Sir, – After getting the final word on the cost of the water charges I’ve decided to start charging myself for the use of water. I will charge myself 20 cent per flush, 30 cent for the dishes, 40 cent for a shower and 50 cent for a bath. So if it’s yellow let it mellow, use paper plates, take short showers and take sponge baths. The only extra cost will be for more deodorant. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN DEVITTE,
Westport, Co Mayo.
Sir, – So there is a boil notice in effect for people in Boyle, Co Roscommon. Does Martyn Turner now work for Irish Water ? – Yours, etc,
CHRIS COGGINS,
Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Cutting down on water use may not seem to be as much of a problem to those of us who lived through “the Emergency” of the second World War in Ireland.
The problem then was that of heating water. Tired old ranges with poor fuel supplies, plus erratic gas geysers, resulted in economical washing – or cold baths. Six inches of warm water in the bathtub served to bath a couple of small children or one adult. I knew nothing of showers. Teenagers washed their hair once a week in the bathroom wash-hand basin. Kitchen delph and china were washed in an enamel bowl in the large sink. No dishwashers then. The used water was poured on the flower bed outside. The geraniums thrived and still would.
No washing machines. The weekly family wash was done in a large butler’s sink in the scullery. A woman with reddened hands used a washboard and carbolic soap. The water was supplemented by pots of water heated on the range. The car (if there was one), was washed with a bucket of cold water and a floor cloth. For some, there followed a brand of polish used with a chamois.
We were toughened by rations. Saving water for 21st-century users requires people to reflect on its uses and plan their rationing with some lateral thinking and good humour. – Yours, etc,
ANGELA McNAMARA,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.