As we all know that water is becoming precious day by day because the availability of clean drinking water is getting scarce. The ground water level is going down and down as the time is passing because of growing population and lack of resources. The quality of water which is available in natural resources is deteriorating day by day due to mixing of chemicals and human wastage in it. The underground water is also now contaminated because of excess use of fertilizers, pesticides and other such chemical preparations in order to gain more profits out of it. But do you have any idea that what are the consequences of such a chemically loaded water bodies that are used to be the main source of drinking water for all of us? Diseases and lots of new and unknown diseases are coming to our way. Yes we cannot escape the consequences of our own fault. We can just try some constructive methods to conserve and restore the available clean water. If we start from our homes individually then only we can make a big difference at the bigger levels. Here are some quick tips that may be helpful to aware citizens of India.
- Start saving water from your home. Check all the outlets of water for any possible leakages and if you find one immediately fix it as it can save an average 140 gallons of water a week.
- Nowadays almost all of us have western toilets in our bathrooms and this kind of toilets use lots of water with every flush. Thus it is need of the hour to upgrade your toilets to more efficient models now available in the market. Dual flush system saves very good quantity of water with every flush.
- Adding toilet tablets of food color to the flush tank will help you know if there is any seepage of water when not in use. Thus fixing such a problem will help in saving 1000 gallons of water a month.
- Taking bath in Indian style is always better than western style. In Indian style you use just one bucket of water to bath but in western style you take shower or take bath in a tub and both these ways are actually help in wastage of water. If you cannot avoid the westernized bathing style then just try to minimize your shower time by a minute or two in order to save 150 gallons of water a month. Isn’t it big saving? Plug your tub before filling it up and adjusting temperature.
- It is important to educate everyone including children and maids at home to turn off faucets tightly after each use.
- Always buy home appliances with cycles as well as load size adjustments because they will save energy as well as water because they will use as much energy and water as required for the particular load.
- While operating washing machine follow the instructions of matching the water level with the size of load to control wastage of water.
- Instead of using running water to unfreeze food defrost it in the refrigerator for water efficiency as well as food safety.
- Minimize number of utensils while cooking to save water on washing them. It is a good idea to designate one glass for each day or a refill bottle for drinking water to cut down the number of glasses to wash.
- If you have any fish tank at home then while cleaning it do not throw the water into sink as it is quite nutritious and can be used to water the plants.
- Before watering the garden check the soil two inches below the surface and if it is moist then it still has enough water so no need to water today. Do not follow any fixed water schedule as you need to water the plants only when they need it not every day.
- Rain water harvesting is the best way to restore and conserve fresh water from sky. You can collect water from your roof tops to water the garden.
- Sprinklers are better than pipes. For watering large grass area sprinklers should be used and for small areas should be watered by hands in order to avoid wastage of water.
- If you have independent bungalow and garden then add patios or walk ways in the garden. These areas not only enhance the beauty of your garden but also save water as that space do not need to be watered.
- It is advisable to reduce the grass cover in the garden by planting shrubs and ground covers to save water.
I hope these simple and very practical tips may help you to conserve water on a daily basis as it is as important as saving money for future use.
RUCHI MAHAJAN