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Invest in our planet
By: Vanessa von Mollendorf
Free coloring page courtesy of Super Color
On 16 March 2024 urgent meetings were held in my municipality with Rand Water (our
water utility company) and local government officials. We have been informed that our
reservoirs are only 30% full. This is not due to lack of rainfall, but to loadshedding. The
insufficiency of constant electricity has a domino effect. Pumps at the reservoirs cannot keep
up (during non-load shedding hours) in the ongoing heatwave which has seen temperatures
soar to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) and above. We have been notified that, to prevent
the entire collapse of the system, we have to implement water restrictions effective
immediately. Watering gardens, filling pools and washing vehicles with a hosepipe is likely
to lead to a hefty fine. Clothes can be washed once a week (economy wash cycles are
advised) and shorter showers are the order of the day. However, half of our water that goes
into the system is lost due to leaks which both local municipalities and Rand Water have left
unattended for quite some time. Not such a shocking piece of news as you might imagine
given the fact that pockets are being lined instead of investing in our ailing infrastructure.
Vandalism, theft and increasing demand as a result of urbanization has led to the perfect
storm.
Water is such a precious commodity. It pours from the sky by grace alone. We are powerless
in its presence or lack thereof. In times of drought, we cannot force it by sheer will alone to
start raining. When our low-lying bridges flood, which often happens in my neck of the
woods, we cannot say thanks, but no more please. It has always fallen on our heads like a
blessing.
We open a tap and water flows from it. We dive into the cool blue depths of a sparkling pool
in summer, we sit in the shade of a willow tree and allow the murmuring of a river to wash
over us filling us with peace, we water our gardens and watch the earth drink it thirstily- our
plants flourish under its gentle touch, we walk side by side under a red umbrella as the streets
glisten with a kiss of moisture.
We watch, filled with horror as turbulent rivers, which have burst their banks playfully toss a
two-ton vehicle around. The news inundates us with images of tarmac broken up by the
water’s force or houses disappearing into sinkholes and mudslides; of children and adults
tossed aside like dolls in its wake.
Can we live without it? Three days as a general rule of thumb as water carries out all our
essential functions, such as balancing temperature and keeping cells alive. Andreas
Mihavecz, however was left locked in a police cell for eighteen days and forgotten about. He
survived. Fascinating, right? I won’t be putting it to the test anytime soon though.
Here clouds are building where once there were clear blue skies. I am watching them with a
newfound respect. When the drops eventually fall, I will be standing outside, allowing them
to anoint my head with their heaven-sent balm, never to be taken for granted again.
John 4:13-14
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