Problems of collecting drinking water in Secunderabad Cantonment area

Problems of collecting drinking water in Secunderabad Cantonment area

We get drinking water supply from Secunderabad Cantonment Board once in three days. It lasts for about two or three hours. On such days we get about 1000 to 1200 liters as against WHO norms of 1800 liters. Nowadays, normally our colony is scheduled to get water by 10:40 am.

It is a bother to collect water. The incoming tap is at 8 feet below ground level. We allow the water to flow into a syntax tank and pump it up to a larger sump. If left unattended, supply may cease and pump will be running dry; if electricity fails at my end syntax tank may overflow. If supply stops abruptly, say no poer supply at SCB end, then water may flow back along the mains and drain out. Pump may require priming at times if the suction pipe is empty. And you have to ensure that someone is available to attend to this task and residents living alone may be house bound for couple of hours. As supply times are erratic, some responsible person from the Colony Resident Welfare Association rings up the water supply gang every third day, ascertains the expected time of supply and informs all residents in the colony via bulk SMS alerts. Sending such SMS helps some people in more than one way. Some crooks who suck water by using pump directly from mains wait for SMS and switch on to illegal pumping immediately. Others nearby - law abiding ones like me - suffer due to low pressure. On days when we have no electricity at our end, as soon as supply starts, we can water gushing with full force and continue like that till electric power resumes!!

In my case I have additional issues to tackle. I am frequently alone and am busy with lot of outdoor work. Collecting water without missing any day would involve going without water for a couple of days.  We have no bore well to supplement the municipal supply. The responsible person mentioned above is I. And my age (I am 76 now) is catching up, I am more and more forgetful – may forget to switch off the pump or allow it run dry, or forget to start the series of operations in time.

I used to fret and fume over all the problems of collecting water. It didn’t help anyone. Then suddenly I drew a comparison to my problem to monthly menstrual cyclic problem of women. Are women not taking it as a matter of routine and go about making all adjustments possible? My water problem is once in three days, ten days in a month, for 3 X 10 hours in all, per month. Women suffer for about three days once a month  Many similarities may be seen:

It may come suddenly
It may stop suddenly
It may be regular or irregular
It may involves messiness
It may make you tense, anxious, apprehensive or moody
It makes take proper action promptly
If you fret about it friends may think you are making much ado about nothing

Even teenage school girls know about Sanitary pads , thanks to Whisper Ads,  and  have learnt how to ensure there is no  visible ‘leakage’ between their butts. Afterall, problems in life, especially those recurring ones, are inevitable. We should learn to suffer and live with it.