drip
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| water harvesting! |
There’s another part of this story, though. Since, ironically, we’ve had a water shortage lately, the pitter patter triggers a little game. It’s called “quick, get as many buckets or containers as you can find and put them in the gutter!” And on days like today, when the storm has already achieved the ROAR stage before we get them all out, it results in at least one of us getting drenched. It is one thing to position the containers in the gutter quickly, but another thing to position them optimally at the direction of the (dry) spouse on the porch. I (Becky) am often the wet one, but I eagerly jump in it. It feels like a relay race at summer camp or Olympic day in elementary school. These are good memories, and I’m making some more good memories in the process of harvesting water!
- Why would there be a water shortage during rainy season?
- How does one position containers in a gutter (aren’t they on the roof?)
- What does one do during a water shortage?
- Can you get TOO MUCH water? (news/prayer update)
Why would there be a water shortage during rainy season?
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| God’s beauty in Malawi – all green during rainy season! |
In case you can’t see the video, I’ll give the explanation in a nutshell. Our gutters are not on the edge of the roof as they are in the states. They are on the ground. The water comes so fast, it would easily overwhelm a traditional gutter system. So, as it pours off the roof (usually corrugated metal), it is caught by a 2-3 foot across concrete channel that lines the house and runs away from the house down the hill to a huge drain. The live demonstration of this system is impressive!
What does one do during a water shortage?
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| catching rain water during our (almost) daily rainstorms |
But, how do you get by for 11 days without water? We try to be prepared for water outages by storing water in jerry cans in the garage and filtered water in other jugs in the pantry. The jerry cans last between two and three days for things like flushing toilets and washing dishes. When the reserve is used up, we are thankful that there is a tap on campus where we (and all the students and other campus residents) can go to get water. This tap rarely runs out because that water comes from a different source. However, this means that after you fill a container with water, then you have to walk it back to your residence. For us, this is about a quarter mile. (Not too fun, but before you throw a pity party for us, our house helper has been the one who does most of the water carrying when we need it. She is amazing, as most any Malawian woman is, at carrying water or anything else on her head.)
Can you get TOO MUCH water? (news/prayer update)
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| Many houses collapsed in the flash floods |
There are parts of Malawi that have received too much water last week. Several regions have been experiencing flash floods which have affected some Brethren in Christ households. At present, we are aware of 20 households who have been displaced due to these floods. Yesterday, some of our coworkers and BIC church leaders loaded our truck with supplies (maize flour, plastic sheets, etc.) and traveled to one of the affected areas. They went to deliver supplies, encourage the families and get first-hand knowledge about the extent of the situation. Please pray for the safety of these families and so many others who are struggling right now.
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| A major problem across the countryside during rainy season is that bathroom structures fall over or collapse, leaving dangerous and unsanitary conditions. |
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| Bags of maize flour piled up to distribute to BIC families affected by the floods in northeastern Malawi. |
Oh thank you! Only a few years and Micah will be placing the containers! But hadn't you talked about a rain barrel? Is that still a possibility? (Less fun than Olympic races). Do you then have to boil your rain water? Can you pour it into your washing machine and still run it electrically? Or is all laundry by hand then? (20 questions)
Thanks, again, for your post and making me more aware of what I take for granted while others struggle for same. I'm so glad that you have a great house helper! I'm sure you are a good witness to her with your upbeat attitude because of your Love for Christ and his work. With out continued prayers, Tom and Rose
That was supposed to read, "With OUR continued prayers! Tom and Rose
No, we don't have a rain barrel, but did talk about wanting one. We have a barrel we hope to transform soon. When we use rain water for washing dishes we pour it through a strainer (usually used for draining pasta) to get some debris out, then boil it before using it.
As for laundry, we took it to a friend's house. Rain water just seems a little too dirty for putting in the machine (since it is collected from the roof). Now that I'm in the "long haul" mentality, we're trying to stretch more life out of each outfit…but that is challenging with two small children who like to play in the dirt. Rachel is protesting bibs right now as well, making for more messes. The water stayed on all night and morning today, so I actually got a load of laundry through without interruption! It was a blast from the past 🙂 I also do some hand washing, but I am definitely doing disposable diapers and wipes through this time!
Thank you, Tom and Rose 🙂
"Maybe I should live in Malawi!" (Gareth)
"Why?" (me)
"Because it looks fun to live in Malawi!" (Gareth)
Thanks for a great video, but seriously–are you trying to make me sick to my stomach? Sending like $30 worth of avocados (1.5 gallons of guacamole!) down the gutters! 🙂 If it weren't for getting drenched, I'd think it could be lots of fun to send plastic boats through the "rivers."
gretta and Gareth
No, you might feel sick to your stomach if you actually ate all those avocados. They really don't taste that great yet. We hear that February is the best time to eat them. We didn't believe it either, so tried eating them, but it wasn't very successful. Our tree is absolutely loaded with them and it drops a fair amount of them each day (some already rotting, other cracked, etc.) We're starting to figure out a good way to pick them, since so many are out of reach on weaker branches…perhaps there will be another avocado post so you can see how well we utilize them 🙂
Oh, and Gareth is welcome to come live here, as long as he brings his parents and baby brother along!!!