Rainy day, dream away
we can see the sun again. i think it's the first time since january 18 that the sun is actually out and about. it's been raining for three weeks, sometimes pouring down, sometimes a drizzle, but constantly. i think there were two days without rain during this time, but skies were still grey.
the only time i can remember that was even worse than this was back in 1989, my first year here, when we had 24 days of constant rain. it didn?t let up for a single hour.
yet the first stage of water rationing measures is in force, since last week. i read somewhere in an article i translated that about 25 percent of all the water in taipei city is lost to leakage. no politician of course wants to upgrade the water system, because that would mean raising taxes. considering that overall tax pressure in taiwan is all of 13 percent, i can understand that ? not. because plumbing is so old, it is also extremely dirty, and we cannot drink water from the tap out of fear of infection, even though it is supposed to be as clean as anywhere in the west when it leaves the water facility.
on top of that, water is subsidized in taipei, making it the cheapest water in taiwan, so there is no incentive to cut down on usage. so i guess that until people start moving away from the city, we will have to live without water every second or third day throughout the 37-degree summer days.
but who wants a shower, anyway...