Hit and miss

My city always played hide and seek with drinking water supply. The local daily would carry a snippet about the supply of water on a particular day. It was a celebration in the house, we would clean and shine pots, lining the kitchen. Decades ago, there was no underground storage tank at my rented abode. My maid would fill even the last tumbler with the precious liquid as the next supply was uncertain.

Now, when civic authorities announced the 24x7 water scheme, along with likeminded people, I received the news with a pinch of salt. A few months later, a meter box was installed in the corner of our garden. Why was I surprised? It was done absolutely free of cost! The pipeline was laid after another hiatus, and well, that was it. A year or so passed by, and one fine day the doorbell rang and we were instructed to buy a branded water meter. The meter was then fixed by the new contractor and all that remained was the water to start flowing non-stop. It was no surprise that it did not and we adopted the virtue of patience.

Finally, one bright morning we saw the water gushing through the new pipeline, and the meter started running wildly too. The cost of potable water shot up, but when water was aplenty who cared? Twenty four-seven seemed just a brand name as the torrential flow of water was limited to a few hours in the morning.

A person working for the PWD was seen busy shuttling in and out of nearby houses carrying pipes and related paraphernalia. He saw the question mark on the husband’s face and came rushing, “Saar, now water comes in full force, so you need not bother to store beneath, and then pump it up to the overhead tank. I’ll fix a new pipeline through which the water will automatically gush up into the overhead tanks. Just see how much you’ll save on electricity bill”.

Needless to say, his suggestion was taken and work started as soon as the expert found himself free. Originally planned as a half day’s work, it took the specialist the whole day. He kept blundering throughout, and we started doubting his expertise. In the evening, he gave up and said that he would finish the next day. He surprised us by honouring his word and completing the work.

Our happiness was short-lived, as the biggest surprise greeted us-- the water supply was not connected to the solar heating system by the expert and we now use electricity.