H2O

     The question of water usage in any culture is very interesting. Even in the States, many people, including myself, regularly use water not thinking of the source. It just comes from underground pipes, right? (Of course there are exceptions to every rule: if you're someone who grew up on a ranch in the south and relied on well water, you would most definitely conserve water). In my hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, for example, the water that I use comes from a nearby reservoir. In Oman, the question of how people get their water is a whole lot more complicated. There are no fresh water reservoirs or rivers and as a nation, it relies mainly on the ocean for its water.

     Several desalination plants in the city of Muscat are responsible for producing water for non-drinking purposes. Water from wadis (valleys between mountains that usually have water flowing through them) and imported water constitute the majority of what people drink. Some homes are supplied water by the government and have normal running water flowing from underground pipes, similar to what most people enjoy in the States. Nonetheless, most houses in Oman don’t have this luxury.

     A few days ago my homestay brother Ahmed asked me if I wanted to go with him and get some water for the house. Ahmed and I drove off in his blue water truck to the nearest water station. The water station is similar to the American toll road system. You get in the shortest line and wait your turn. Then you pull in and line yourself up with a 3” diameter water hose hanging from an overhead pipe. You get out and either pay 3 Omani rials (equivalent to 8 US dollars) for a full tank of water or you use a plastic recharge card that you put money on beforehand. Fill your 650 gallon water tank to the brim and you drive on out. Ahmed told me that for most houses, 650 gallons only lasts two days, which took me by surprise. After doing a quick google search when I got home, I discovered that the average household of four in the States uses about 250 gallons/day. Plant-watering, dishwashing, laundry, cooking, and taking showers are some of the major ways in which humans use water. And since family sizes in Oman are a lot larger than the typical American household, they would naturally use a bit more than Americans do. We made two runs to the water station, filling both our house’s white circular tank and Ahmed’s uncle’s tank.

     Making runs to the water station every two days may sound tedious, but here, it is routine. You grow up with it, you get used to it. It’s just another part of life.