Amazing news!
We got our water pump installed last night!
We live on the fourth floor of a five floor building. I find it hard walking up the 8 flights of stairs every afternoon so it is no wonder the water supply finds it difficult reaching our flat. Our water supply was gravity fed. Which means that the supply of water for our flat is higher up than our flat and the water comes to our apartment by the efforts of gravity. It's a system that was harnessed very well in Roman times. Being able to use gravity to provide water under pressure was excellent engineering about 2000 years ago. But the problem with gravity feed is that it isn't that great when you live on the 4th floor. By the time the water reaches our flat there isn't enough water pressure, and, of course there are 2 other families in our building who get the water before we do. By the time the water has enough pressure to push up past the lower floors and the other families using the water supply it is about 9pm-10pm at night.
Now, I'm a school teacher and science is one of my favourite subjects, so I have a link here to a great little Youtube video that shows a simple science experiment explaining the height/ water pressure scientific principles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVr6-x4vbRk
Now, as I said, the water wasn't coming on until about 9pm at night. Most of the time it was the taps that are lower down that got the water first. We leave a tap open so that when the water comes we are ready for it.
Nothing at first, then a little trickle...stop. Then another trickle....stop. Then a slow flow with very little pressure. If I put the plug in the sink I might be able to wash the dishes in about 20 minutes. Then by about 10pm, the pressure increases some more. Enough to start filling my twin tub washing machine, but not enough to fill my hot water system, which is in a very high position because the hot water is gravity feed too.
So I put some water in the sink, fill the kettle and the washing machine and I can start the house work. By the time I finish it's about 1am in the morning, if I have a couple of loads to do. You can imagine that waking up at 6:30am to go to work is very difficult. I know the bags under my eyes are starting to make me look older. When Mena gets home from work at about 2am, he fills some water bottles and buckets with water so that we have water for cooking and washing the next day.
I shouldn't whinge though, my neighbour downstairs has problems with her water too, however, she has a 5 month old baby and a small boy...what a nightmare!
When I first moved in I was told there was a problem with the water supply in town. "Don't worry, as soon as Ramadan is finished the water supply will be fixed". I have no idea what the Muslim time of fasting has to do with our water supply, but when Ramadan was over it got better for about a week then got worse.
WE NEED A PUMP! STAT!
Now my Mena is a resourceful kind of guy. When there is something to be bought or a deal to be made, Mena knows someone, who is the cousin for someone who is the sister for someone who is married to someone else, and one of those people will lend a hand or do a deal or do a trade. This is how we got our air-conditioner for the lounge room and this is how we got our water pump, and lets just say we didn't pay nearly as much as we should have.
Ok, we have a pump, but, like I say to Mena being awake doesn't mean you are up out of bed. Likewise, having a pump doesn't mean it's installed and we have water.
So a week (or so) later, last night infact, our glorious fire engine red water pump was installed. I mention the colour because we all know that anything painted red goes fast and now our water comes out of our taps so quickly and with such great water pressure. What a happy night, because not only did we have great water pressure, but we also had loads of hot water. No more bucket showers for me. We have come a long way from Roman times.
How will this change our lifestyle here? In so many ways, I can cook diner and wash the dishes straight away. I can do all the house work and have it finished before 6pm. With a clean house and all the work completed early I can take on some extra work tutoring in the evenings. (I mean I could do that anyway, but I never really felt like inviting people into my home while there were dirty dishes lying in the sink). It won't take so long to fill the washing machine so washing will be done quicker. No more collecting water in water bottles and storing them on the kitchen benches. No more collecting water in buckets and keeping them in the bathroom. I can get my housework done and go to bed early each night.
I know when friends of mine hear that most of my day I didn't have any water, they are a bit shocked. They say things like "I don't know how you do it!" I suppose it is easy for me to get caught up in my problems and feel sorry for myself, but there are always others who are worse off. Some people in Egypt can't afford the cost of a water pump. Then there are those in other countries who don't have any water near by and have to cart their water for miles to their homes. Some people don't have the luxury of clean water. We all know it, we see the pictures on TV all the time.
I count myself very lucky to have my water. I took it for granted so much in Australia. I don't think I will ever do that again.
If you want to help people who don't have the luxury of water in their communities here are a few websites of organisations who help provide clean running water.
http://www.africanwellfund.org/wells/
http://www.charitywater.org/
The average water pump in Egypt only costs about $AU200. Installation was about $AU150. Who knows how something as simple as a water pump might impact on the lives of the people who will benefit from it.
Note: I'm not affiliated with any of these organisations I just looked them up on the net and thought they were great.
