What Life is Like When Water is Scarce: A Personal Story of Water Rationing

Water is an essential commodity in human life. As humans, we cannot survive without it. Every individual has a right to access clean water, but some communities in Africa lack clean water every day.

Throughout the months of March, April, and May, water has been rationed for me and my family. Rationing has forced me to purchase additional water storage containers to store extra water just in case I receive visitors, or I do a lot of washing or thorough cleaning. It is very hard to estimate the amount of water that we will use and to conserve it, since I need to restrain my family from using a lot of water. So, having a continuous flow of water in our homes is very important.

As a Kenyan mother, I have to ensure that my family has water, and not just water, but clean and safe water sufficient to support everyone every day. Without water in my house, my family and I will not be able to wash our clothes, wash our hands enough, flush the toilet, or wash our dishes. So, I must ensure that we have plenty of water to make my family healthy and happy all the time.

In Kenya, we believe people living in urban centers do not lack water, and this is ironic because I have experienced an insufficient flow of water in my urban house. It turns out, families from urban centers can lack a sufficient flow of water in their homes, too. It is true that in Kenyan urban centers, the quality of water is good, but the rationing is where the problem arises. 

The Kenyan government mandates its Water Resource Authority to ensure that every household within town centers receives water at least twice a week. Receiving water twice a week is good, considering that all the estates (developments) within town depend on the same water supply. We have water issues due to the number of people per household and a household’s water storage containers, which limit how long the stored water will sustain a family.

The lack of water at my house affects me emotionally and psychologically because, when I don’t have water in my house, it is like life has been put on hold, and nothing functions. When we don’t have enough water, I can’t think straight or clean my house as I am used to cleaning it. Sometimes, it even makes me feel sick. 

The only solution is to pay someone to bring water from the protected spring within town, but this goes outside my budget, and I find myself spending a lot more than what I would pay the Water Resources Authority every month. But I thank God that my family and I have learned to manage and use the water we have to serve our needs.

Water rationing has made me realize that it is very important not to waste water, but to use it efficiently. This has helped me to avoid misuse and value the little water I have to avoid spending more money looking for someone to fetch water for my family. 

Even though I have limited water, I still have more access to water on most days than the people we serve. Many communities are still struggling to get access to clean and safe water daily. They have to walk for hours searching for clean water, where they sometimes queue for a whole day to get water which is not safe. 

Although I experience water rationing at my house, I am always sure that the water will be running the day after, and it is safe water, not just any water. People in the communities we serve ration water, but they don’t have enough storage containers, and the quality of their water is questionable because they fetch water from running streams and unprotected springs. 

Many communities in Africa still desire and yearn for clean and safe water someday. My prayer is that one day, they will celebrate clean water, and donors like you can help them stand on equal footing.