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October 01, 2008
Yes, We Have No Water
Notice: "We have no water. Please conserve it."
Shawn returned from working out yesterday and told me, "we don't have any water."
I didn't understand exactly what this meant, so I asked him to clarify. He explained that the sign seen above had been taped to the door of our apartment building. Then I understood. The apartment complex, made up of eight apartments, has run out of water and none is coming in from the city supplies.
We received a different notice a week ago from our colonos. That is like the neighborhood association, and responsible for various civic issues in the colonia where we live. Last week's notice talked about several homes being without water north of La Ermita, one of the two streets that make up the interection at which we live. Supposedly, it was not a problem for us, since we were below that boundary, and indeed, last week, we had plenty of water. However, this week, the problem seems to be ours too.
There was water in the storage tank on top of the apartment building up through this afternoon, so we had a little water. We were, as the sign above asks, conserving it. Now though, it seems all that water has been used up and there is not a drop to be had for anything. Not for washing the dishes, not for taking a shower, and not for using the bathroom.
We have been without water on a few other occasions, but usually that has been because the switch on the pump that pumps water from the tank below the building up to the tank on top of the building needed to be reset. In those cases, when the guy that knows how and where to do that stuff came home from work, he would reset it and we'd have running water again within the hour. This time, the water from the city has just stop running, so who knows when we will have running water again.
I'm trying to roll with the punches and not get to annoyed with it. After all, my getting worked up about it will not get the problem fixed any faster. It isn't such a big deal to not shave for a couple of days, or even to go without a shower. I am pretty sedentary and do not work up much of a sweat.
But not having a working toilet in the house, now that starts to get inconvenient...
Posted by crispy at October 1, 2008 04:27 PM
Comments
Ach! Best of luck getting through. Hopefully it won't be long!!
Posted by: carol at October 2, 2008 06:17 AM
Buh? Bottled water makes a flush turlet flush durn quick, don't it?
[crispy says: Yeah, it does. It's just tricky because bottled water is pretty crucial here for drinking. One doesn't want to use up all the bottled water either, because then if it is needed for drinking, it gets desperate. I've been in that situation too, where I'm all out of water, get some hacking cough and have to open up a can of peas or something, just to drain off the water to have something to drink.]
Posted by: Mark Allen at October 2, 2008 09:24 AM
UPDATE (10/2/08; 12:30 PM): Our downstairs neighbor Carmen came up and told us that they've talked to people about the water problem.
A guy that is in charge of water in the colonos said that ours is the only building in the neighborhood without water. There was a problem with water in the neighborhood, but apparently they consider it fixed now.
They spoke to our landlady about her paying to have water brought in by truck (this is a common practice in Mexico) and having the tank under the building filled while this issue is resolved. The landlady said that it isn't her problem, it's our problem.
Carmen told us that the other neighbors have decided to chip in and pay for the water delivery, so we put in our MXN $60 (about USD $5.35 at the time of this writing). That is not a lot for the luxury of being able to wash ourselves and our dishes, brush our teeth and use the bathroom.
Still, I'm kind of annoyed that the landlady was a jerk about it, but landlords being irresponsible is also common practice in Mexico. I'm also worried that, since the problem is supposedly only with our building, that it's going to take forever to get it fixed.
Posted by: Chris Coen at October 2, 2008 11:47 AM
I don't know how you do it, they ran out of baked Lays at the drug store and I threw a spaz, I can't imagine living without water.
Posted by: Akira at October 2, 2008 01:11 PM
Another point of view: Most renters (like Judy and I) pay their water bill annually, some pay monthly, and some don't pay at all. The water company (SIAPA) in Guadalajara, just like the water company here in Morelia (OOAPAS), charges according to consumption, starting with an estimate based on what you've used during the prior year. If your building consumes more than the annual cost, the excess cost is billed to you every month. I don't know how you and your building divvy up the cost of the water, but it seems unlikely that your landlady pays for your building's annual consumption.
Now that the city has temporarily (god willing) stopped its water delivery to your building, your landlady doesn't see why paying for a pipa (privately-owned water delivery) should be her problem. I agree: this is about water consumption for you and your neighbors. It's annoying as hell to have to pay for a pipa when you've already paid the annual fee, but as we say, así es la vida.
A pipa is also really inexpensive. We've had similar city-water shutoff troubles three times this year and have had to call a pipa each time. The cost for 10,000 liters is around 300 pesos. You said your cost was 60 pesos, so either a pipa in GDL is more expensive than in Morelia or your building needed more than 10,000 liters--60X8, right?
Ugh, I have rambled on so long that I forgot what point I wanted to make. Oh well. Your water will be turned on soon. Enjoy your bath!
Cristina
[crispy says: Actually, the landlady does pay for all our water. I mean, it may be built into the rent cost, but we do not have to pay a specific water bill. When we signed the lease, that was part of the agreement and the landlord specifically indicated that: water is included in the rent.]
Posted by: Mexico Cooks! at October 7, 2008 09:05 AM
Well, you are one lucky building for your landlady to pay your water bill. Congratulations!
And even more congratulations now that your water is turned on again. I hope it stays on. Probably somebody turned off the wrong knob...that's happened to us two of the three times we've been without water.
[crispy says: Yes, despite any other annoyances, we feel very lucky about where we live. We love our neighbors and our neighborhood. Unfortunately, the man who was our landlord, who was always very considerate and fair, died in January and the property is now in the hands of his wife and children. We will see how that works out, but thus far this year, they have not proven to be quite as, well, thoughtful.
As for someone turning the wrong knob, that would not surprise me in the least! So far this week, we've had as much water as we could use. It's been lovely!]
Posted by: Mexico Cooks! at October 8, 2008 04:07 PM