Weeks without a proper bath Kingston couple turns to rainwater amid drought

For most Jamaicans, a sudden afternoon downpour might mean a mad dash to take clothes off the line or find shelter.

But when the skies finally opened up over Kingston on Monday, one couple had something entirely different in mind. They grabbed a bath pan, headed outside and caught the rainwater. Then, for the first time in weeks, they had what they described as a “proper bath”.

“We never know we woulda miss bathe so much,” the woman told THE STAR.

Keisha* and Andre* have been together for more than five years. Keisha cannot pinpoint the last time she stood beneath a shower or had what she considers a full, proper bath.

“I cannot recall since summer began and water restrictions came into play. I cannot recall when I really, really use soap water and rag all together,” she told THE STAR. That does not mean, however, that Keisha has gone weeks without cleaning herself. Every night after returning home from work, she has her own routine in which she wipes herself down.

“What I did was catch [basins or buckets] of water, had my rag, wet it, wipe the areas, like my intimate areas that are supposed to be clean,” she said. Keisha said that even before the drought, she generally bathe once per day, usually after returning home from work. She did not routinely shower in the mornings.

“I don’t feel no way about it, and I don’t feel nasty, and I don’t feel dirty, because mi wipe up and the areas are clean,” she said. “Like, what’s the difference between fi bathe with running water and to just use a wet rag and wipe up? Like, there is really no difference.”

The water restrictions have therefore disrupted the one time of day when she would normally have her bath. By the time she gets home from work, she said, there is no running water available.

Andre has found himself in a similar predicament, but for him, the experience has been marked mostly by fear.

“I understand water is life, and we need water fi do a lot of things, but we can conserve,” he said. “If anything, this test me, how we can live without water.” Andre said the worsening water situation has made him increasingly conscious of how much the household uses. He now regularly urges Keisha to conserve and keeps a close eye on their water supply each day.

With the Hermitage Dam struggling amid the prolonged dry spell, Keisha believes using more water than necessary would be inconsiderate when thousands of other residents across the Corporate Area are also trying to cope with limited supplies.

“Believe it or not, this one household that is deciding not to use as much water is saving a lot of y’all,” she declared.

Whatever water the household manages to store is instead prioritised for necessities such as flushing the toilet and cooking. Keisha said she does not cook frequently, while the couple purchases water for drinking. For bathing, they adapted.

“You just have to find other means, no?” she said. Those “other means” finally came from the skies on Monday. As rain fell over Kingston, the couple put out a bath pan and collected the water.

“It really, really helped. We took full advantage. We realised just how much we had missed the simple pleasure of having a proper bath as constructive citizens of Jamaica,” Keisha said.

She knows, however, exactly what some Jamaicans will say when they hear how the couple has been managing.

“I know Jamaican people will say that I’m nasty, but I don’t think I am,” she said. “I just feel like I’m conserving, and I’m looking out for my neighbours.”

*names changed to protect identity