Taking Water For Granted

Water used as 'art.'

There’s no water!

You don’t know what you look like when you say that and it’s an image that cannot be captured in a selfie. It’s one of shock and anger, as the tap gurgles, ‘Sorry man.’ You’re so mad you forget to close the tap. Water comes back after four hours and you’re not home. Flooding, and you have no insurance.

There’s no water, is the end of the world in entitlement countries like Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, U.S. and continents like Europe. That is not the case in other parts of the world, where people worship the rain, not Wi-Fi.

 Water has to be collected from somewhere away from the house. There’s a time for going to streams, rivers and waterfalls, and it’s usually early morning before the sun stretches, like peacocks displaying their finery.

In credit card countries, there’s no water shifts the blame to somebody else, usually your municipality. Maybe there was a notice under your door or in the mailbox telling you that water will the switched off Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. You didn’t read it because you hate junk mail. 

We feel that we are entitled to water. It’s like the air we breathe. We thought it should be there, ought to be there. It is there alright, but has a virus, COVID-19. It can also happen to water, available but not fit for human consumption. Solution? We’ll wear water masks, reminiscent of Covid-19. That’s ludicrous, masks for polluted water?

Yes why not? Climate change is a farce, isn’t it?

Nonqaba waka Msimang

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