Water is Life

Although I grew up in a desert under the cloud of constant drought, I've only recently come to realize the importance of water. I used to pride myself on my camel-like ability to run long distances on very little water. Here, I have to be constantly vigilante to guard against dehydration. Although I think summer humidity in Boston is probably worse than the humidity here, I lose a lot more water here due to stomach issues and more sweating (a consequence of less pervasive use of air conditioning and often being crowded into vehicles filled to twice or three times their capacity). I've also been more heightened to my water usage as I must pay for the water that I consume (my body can only handle bottled water). Compounding my awareness is the fact that the water in my apartment is so full of minerals (or something) that the constant leak from my water heater has left a permanent stain on the bathroom floor and any water left on dishes after I wash them leads to rust spots as soon as it dries. I really hope this caustic water isn't somehow damaging my skin...

Waterways that I've seen here in Chennai are mostly disgusting; noisome, putrid, fetid—like open sewers. I can often tell when I am riding over a bridge, even if I can't see the water below because of the intense noxious odor. Very sad, but not really surprising as I see at least four or five men urinating in public everyday and it isn't uncommon to see children defecating by the side of the road (it isn’t just puppy poo you have to be careful to avoid here). It makes me appreciate the public service announcements that I heard in Uganda encouraging people to use latrines. It also makes me a little homesick for the "pristine" Charles River in Boston.

Some have argued that water will be more important than oil before the end of this century. I'm not sure of all the details, but I do know that water is pretty basic to life in a way that oil is not. My father has made a really good return on investment on the water shares that he retained from the old farm. Maybe it is time for me to adjust my portfolio...in the meantime I'll be investing in Aquafina—one bottle at a time.


A typical waterway in Cheannai.





Elliots Beach in Besant Nagar is a little nicer than Santhome Beach, although still not suitable for sun bathing.


A cool Hindu temple.


Not sure why this elaborate design was outside a FabIndia (a chain store which sells clothes and household goods), but it was pretty cool.

As usual, more pictures can be found here.