This means keeping a huge tank of water in the bathroom for when you need to shower, extra bottles of water to fill up for when you need to cook or drink water and a cistern (a big, waterproof tank) to hold water for other needs around the house.
What I listed above are the most passive means of adjustment. Sometimes the people get fed up and decide to take action by protesting. One day I was on my way to the airport for a conference in Guatemala and suddenly everyone started slowing down and stopping. We were three cars back from a line of debris and old tires, and a crowd of protesters had gathered. They started lighting the debris on fire and burning the tires to make a lasting, impassible barrier in the street. We were trapped!
The police ended up arriving, as well as a pickup truck belonging to the organization called ANDA that handles water distribution for the country. Officials from ANDA, along with the police, started to negotiate with what looked like community leaders about their water needs. Eventually they all came to an agreement and the community leaders took away the debris, allowing us to pass.
How would you solve a water crisis? Would you make adjustments to deal with a lack of water, or would you take to the streets and protest?
