As we observe World Water Day on 22nd March every year, we work towards creating awareness to value and conserve water. Do you know there are over 700 million people who do not have access to safe, clean water and they spend hours in a queue or trek to difficult places for their daily water supply? Have you ever considered how they cope with the drastic effects of contaminated water? This year’s theme: ‘Leaving no one behind’, addresses today’s water crisis and aims to include marginalized and underprivileged people as a part of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to provide “water for all by 2030”. Now the question arises, how do we conserve water and make a difference to the society? Whether you are brushing your teeth, washing your clothes, taking a bath, gardening or cooking, there are various effective ways that you can implement in your daily life and save water. Let us discuss some of them.
Turn Off the Taps When Not in Use
Most of us leave the tap open while brushing, scrubbing our hands or shaving. Every minute you leave the faucet running, 6 liters of water is wasted. Therefore, turn off the tap when you do not need it like when you are brushing or rubbing your hands and turn it on when you need to rinse your mouth or hands.
Fix Leaky Taps
Fixing a leaky tap can help save 60 liters of water from getting wasted and going down the drain. Check all your bath fittings and taps for leakages and get them repaired. Not only will you save water and money but it will also help you prevent any sort of damage to the walls.
Shower with Less Water
Avoid taking a shower for longer durations as it consumes more water than required. Power showers that enhance the water flow utilize twice as much water and electricity than normal baths. You can also time yourself while showering and save water.
Use Washing Machines for Full Loads
Running the washing machine for a couple of t-shirts and socks is not a good idea as you will end up wasting both water and electricity. Save up your dirty clothes until you have a full machine load of clothes rather than 2 half-loads which consume more energy.
Make Changes to your Diet
The whole process of growing, processing and transporting food requires a lot of water especially nurturing animals for dairy and meat products. Try to include more whole foods in your diet and cut down on the quantity of meat you consume. This will help you shrink your water footprint.
Reduce Water While Gardening
If you are into gardening, do not water your plants in sunlight as water will get evaporated immediately and it will be of no use to the plants. Watering plants early morning or at the end of the day can help you save water. In scorching heat, you can skip watering your lawn and keep a big water-filled container for birds.
With our lives completely dependent on water for everything, we need to understand its importance and conserve this essential natural resource. These simple yet effective ways certainly go a long way to help alleviate the water crisis.
As a sustainable and green campus, REVA University always takes steps to raise awareness of water pollution and suggest effective ways to save fresh water. With initiatives like technical talks, seminars or industrial visits, we try to come up with nature-based solutions to use this precious resource efficiently for the present as well as future generations.
