QUOTE:
‘When the well is dry, we’ll know the worth of water.’ – Founding Father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin
I have lived in Kuching for over 40 years and I never faced a serious water disruption problem until last Wednesday.
In my neighbourhood, there was no running water from around 10 am until 10 pm.
The regular water supply to my home and housing area was interrupted suddenly without prior notice from the Kuching Water Board, leaving my neighbours and I with no access to running water.
Last Wednesday was my day off from work. I planned to clean my house, bathe my dogs and cats, pull the weeds in my garden and cook some special dishes for myself.
When I went out for breakfast that morning with a friend, there was running water in the house. With no prior notice of water disruption, there was no reason for me to store any water in the pails or empty mineral bottles.
When I returned home around 1 pm, I was shocked to discover that all the taps in the house were dry. I could not flush the toilet either.
“What’s happening?” I asked myself. I tried to find out from the internet what was happening to the water supply in my area but the search drew a blank. When I called the Call Centre at Kuching Water Board, the operator told me to WhatsApp a given number. I gave up after that and complained to my son.
He asked me to check with my neighbours and find out whether they were affected by the water disruption problem.
I looked at the house opposite and saw my neighbour was not in.
“I will talk to him when he comes home,” I told myself.
Not long after that, my son sent me a water supply disruption notice from the Kuching Water Board. It had appeared on the board’s website.
According to the notice, the water disruption would be on Wed, Dec 4, from 9.30 am until 5.00 pm that day.
It said the cause of the disruption was “repair of 600mm DI damaged by third party at Jalan Canna, Kuching.”
The affected areas, it said, were “along Jalan Canna, Jalan Keranji, Jalan Bayor Bukit, Jalan Urat Mata, Jalan Wan Alwi, Jalan Song, Jalan Muara Tabuan, Jalan Setia Raja, Jalan Kedandi, Jalan Stutong Jaya, Jalan Usahajaya, Tabuan Park, Tabuan Tranquility, The Northank, Stutong Indah, Emart Tabuan Jaya, Premier Food Republic, TT3Food Court, Tabuan Jaya Polis Komplex, Tabuan Jaya Stutong Market, Stutong Commercial Centre, Tabuan Desa, Tabuan Dusun, Tabuan Laru, Taman Rimba, Taman Rimba Sama Jaya and surrounding areas.” All would be experiencing low water pressure or no water supply.
My initial reaction after reading the long list of affected areas was “Oh, my goodness. So many areas are affected.”
After that, I felt slightly relieved. At least, my neighbours and I were not the only ones suffering.
Since the notice said that the water supply was estimated to return to normal after 5 pm, I went out to buy three big bottles of mineral water from the supermarket in my neighbourhood.
I thought three big bottles of water were enough for cooking and a bit of washing.
At the supermarket, I met an elderly woman who was also shopping for mineral water. She told me that she managed to fill a few pails with water in the morning just before the water supply was completely cut off.
“I went to fill the pails as soon as I noticed the flow of water was erratic. But my grandson used up all the water when he bathed,” she told me. “That is why I am here.”
I laughed when I heard her story. “Boys are boys,” I said to myself.
I learnt two big lessons from the disruption of the water supply to my home last Wednesday.
My first lesson is to never trust the Water Board notices again. It was estimated that the water supply would be back to normal by 5 pm. But that day, there was running water in the tap only after 10 pm.
My second lesson is to save some water from the tap in any empty water bottles, pots or pails.
I stored some water in a white plastic container about half a year ago. Many times I thought of emptying the container.
Last Wednesday, I was glad I didn’t do it. The water was useful for cleaning my hands and a few plates.
My friends, many people tend to take water for granted because it is often readily available and accessible through taps.
Before, I was one of them. Now I am looking at water with appreciative eyes.
