A recent UN survey revealed that at the present rate, the world as we know now wouldn't sustain human life due to acute shortage of water. They say all this would happen within the next 50-60 years. I have been facing my share of this water shortage in recent days.The water table in India has been reducing at an alarming rate in recent years due to numerous illegal activities, boring being one of them. The borewell (don't know whether the digging was legal) at my house standing at around 150ft deep has been struggling to give me good quality water for some time now. Its been around 6 months since the color of the water turned from slight yellow to the present acid stinking brownish-yellow. All water related appliances from the overhead tank to the water purifier has been bearing the brunt of this cobra-sting like water. All of my plastic buckets, no matter what their color was, had developed a brownish dark yellow lining.The candles in the aquaguard too has got a very dark muddish creamy layer on its surface which calls for a weekly cleaning.
Yes, the tank too had its walls lined yellow and had a pile of a mixture of sand, mud, among other things ranging from small stones to screws&nuts on its base. Now touching anything kept in the sun all day long on a hot summer day of late May is nothing short of daredevilry. Its the same about the overhead tank. So me and my sister had planned to clean it early in the morning when the temperatures would be the lowest. We had plans to go to bed as early as possible so as to get up at around 4 am, a schedule we are not accustomed to. Right then came the bad news, water in the tank has gotten over, so the do-it-now order came from mama and we as obedient as we are pulled our lazy arses up to the terrace to do the most demanding job in over past 2 months of my life. Climbing up to the platform we slowly lifted the lid on tank, and just when I was going to poke my head into the tank's mouth, to take a initial surveying look of the tank, out came a cloud of vapor so hot that I could feel it from the sight of it. Terrifying was the idea of actually getting into the over heated tank clean it. Being the elder one, I had the 'privilege' to order my sister to take the frightening jump-in, having papa's instruction that people with small structure should only get in the tank helping my cause. Rest is her's story to tell form the boiling left-over water to her bucket-filling sweat.
All I learned was that next time I visit home, I would make sure its in winters. Cold is so me!
Yes, the tank too had its walls lined yellow and had a pile of a mixture of sand, mud, among other things ranging from small stones to screws&nuts on its base. Now touching anything kept in the sun all day long on a hot summer day of late May is nothing short of daredevilry. Its the same about the overhead tank. So me and my sister had planned to clean it early in the morning when the temperatures would be the lowest. We had plans to go to bed as early as possible so as to get up at around 4 am, a schedule we are not accustomed to. Right then came the bad news, water in the tank has gotten over, so the do-it-now order came from mama and we as obedient as we are pulled our lazy arses up to the terrace to do the most demanding job in over past 2 months of my life. Climbing up to the platform we slowly lifted the lid on tank, and just when I was going to poke my head into the tank's mouth, to take a initial surveying look of the tank, out came a cloud of vapor so hot that I could feel it from the sight of it. Terrifying was the idea of actually getting into the over heated tank clean it. Being the elder one, I had the 'privilege' to order my sister to take the frightening jump-in, having papa's instruction that people with small structure should only get in the tank helping my cause. Rest is her's story to tell form the boiling left-over water to her bucket-filling sweat.
All I learned was that next time I visit home, I would make sure its in winters. Cold is so me!
4 comments:
GOOD
Thanks aneesh
I know how you feel. Happens the same way all the time here. But one difference, the overhead tank has dual inlets, one from corporation pipeline (which brings in all the mud and grit) and then the motor inlet. The motor pumps water from a sub.
Cleaning means cleaning both of 'em!
What do we do? Use up all water (ya, usually the hot water) to clean up the bathrooms and floors, and then would fill the large buckets. Then we clean the OH tank. Thank God I became 'not thin' enough to get inside the Syntex tank, we use s long stick with cloth attached to it (purely home made device ;-) ).
After cleaning it, we pump water from the sub until the OH overflows (so easy to clean up the terrace with water flowing everywhere! Two birds with one shot you see!!).
When the sub is almost empty, we use the plain old bucket on rope method to drain it. Then the same procedure, but longer time process, with stick and cloth.
When the tanks shine white, I'd be stinking like a skunk!
But then there is the cooler water pumped up in the OH tank. Just go to terrace now and open the outlet (remember, I closed it before cleaning it!!)
Get to the shower, open it in full force, sit under it and meditate for some time or lie down and sleep for some time (remember, the floor and all is shining white due to the thorough cleaning process done hours before!).
Happy ending. Yo!
nice innovations sir.. would ask sister to apply 'em next time.. :P
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