Water Water Nowhere Homeowners Please Spare

Issued In Public Interest by Ashwin Architects in Bangalore. Please read and share.

A staggering 1.2 billion people have no access to clean drinking water.

The matter is of such grave concern that the International Water Management Institute has predicted that one out of three people in India will have scarce access to water by 2025.

Two glasses of water, i.e. approximately 1 litre, saved every day by each household in India can help conserve a whopping 1.2 Billion Liters of water.

And though this is miniscule when compared to the overall water footprint of Indian consumption; i.e. 987 billion m³/yr, it can be quite significant when saved over a period of time. For access to clean drinking water is every human being's right; and it is a collective responsibility of each individual in the society to help conserve...water.

Visit this link for a quick evaluation of your individual water footprint.

Your Water Footprint – Quick Calculator

This is the amount of water, that you as an individual, consume directly or indirectly. The matter is of such grave concern that the International Water Management Institute has predicted that one out of three people in India will have scarce access to water by 2025.

And where do you think much of this water is being consumed?

Not at your shower, neither at the kitchen sink but maximum share goes into production of goods and services that are consumed by us, individuals and the community as a whole.

As an individual, all you can do is cut your personal consumption.

Are you curious to know how your toilet flushes can have short and long flushes?

Here are a few alternatives available today in the market. Some of them mentioned here might be just what you have been looking for...

1. Dual Flush Toilets: A full flush uses 6 liters while a half flush consumes 3 liters.

2. Controlled Flush Toilets: It uses just the quantity of water necessary for the time.

3. Flush Tank Banks: They have water bladders, filled with water and clamped to the inner wall of the flush tank. Manufacturers claim it saves about 3L per flush, though you got to inquire if these systems are available in India.

Ask your local sanitary ware dealer if they can install one in your house and it would not cost much.

Do dishwashers save more water than washing by hand?

“...dishwashers and washing machines using 50~60% less water than what they did a decade ago...”

Findings from a study conducted at the University of Bonn, Germany says that on average 10.5 liters (2.77 gallons) of water is used per person, each day, when washing the normal amount of dishes by hand, whereas Electrolux says its best dishwashers use only 2.27 liters (.59 gallons) of water to wash the same amount of dishes (per person, per day) and would require less energy to heat up the smaller amount of water. A full cycle in the dishwasher will consume about 15 liters (4 gallons) on average. Source: Gizmag

However, the amount of water consumed in hand wash will vary from person to person. Nevertheless,

• it is wise to wash with a full load, and

• not to rinse the dishes before placing them in a dishwasher

• and not to use too much detergent, for every bit helps.

Increased awareness among consumers, manufacturers and the governing bodies on water conservation is resulting in today’s dishwashers and washing machines using 50~60% less water than what they did a decade ago.

As a socially aware home owner, it will be prudent to replace your old washers with Energy Star rated models. These models equipped with sensors can save about gallons of water every year, like Front Loading Washing Machines could save up to 52% in water consumption.

• Installing a double sink kitchen tray, one with detergent water and the other for rinsing. So when washing by hand, you don't let excess water run down the drain.

1. Soak pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.

2. Wash your fruits and vegetables in a bowl of water and then drain that water to your garden. That way you can save gallons of water and keep your plants green.

   
   

• Make your garden a water-friendly area.

1. Sprinklers focused only on your lawn and not the compound walls or pathways.

2. Plant plants that require less water. And then water them early in the day or late in the evening before the sun starts warming up (Minimizes Evaporation). You can save an amazing 2000 litres of water each year!

3. Clean your fish tank as you do but reuse old water to water your lawn and garden plants.

4. Use drip irrigation to water your plants and trees at their roots. This saves a lot of excess water running away.

5. Allow leaves to litter your lawn in the summer. You will be amazed at how much evaporation this can prevent and thus keep your soil cool (requiring less water to plants).

   
   

• Clean your driveway using a broom instead of your water hose. That way you will save precious water every time.

• Replace your shower head by a water efficient model. You will save more than 2500 litres of water that way!

1. And then shorten your daily shower duration by a minute or two. You will save more than 500 litres of water that way!

1. Connect rooftop water outlets to a small tank in your garden to collect rain water or the water overflowing from overhead tanks. This water can be used to water your garden.

2. Keep checking for leaks all year round. Like using food color in your flush tank to see if there is a leak. Or using a water mark in your swimming pool to check if water is not seeping away or manually checking for leaks in faucets.

3. Train the young ones in your family about water conservation and they will implement it like pros. They might also like to keep track of water savings done with help of this calculator.