-
for an emotional reason-
my sister works hard to save water, to see that everybody gets a little water..
Sadly, I had not heard about the crash, but I have been away from TV and news for weeks now.
You and my friend Margaret in Adelaide, Australia would get on quite well. Here is her website if you would like to check it out:
http://www.users.on.net/~arachne/
In her little house, she rarely uses tap ("mains") water for anything, and she DOES recycle her urine for her garden (diluted with rain water). She told me once I could stay with her if I visired if I didn't mind being with someone who slept in their kitchen and peed in the garden!
I've taken a fine bath in 1/2 gallon of water so know it can be done.
Very interesting post, thank you!
GG
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