Common water shortage

PAM Water Shortage

Yesterday when I got home from work, the water was "dead" (again). Fortunately we still have water in our bak (the water basin in the bath room). Even this morning it was still not working. Bak is like an oasis...

Water shortage from PAM (Perusahaan Air Minum) is common. It has happened before, and a lot of time. Once it happened for several days in a row -- what a nice service! We had to use water very carefully. There are the 7 of us with one big bak and two small ones. For a few days we could not wash our clothes, although after about 24 hours of the first water shortage we used our kind neighbour's water through a long water hose to our bak, which we only used for bath and dish washing.

Perusahaan Air Minum (PAM) literally means Drinking Water Company. It's a company owned by government, and the only company that runs water through pipes throughout the city, which people use in daily life for bath, washing, cooking and drinking (of course after boiled to 100 deg. Celcius). So when we depend on PAM and it disappoints us, we have no alternative -- they have no competitor. (It's the same story in electricity, and almost the same in home telephone.)

Fresh Water or Salt Water?

Why did the neighbour still have water running in their pipes when we didn't have it? Because they use water pump. They pump water from under the ground. We used to use that too, but a few years ago we switched to PAM (our water pump can't function anymore). We should still be using the water pump although it will contribute in draining the water from the ground, and soon salt water from the sea will reach our soil. It already reached North Jakarta soil for sure (I've seen and felt it for myself at my grandmother's house years ago). And perhaps it's reached Central Jakarta by now.


Anyway, hopefully when I get home this afternoon/evening, the water will be running well! So I can take a hot shower .