Hey [Everyone],

Answer to [Dad's} water question is: I boil a lot of water at a time. I think the largest pot that y'all usually cook stew in is about the size of what I have (I have two actually). I boil one then boil the next as one is cooling, then start the system over again. Dar es Salaam is being hit with absence of water due to failure of rains... in the "short rainy season" of December-January. I actually heard on VOA [Voice of America] that some health organization (possibly UN) has started looking at Dar es Salaam, especially due to its high population (2 million+) and the fact that many people are getting their drinking water from streams or shallow wells next to streams in which people bathe [and deposit] human waste....

It actually scares me because although this is an inconvenience for me, it is so much more for the general population. For me it means waking up at 4:30 am to get to the water before the tank atop the dorm runs dry. I did laundry this morning (hopefully for the last time in a while) and washed dishes that have been waiting for two days (as well as showering myself). The general public on the other hand doesn't have the 'luxuries' that we have on campus. The three areas that still have water according to the newspaper are: The University of Dar es Salaam, Oyster Bay, and Micochanie (the last two being the areas of ambassadors and upper government officials). What that means is that people from all over the city go to those areas for water. Being that one (us) out of three is not a private residence area, you can probably imagine what the University of Dar es Salaam campus looks like right now. Kids [are] carrying their buckets in each hand looking for the water lines; older boys on bikes set up with three gas-tank-like buckets; or people who have pickup trucks with empty barrels drive around looking for the precious wet stuff. The Sheraton Hotel downtown has even brought in well drilling equipment to search for water on its property. Its parking lot has been reduced to rubble as they drill wherever! I can't imagine it getting any better over the next month. The dependable rainy season is in March. I just hope that maybe by the grace of God we get a little head start on that 'season.' Please pray for the same.--John

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First Online Edition: 22 July 1997
Last Revised: 18 May 2024