Good news between when I published the first part of this piece and now. "Day Zero" - Cape Town, South Africa's waterless day has been postponed to as far as next year. More work needs to be done by state and individuals in the mean time.
This is the final part of my "yobbings" written purely within the context of solidarizing with Capetonians. My wish when the dreaded day loomed was to be part of it is strictly experiencing what I never in my life thought would happen – given my past experiences with water.
In Pointe Noire, I am relatively far from Cape Town, If I "clear" Angola, Namibia and a walk across the Rainbow nation, I should get there. But I can’t which does not stop me from solidarizing with the people.
It may be an indirect solidarity but in my view, one that is worth it – worth it for the emotional satisfaction and the water – conscious discipline it comes with. I urge us all to display a bit of it.
My ways are certainly not hard-and-fast, feel free to customize your practical solidarity, at least we will be bounded by the emotional – a common feeling of concern for the people of the Cape.
Every morning, I wake up knowing full well that when I turn on the faucet, water will flow as though it was only natural. I don’t fret over lack of it, indeed a blessing for which I’m forever grateful. [All thanks is due to Allah – Al Hamdu lil Laah!!!]
1. I have since weeks drastically cut down using the shower, rather Icollect water in a bucket and use same over a couple of days.
2. I religiously use my kettle to brush my teeth and perform ablution, the days of using running water are gone – gone forever thanks to ‘Day Zero.’
3. Over to the kitchen, under no circumstance will running water be felt by the dishes.
4. Flushing toilet will be done once – irrespective of what residue is left behind.
5. In my heart, I will psyche myself as sending a daily quota of water to Cape Town – a quota with love and fellow feeling.
Again, my measure are not cast in stone. But I entreat you to do well to also adopt similar measures. We (you and I) are blessed with the resource even if we have to exert effort and cash to get it.
Cape Towners do not have it, they are having to share the very scare water available. God bless NGOs like the Gift of Givers charity who are stockpiling bottled water at military bases to help come ‘Day Zero.’
Whiles at it, let’s always (the religious of us) save time to continually seek relief from Allah. For no matter what bureaucracy, diplomacy, engineering and pioneering – Allah is the ultimate solver of a crisis involving a solvent HE bestowed on man.
I’d quote a verse of the Quran and hadith (saying of the prophet Muhammad) to wrap this up. ‘… and waste not by extravagance. Verily, HE dislikes the Al-Musrifoon (the wastefully extravagant)’ Surah Al-An-aam 141.
Narrated from Abdullah Ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention) passed by Sa’ad when he was doing wudoo (ablution), and he said, ‘What is extravagance O Sa’ad?’ He responded: ‘Can there be any extravagance in wudoo?’ The prophet said: ‘Yes, even if you are on the banks on a flowing river.’ – reported by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Maajah.
This is the final part of my "yobbings" written purely within the context of solidarizing with Capetonians. My wish when the dreaded day loomed was to be part of it is strictly experiencing what I never in my life thought would happen – given my past experiences with water.
In Pointe Noire, I am relatively far from Cape Town, If I "clear" Angola, Namibia and a walk across the Rainbow nation, I should get there. But I can’t which does not stop me from solidarizing with the people.
It may be an indirect solidarity but in my view, one that is worth it – worth it for the emotional satisfaction and the water – conscious discipline it comes with. I urge us all to display a bit of it.
My ways are certainly not hard-and-fast, feel free to customize your practical solidarity, at least we will be bounded by the emotional – a common feeling of concern for the people of the Cape.
Every morning, I wake up knowing full well that when I turn on the faucet, water will flow as though it was only natural. I don’t fret over lack of it, indeed a blessing for which I’m forever grateful. [All thanks is due to Allah – Al Hamdu lil Laah!!!]
1. I have since weeks drastically cut down using the shower, rather Icollect water in a bucket and use same over a couple of days.
2. I religiously use my kettle to brush my teeth and perform ablution, the days of using running water are gone – gone forever thanks to ‘Day Zero.’
3. Over to the kitchen, under no circumstance will running water be felt by the dishes.
4. Flushing toilet will be done once – irrespective of what residue is left behind.
5. In my heart, I will psyche myself as sending a daily quota of water to Cape Town – a quota with love and fellow feeling.
Again, my measure are not cast in stone. But I entreat you to do well to also adopt similar measures. We (you and I) are blessed with the resource even if we have to exert effort and cash to get it.
Cape Towners do not have it, they are having to share the very scare water available. God bless NGOs like the Gift of Givers charity who are stockpiling bottled water at military bases to help come ‘Day Zero.’
Whiles at it, let’s always (the religious of us) save time to continually seek relief from Allah. For no matter what bureaucracy, diplomacy, engineering and pioneering – Allah is the ultimate solver of a crisis involving a solvent HE bestowed on man.
I’d quote a verse of the Quran and hadith (saying of the prophet Muhammad) to wrap this up. ‘… and waste not by extravagance. Verily, HE dislikes the Al-Musrifoon (the wastefully extravagant)’ Surah Al-An-aam 141.
Narrated from Abdullah Ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, the Prophet (May Allah exalt his mention) passed by Sa’ad when he was doing wudoo (ablution), and he said, ‘What is extravagance O Sa’ad?’ He responded: ‘Can there be any extravagance in wudoo?’ The prophet said: ‘Yes, even if you are on the banks on a flowing river.’ – reported by Imam Ahmad and Ibn Maajah.
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