Water

• Water
== • __Non-potable water: __ == == • Supply: == == • Water usually comes to your house in pipes. == == • Depending on the area where you live and the quality of the pipes, the water can be quite murky, and the more so during the rainy season. This can cause some damage to household appliances like washing machines, water heaters, water pumps, etc. == == • With your landlord you can try negotiating the installation of a //sand filter// which filters the water before it enters the household pipeline system. They are said to be quite effective as they filter not only sand but also retain most parasites and bacteria. The water entering your house is said to be nearly potable quality, though no one relies completely on that. But still they make a huge difference and an installation might be of interest if you are concerned about little children swallowing water during the bath. Maintenance is minimum and easy. == == • On quite some occasions water pressure in some areas of Khartoum can be too low to operate washing machines and only trickles out of the pipe. This can be solved by the installation of an additional small //support water pump// at the house. These pumps automatically detect low water pressure and start pumping automatically when necessary. Try again to negotiate an installation of one of those pumps with your landlord. They are not expensive. == == • Water for household use is usually stored in //water tanks// installed on the roof, which can pose a problem in case they are not protected from the sun as the water coming out of the pipe can actually cause burns to the skin of a child. Again try to negotiate with your landlord the installation of a small shelter around the water tank. == == • <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Also //maintenance of water tanks// should be discussed with the landlord as water tanks are unfortunately not maintained, which leads to a build up of algae, mud on the bottom and accumulation of other filth. == ==<span style="FONT-SIZE: 4pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> • <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">There are no water meters to measure how much water you use. You need to pay a lumpsum which is fixed at a certain amount in accordance of the “ <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">wealth ” <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> classification of the area you live in. Riyadh, for example, is less expensive than Amarat. The money is collected by employees from the water company who come at the beginning of every month to collect the money. You are given a receipt and they usually charge you one additional pound for the paper of the receipt. At the moment the fixed amount for Amarat is set at 44, 50 SDG / month (plus one pound for the receipt). == ==<span style="FONT-SIZE: 4pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> • __<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Potable water: __<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> == ==<span style="FONT-SIZE: 4pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> • <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">There are a couple of options for potable water, amongst them the good old Berkefeld filter operating with ceramic candles (available at Home Care, for example), or an extra tap installed in the kitchen which filters water equally through a ceramic candle. The resulting water is truly potable, has a slightly muddy taste, but it can accumulate a lot of storage space in the fridge. == ==<span style="FONT-SIZE: 4pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"> • <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The other option is to purchase a machine; there are different sizes, which work with commercially available water drums of 5 gallon/drum. The machine is connected to electricity and can provide hot and cold water at all times, its cost is about 450 SDG. It is a quite convenient solution. There are a couple of brands of water available, the most popular one being Safia, then Soba, Farah, etc. Safia is said to be cleanest one, though nobody knows exactly why. == ==<span style="FONT-SIZE: 4pt; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"> • <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Like with the gas you will need to make an initial investment of paying for the drum itself and then for the filling. The new drum costs 35 SDG, the filling costs 8 SDG. The water can be purchased at the small shops that are everywhere. At regular intervals the shops seem to run low in water, particularly Safia, and therefore it is good idea to always store 4-5 drums of water, and if possible of two different brands. ==