One of the most essential elements after air is water. Water is one of the non-renewable resources of energy that, if not used thoughtfully,it may result in shortage. The scarcity of water can have serious effects, and so, we must save water in our daily life.
Why do we need to save water?
Well, this is the question that has been asked by many people, and of course, by you as well! For several years, water was considered to be renewable resources of energy and unlike petroleum and several other elements, it was found everywhere on the earth.
\However, continuous abuse and wastage of water by human beings made it non-renewable resources of energy. The natural sources of water like ponds and rivers were contaminated by industrial and several other wastes, making them unfit for consumption.
While our earth is covered with 71% of water, only 1% (even less than that) of water is fit for consumption. The rest of the water is saline. Every year, a lot of water is polluted and wasted.
As a result, several parts of the planet are facing a scarcity of water. While polluted water has increased diseases, the scarcity of water is making people die.
To save water we need to change our habits like keeping the tap off while shaving and brushing, check for the open taps everywhere, bath and wash clothes without wasting water, and so on. Here are a few tips that can help you to save water-
Make sure there's no toilet leakage
One of the major water wastage occurs due to toilet leakages. You may or may not notice the leakage, but if you can prevent it, you may save more than 80-90 gallons of water per day.
Make sure to use your shower for a limited time
It has been observed that many people who use showers for a longer time tend to wastewater. Make sure to pour water, close the shower and apply soap, and then turn the shower on and rinse off. You can also use water-saving aerators that are also known as water-saving devices.
It controls the flow rate of water without disturbing the water pressure, so it helps in saving a lot of water.
Turn the basin tap off while brushing or shaving
The basin task is, you do not need a lot of water. If you can turn off the tap while brushing or shaving, you may end up saving a lot.
Make sure to fill the bathtub partially
If you love taking baths, you can do so without filling the bathtub full. You can fill the bathtub partially and thus, save water.
Do not use your dishwasher for a few utensils
If you use Dishwasher, make sure to use your dishwasher when it is fully loaded with utensils. A few utensils put in a dishwasher would only waste water.
Check for the pipe leakages
Make sure to check for pipe leakages as if the water drips out in a very little amount, it would waste several gallons of water in a day.
Do not keep the water open while washing utensils, fruits, vegetables, etc.
Make sure not to keep the water open for various task like washing fruits, vegetables or utensils.
Make sure to teach your children how to conserve water, good habits are taught at home, so make sure to teach your children water-saving habits right from the beginning like closing the taps in time, not to drain water unnecessarily, etc.
Make sure not to use automatic washing machines for fewer clothes
Do not use automatic washing machines only a few clothes and several times a day. You can collect all the clothes that need to be washed and put them in the washing machine when it is fully loaded, as it would use the same amount of water every time it washes.
You can also save water by washing a few clothes manually.
Recycle and reuse
Make sure to recycle the water and reuse them as much as possible, as this would contribute in water conservation. For example, you can store the water from laundry and bathtub to reuse it. You can also tell and teach people about the benefits of water recycling.
Collect the water that is wasted by RO
It is said that RO water purifiers waste 3 liters of water to provide 1 liter of purified water, which means 25% water is only used and the rest 75% is drained out. This water can be stored and reused later to plant the trees, for bathing, etc. Collect the water in a bucket and use it as and when required.
Make sure to use only half a bucket of water for cleaning the floor
Do not waste water to clean your floor. A half bucket of water is enough for cleaning the floors.
Do not keep the bathroom taps open and make the bucket overflow
Many people have this habit to keep the bathroom taps open whenever they are in the bathroom. Not only does it make your bathroom floor wet, but also contributes to the wastage of water.
Install a water-saving nozzle
Installing a water-saving nozzle in every tap can help in saving several gallons of water every day. You can buy this nozzle from any of the online stores and your local plumber can install it. Most of the nozzles are available with water filters, so you can get clean water too.
Water the plants, garden area, and lawn only when it is needed
Make sure not to water your plants, garden area or lawn more often. Trees and plants absorb water and can survive with considerable amount of water. You don’t need to water the area on rainy days too.
If you are watering the plants/garden area/lawn, make sure not to sprinkle water but water splendidly so that the water seeps in and stays. In that way, you do not need to water it every day.
Make sure to dry clean the surface well so that to use less water for cleaning
Dry cleaning any surface before wet cleaning ensures less usage and wastage of water. Be it your kitchen sink, be it the floor or be it your dining table, every surface should be dry cleaned well so that the final wet cleaning step doesn’t require much water.
Use dry and wet wipes instead of washing your face several times
Besides having a good skincare ritual, using wipes can help reduce the wastage of water. Instead of cleaning your face with water several times a day with water (and with soap too), make good use of skincare wipes to clean your skin and wipe off the makeup.
Stop water contamination
Make sure not to contaminate the natural sources of water. Do not wash clothes, bathe or put any garbage in the river. Remember, a clean water body can contribute to a healthy environment.
Start rainwater harvesting
The best way to reuse and recycle water is to start rainwater harvesting. There are several ways to start rainwater harvesting, and you can take help from various organizations that provide support to the people interested in doing that.
These above-mentioned points are known to most people, but a very less percentage of people follow them in their daily lives. If you can follow even half of the points, you would be contributing a lot towards water conservation!
It is just that we need to change our habits and make water conservation a part of our daily lives. Only then we can make a difference!
People say a lot about water conservation and much has been said about this. But when it comes to following it practically in our lives, most of the people fail. It is because of their habits that they are not able to reduce water usage and wastage.
Water is one of the most easily available resources and most of the places have no water-meters, which means they do not have to pay for it!
When it comes to free, automatically, it is considered to be an easily available element that can be wasted too. But if we think of this issue seriously, we will see that it is not an easily available resource in every part of the planet.
Many countries, cities, towns, villages, and areas do not have sufficient amount of water to drink. There are several places where the drought has taken several lives, and places where people can never get sufficient water.
No wonder, if we continue abusing water like the way we are doing now, it would take a few years to make the earth without water.
According to a survey conducted by the National Geographic team, by 2025, more than 1.8 billion of the population would not get enough water for consumption and around two-thirds of the world’s population would starve for water.
It is high time to take the call and save as much water as you can, as you would probably be keeping no water for the future generation. Save water to save the world!