My Water Tower

“Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People journey down it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it.” ― Mikhail Gorbachev

In the United States I never really had to worry about water, where it came from, or if I would have enough for tomorrow. In Togo it’s something that people are always aware of. They think about water every day. Most people here have to travel a block, quarter-mile, or maybe even a mile or more to get water. And when I say “travel” I don’t mean in a car with air conditioning. They walk and bring the water back balanced on their head, often in very hot weather, and that’s just for one bucket of water. And what happens if during the dry season the village’s water source has dried up? They have to travel even farther to find water. I know a few volunteers who have students and children help them get water, since the pumps/wells are so far from their houses. They are always conscious of how much water they have on hand.

To have running water in your house here in Kpalime, you can connect your house to the city water pipes, or you can dig a well and install a water tower. At my compound there is a well. Inside the well is a pump that pumps the water up into the water tower’s holding tank. To turn the pump on all I have to do is flip a switch on the wall outside, like a light switch. I watch the tank and when it is full, I switch it off, or else the water overflows from the top and splashes everywhere. The tank at the top is attached to the water pipes in my house, so the water just flows down into the pipes with gravity. The pressure isn’t that great, but I don’t care. With the water tower, I don’t have any water bill and I don’t have to worry when the city water lines stop for no apparent reason. One time the lines weren’t working for three days. In my first house here I used to keep a barrel full of extra water outside my door for times when the water was off, because I had no well.

I am very thankful for my water tower! It’s one of my favorite things ever. Most volunteers don’t have running water, so I know that I got really lucky with my situation. No bucket baths.  Also, since the water tank is dark and in the sun all day, my afternoon showers are warm!  After living in Togo, I will never think about water the same way I did before, and I have a new appreciation for things like American water fountains…..cold, clean, free water available in public places. Amazing.