“I’m late,” says Tarik, laughing. He is dressed in the football uniform of USV Elinkwijk and is leaving for his match. His mother first sent him to the supermarket for a few bottles of water. “I’ll just take a photo, as proof.”
It is busy in the aisle where there are normally four long shelves full of bottles of water. Anyone who thought they could stock up on bottled water at 9.30 am at the AH XL in the Overvecht shopping center in Utrecht is out of luck.
During the night from Friday to Saturday, water company Vitens discovered minor contamination with enterococcal bacteria in a drinking water reservoir in the Kanaleneiland district of Utrecht. About 125,000 households in and around Utrecht are supplied with water from the reservoir. Vitens sent them a message advising them to boil water for three minutes and then drink it.
Many customers take a photo of the now empty shelves and some empty shopping carts left behind. They look dismayed. It is not really necessary to hoard water, most say. Still, they came here, hoping to buy some more bottles, because boiling water is such a hassle.
Pill
Trees Klören heard it from her brother, who called from the hospital in Utrecht, where he was admitted. In her cart there are six half-liter bottles of ginger-flavored sparkling water. Not something she and Co Masmeijer, who is with her, normally drink. “I heard it on the radio this morning,” says Masmeijer, who carries a cane for the blind. “I had just taken a pill, just with water from the tap.” He is not shocked. “Oh, it was just a little bit.”
Evelien has just come from a night shift at the hospital, because she talks about her work she prefers not to have her surname in the newspaper. During the night she heard about the bacteria. She and her colleagues immediately took action. “We have put on large pans of water and closed the taps that people can normally drink from.” She’s not here to buy water for herself. “You can also make it too big, right? I’m here for my old neighbor, bottles would be useful for him.”
Anneke de Vos is worried about her bird. The pyrrhura, a parrot with green feathers, always drinks chilled tap water. “She likes it so much. I normally change her water ten times a day.” She is standing with a bottle of Pellegrino mineral water in her hands. “Is there a shot in this? I don’t have my glasses with me.”
Is there any point in this? I don’t have my glasses with me
She is still wearing her pajamas under her coat, she points out. When she woke up she saw a message from the water company on her phone. Her sister-in-law had also called three times. “It won’t be too bad for ourselves, but what about Coco?” She immediately wondered that too. “My bird is very spoiled, I know that. She eats healthier than me.” A customer overhearing the conversation recommends boiling water and putting it in a small cup in the freezer. That will probably cool down quickly. De Vos is skeptical, but will try.
The drinking water is slightly contaminated with enterococcal bacteria in parts of Utrecht, Bilthoven, Bosch en Duin, Bunnik, De Bilt, Groenekan, Maarssen, Oud Zuilen, Tienhoven, Westbroek and Zeist.
Photo Angeliek de Jonge/ANP
Coincidentally, the awareness campaign also starts this Saturday ‘Think ahead’. The government campaign recommends putting together an emergency package and ensuring that you can survive 72 hours without electricity, internet and, yes, water. Three liters of water per person per day is recommended.
Give me everything!
The customers who stood in line in front of Albert Heijn this morning had probably not done that yet. “It was chaos,” says AH employee Aleksandar Petrovic. He has been working at this Albert Heijn for eighteen years, and only in the first corona days has he seen the same craziness. “When the store opened this morning, everything was immediately gone. People left with carts full. One woman panicked. Give me everything, give me everything, she shouted to me when I replenished the small bottles in the refrigerator at the front of the store. But most people remained calm.” The supermarket did not have much water in stock, but a new shipment will arrive at 11 a.m., Petrovic said.
Dirk, further down in the Overvecht shopping center, also had a run on the water immediately upon opening. “People ran into the store,” say two employees at the self-checkout. “Three additional loads will arrive this afternoon.” They do not know exactly what time the delivery will be. “It would be useful if you put a note at the front of the store that the water has run out,” says a passing customer. “I am heavily pregnant and only came for the water, but that is now gone.” That’s a good idea, the two say, nodding.
At Lidl, also in the Overvecht shopping center, there is a large plaque where the water normally stands. “Dear customer, unfortunately we currently have no more water in stock. We will receive a new delivery around 2 p.m.,” can be read in red marker.
Sparkling water is still available. Danny (he prefers not to give his last name) puts six one and a half liter bottles of it in his basket. Daughter Mila looks a little worried. “Is that okay?” she asks. “We’ll make do with it,” her father says, shrugging his shoulders. Mila herself is happy with her bottle of children’s coke. “We’re just going to boil water,” says Danny. “That’s fine, it’s just such an undertaking.”
NEW: Give this item as a gift
As an NRC subscriber you can subscribe every month 10 items give as a gift to someone without an NRC subscription. The recipient can read the article directly, without a paywall.