Electricity!….. Something we simply take for granted. How we suffer when there is a power cut and life comes to a stop!
But for many people, this, of course is not the case.
As mentioned in my recent post, The Uros of Lake Titicaca, Lucho has lived for many years without electricity. His solar panel now provides him with a light source and the possibility to charge his phone.
In another post, ” José Luis – King of his Land (Latest News) I mentioned how elated Jose Luis was when he saw lighting was going to be installed outside his house and saw that they would soon be installing wiring and an electric meter in his house. They had already marked the place on the wall where the meter would be installed.
Yesterday, José Luis contacted me by Whatsapp to say that at long last the meter and wiring had been installed, allowing him to have light to work on his weaving looms during evening hours.
No longer will he have to walk into town to charge his mobile phone.
However, for Jose Luis, the biggest change…… that will save him hours and hours of work each week……. will be the possibility of using an electric water pump to irrigate his land, The pump would draw the water from the two wells that he has dug hmself, and take the water to the crops on the slopes above the wells.
Jose Luis had of course, found some ingenious ways of solving this watering problem without using a water pump, However, although these methods achieve the purpose, they take up an enormous amount of time.
Although he now has electricity, he will also need to buy the water pump, which is not within his present means. So near to a solution but at the same time, still at a distance! Prices for water pumps may well be cheaper in Lima so I will look around and see what I can find. I have already found out that there are different kinds, centrifugal pumps and peripheral pumps so this will be a new learning experience for both of us!
So, in conclusion, next time you switch on the telly, or the washing machine, give a thought to Lucho and Jose Luis and the millions more that don’t have the luxury of taking such things as electricity for granted. Must finish now, not at home……writing on my tablet and the battery is low. Forgot to bring my charger!
Here for reference are the previous posts!
Wanderings! 
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