News of the water

August 13, 2007
An official report at last on the water situation at camp and in Pinalejo. A committee from Pinalejo stopped by camp yesterday to talk with Wes about the water problems. They said that they do not have plans to take more water from the creek, nor does the next town from here. That is good news because it means that the creek should continue as it is with its water level fluctuating only according to the season and rainfall.

The shortage of water remains an issue though and the town is looking to pipe water from somewhere 7km away – an expensive endeavor. At camp we have a steady water supply most of the time, but we are attempting to ration the water like the town and only have the water on for 4 hours a day. The Williamsons, having lived in the town for a year, are experienced at conserving water and living with it for only a few hours. I should be able to adjust my schedule accordingly though it does mean changing hours that I work at times so that I can get a few household chores done while we have fresh water. The rest of the day I will live out of water from buckets. (I should not have to master the art of carrying water on my head from the creek so that is a good thing). For the Honduran staff who have become accustomed to having water at their fingertips whenever, the idea of conservation and rationing does not seem to be as agreeable. Even in the town when the water is on, it is wasted so the idea of conservation has not really taken root. People leave the tap running continually, wash their cars, and do whatever else. In a sense that defeats the purpose of having it rationed in the first place. So somehow, starting on camp with the staff we have here, we want to begin teaching the idea of conserving the water even when it is in “abundance.” And yes that means that I need to practice what I preach and find ways to use a minimal amount of water when washing the dishes even when there is water in the tap. I realized that it takes time though because last Friday evening there was no water and I had lots of dishes and the cleaning process took much longer than usual.

At camp we still have to decide what to do about the water situation too, whether to put in a well or rely on the water we have. It will probably take a while to consider all of the options but I am thankful that we will still have a creek. I definitely need to learn to not believe everything that I hear.