The gift of water - Frozen pipes teach us a stark lesson

AS any of the scores of thousands of people who lost their water supply to the big freeze — this December is the coldest on record — will confirm, life quickly gets very tedious and soon enough almost impossible without one of the great gifts of nature; one we may all take too much for granted.

Losing your water supply is almost like stepping back to another time, a time before we had limitless and, as we have deluded ourselves, free water. Without an abundant, reliable supply of water our flick-of-a-switch lifestyle is utterly unsustainable. Even basic household chores are weighed one against the other when water becomes scarce or unavailable. We have to prioritise in a way unknown in normal times.

This month’s weather-imposed shortage may, however, serve to show us how very important it is to ensure that we have a robust water-supply infrastructure, one that can meet domestic and business needs 365 days a year irrespective of weather conditions.