We got our water pump installed last night!
We live on the fourth floor of a five floor building. I find it hard walking up the 8 flights of stairs every afternoon so it is no wonder the water supply finds it difficult reaching our flat. Our water supply was gravity fed. Which means that the supply of water for our flat is higher up than our flat and the water comes to our apartment by the efforts of gravity. It's a system that was harnessed very well in Roman times. Being able to use gravity to provide water under pressure was excellent engineering about 2000 years ago. But the problem with gravity feed is that it isn't that great when you live on the 4th floor. By the time the water reaches our flat there isn't enough water pressure, and, of course there are 2 other families in our building who get the water before we do. By the time the water has enough pressure to push up past the lower floors and the other families using the water supply it is about 9pm-10pm at night.
Now, I'm a school teacher and science is one of my favourite subjects, so I have a link here to a great little Youtube video that shows a simple science experiment explaining the height/ water pressure scientific principles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVr6-x4vbRk
Now, as I said, the water wasn't coming on until about 9pm at night. Most of the time it was the taps that are lower down that got the water first. We leave a tap open so that when the water comes we are ready for it.
Nothing at first, then a little trickle...stop. Then another trickle....stop. Then a slow flow with very little pressure. If I put the plug in the sink I might be able to wash the dishes in about 20 minutes. Then by about 10pm, the pressure increases some more. Enough to start filling my twin tub washing machine, but not enough to fill my hot water system, which is in a very high position because the hot water is gravity feed too.
So I put some water in the sink, fill the kettle and the washing machine and I can start the house work. By the time I finish it's about 1am in the morning, if I have a couple of loads to do. You can imagine that waking up at 6:30am to go to work is very difficult. I know the bags under my eyes are starting to make me look older. When Mena gets home from work at about 2am, he fills some water bottles and buckets with water so that we have water for cooking and washing the next day.
I shouldn't whinge though, my neighbour downstairs has problems with her water too, however, she has a 5 month old baby and a small boy...what a nightmare!
When I first moved in I was told there was a problem with the water supply in town. "Don't worry, as soon as Ramadan is finished the water supply will be fixed". I have no idea what the Muslim time of fasting has to do with our water supply, but when Ramadan was over it got better for about a week then got worse.
WE NEED A PUMP! STAT!
Now my Mena is a resourceful kind of guy. When there is something to be bought or a deal to be made, Mena knows someone, who is the cousin for someone who is the sister for someone who is married to someone else, and one of those people will lend a hand or do a deal or do a trade. This is how we got our air-conditioner for the lounge room and this is how we got our water pump, and lets just say we didn't pay nearly as much as we should have.
Ok, we have a pump, but, like I say to Mena being awake doesn't mean you are up out of bed. Likewise, having a pump doesn't mean it's installed and we have water.
So a week (or so) later, last night infact, our glorious fire engine red water pump was installed. I mention the colour because we all know that anything painted red goes fast and now our water comes out of our taps so quickly and with such great water pressure. What a happy night, because not only did we have great water pressure, but we also had loads of hot water. No more bucket showers for me. We have come a long way from Roman times.
How will this change our lifestyle here? In so many ways, I can cook diner and wash the dishes straight away. I can do all the house work and have it finished before 6pm. With a clean house and all the work completed early I can take on some extra work tutoring in the evenings. (I mean I could do that anyway, but I never really felt like inviting people into my home while there were dirty dishes lying in the sink). It won't take so long to fill the washing machine so washing will be done quicker. No more collecting water in water bottles and storing them on the kitchen benches. No more collecting water in buckets and keeping them in the bathroom. I can get my housework done and go to bed early each night.
I know when friends of mine hear that most of my day I didn't have any water, they are a bit shocked. They say things like "I don't know how you do it!" I suppose it is easy for me to get caught up in my problems and feel sorry for myself, but there are always others who are worse off. Some people in Egypt can't afford the cost of a water pump. Then there are those in other countries who don't have any water near by and have to cart their water for miles to their homes. Some people don't have the luxury of clean water. We all know it, we see the pictures on TV all the time.
I count myself very lucky to have my water. I took it for granted so much in Australia. I don't think I will ever do that again.
If you want to help people who don't have the luxury of water in their communities here are a few websites of organisations who help provide clean running water.
http://www.africanwellfund.org/wells/
http://www.charitywater.org/
The average water pump in Egypt only costs about $AU200. Installation was about $AU150. Who knows how something as simple as a water pump might impact on the lives of the people who will benefit from it.
Note: I'm not affiliated with any of these organisations I just looked them up on the net and thought they were great.
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