A Day Without Water

 A Day Without Water

Most of the people always do not pay attention to using water for example long showers, washing small loads of laundry, leaky faucets, failing to repair leaks and others. The Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) of the UN serves as a reminder of the significance of universal access to clean water and sanitary facilities. However, what would happen if our town lost all access to clean water for a single day? Do people feel panic, uncomfortable, angry, or just nothing? According to Fain (2024), Brazil, Russia, and Canada were the top 3 water-using countries in the world. Meanwhile, water consumption is increasing due to several reasons, including poor water management, population increase, climate change, natural conditions, and others.

The silence was the first clue that something wasn't right. When I switched on the tap, no water came out. At that time, I thought it was just trouble. "Mom, did you forget to pay the water bill?" was a joke I told my mother. But as the hours passed, fear and anxiety started to arise. I could feel a tightness in my chest. This is not just from thirst; this is from a sense of helplessness. My mother looked more and more stressed, especially when she realised that she was unable to cook, clean, or wash. By afternoon the sun was hotter, the dishes were heaped, the house smelt sour, and our skin was dirty and sticky. That evening, my stomach growled in hunger, not for food, but for comfort and a return to life as usual.

The absence of clean water through our daily routine into a mess. Hygiene was the most important and first to suffer. No showers and no flushing toilets. My aunty, who works at a small hospital, called home to inform us that several surgeries had to be postponed due to the risk of infection. My friend who lives on a nearby farm messaged me saying his farm animals couldn’t be watered, and the harvests were at risk of drying out. Cafeterias were unable to function, schools were forced to close early, and kids were sent home with dirty hands. While rural communities, lacking backup systems, were forced to wait and endure, urban homes were plagued by panic purchases of bottled water.

Dear Diary,

Today was one of the dirtiest, weirdest, and hardest days ever. Today there is no water in my town!!! My hair is sticky, the toilets smell bad, and I didn’t even get to eat a proper food. At school, we had to close early, and everyone looked tired and smelly. We tried catching rainwater by using buckets, but it is not enough. According to my mom, this is what people in some parts of the world face every day. I didn’t know I was so lucky and happy compared with them. I swear I will never waste water again.

- Ashley, 20

I saw hope in the middle of the disarray. Some families began to harvest rainwater using the clean plastic sheets and buckets. Some households gave their neighbours access to the water they had stored. The community hall turned into a temporary water station, where the people lined up patiently with bottles to get water. The other side's social media groups were created overnight to coordinate water-sharing. Water was transported from neighbouring towns by volunteers in trucks. We can choose compassion over conflict even in times of crisis, as this sense of unity reminded me.

This day left a deep impression on me, not just physically and also emotionally. I realised how often I let water run while brushing my teeth, washing small loads of laundry, or ignoring leaks from a tap. We treat water as infinite, but for billions of people around the world, clean water is a luxury. According to UNICEF, over 2 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water at home (UNICEF, 2023). "A Day Without Water" taught me today that having access to water is a right that we must defend, not just a necessity. SDG 6 is more than just a worldwide objective. It’s a daily responsibility.

Reference:

Fain, J. (2024, May 10). Top 10 Countries with the Most Abundant Freshwater Resources: A Comparative Analysis. Blue Water Intelligence (BWI). https://bwi.earth/top-10-countries-with-the-most-abundant-freshwater-resources-a-comparative-analysis/

UNICEF. (2023). Water scarcity: Impact on children and communities. https://www.unicef.org/water-scarcity