Water is a big deal in Mali.
There are 4 different kinds of water commonly used.
1- Bottled Spring Water: 400 CFA/1.5 litres. Its imported and for foreigners to drink in order to avoid Hep A, B and other kinds od intestanal parasites.
2- Filtered Tap Water: For fearful foreigners to wash tomatoes in, just in case regular tap water is poisonness. Also, less annoying than always buying the first type of water.
3- Tap Water: Super javelised Niger river water. Sometimes it doesnt come out of the tap. Most of the time its intermitante and I am sure fine to drink. Although, you should let it leak a bit before rincing your tooth brush as it sometimes comes out brown. It is also very expensive.
4- Well Water: Scary when you think of the trash filled gutters the water seaps through before filling the well. For many, its the only kind of water they drink and use because, as opposed to the first 3 types of water, its free.
I use tap water for everything except drinking. I am not there yet.
You have to use water for everything because paper and paper products are rare. Trees are not very common on the fringe of the Sahel and generally, they used for cooking fire.
We are in the winter/dry season and we have our foot in the door of summer. More heat, more dryness, more dust is slowly settling on the BKO. Apparently, the Niger has never been as low as this year. It is also the main water valve of Mali. Maybe the rainy season coming in June will correct the disbalance.
The general state of dryness is not abnormal though and has some advantages:
On January 20th, I lived through my first sandstorm.
The brown, sanguine, yellow color palette of the environment is be wonderful.
My hair never looks greasy because the dust in it absorbs the natural oils. However, I have never known my elbows to be as dirty as they are at the end of the day.
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