1. Drink water
2. Flush toilets
3. Shower
4. Cook
5. Wash dishes
6. Wash anything
I discovered this list last weekend when our neighborhood lost water for about 15 hours. As a person who showers obsessively, I was incredibly grumpy about the lack of available showers. Fortunately, we are easily able to buy drinkable water in our area so all major problems were avoided. However, while I was annoyed at the rapidly mounting pile of dirty dishes and spent the evening grumpily in my room, lamenting the shower I longed for, I was reminded of what an incredible and taken-for granted resource having available water is. Coming from the U.S., where we are literally surrounded by clean drinking water - even in the toilets, we so easily forget what a luxury it is. While there are still so many places that have health issues from a lack of clean water or still must go to extreme lengths to acquire water, the water inequality between regions is astounding. While the area of Ecuador in which I live has relatively good water quality, water issues and water health are still a huge issue in this country. While I obviously can't compare my 15 hours without water to the lifestyles of those actually living without water access, it did serve as a reminder to a luxury that most of us take for granted each day.
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