10 Easy Ways To Reduce Wastage Of Water

Clean water is as crucial as the air we breathe. Water plays an important role in our lives, not just for drinking purposes but also for cooking, maintaining hygiene, and several other reasons. However while you are carrying out your daily tasks, you may, unknowingly, cause wastage of water.

According to the Niti Aayog’s report of 2018, 21 major cities, like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and others, are staring towards near-zero groundwater levels by 2020.

How to reduce wastage of water?

This regular wastage of water today is going to lead to a severe water shortage in the times to come. Therefore, we must start taking mandatory steps to reduce water wastage, now.

Here are the 10 easy ways to save water:

1.  Check taps for leaks

Often many individuals consider water drops falling from the faucets of taps and showers as a normal trend. But have you ever tried to analyze how much water is wasted in the process? Try collecting the water to know the quantity wasted every single day. You should make sure to get the plumber to fix such leaks to save water.

2. Low flow shower head

The water wasted during showers is unbelievably high. It can quench the thirst of hundreds of people. A bucket bath is a good suggestion to follow or opt for a low-flow shower.

Another easy and affordable way to reduce wastage of water is to use a tap aerator. An aerator can be installed on almost all modern taps. This small but very effective tool reduces the water flow and can help you save to 1,274 liters of water in a month.  

3. Water-saving toilet

One other great option is to install a water-saving toilet. It helps reduce the wastage caused at the time of flushing.

You can also invest in a dual-flush toilet that gives you two options: one that uses lesser water and one other that uses a little more water.  A dual-flush toilet saves water by providing you with two flush options: a full-flush for draining out solids (feces) and a half-flush for draining out liquids (urine).

4. Wash clothes or dishes together

The amount of water that gets wasted while washing clothes or utensils is amazingly shocking. You can try to do the laundry once in 2-3 days in place of doing the same on a daily basis. Similarly, you can collect all the dishes together to wash them once when they’re quite a lot. Try for once or twice a day. Ensure the sink hygiene is maintained in the process. How? Use a good quality dish wash liquid, dissolve in water in the sink and block the water using the sink-cap. Soak in all the dirty or used dishes in that sink. The dish wash liquid works as disinfectant and all the greasy stains of the dishes will also dissolve in the process.

While washing clothes, always make sure you are not running your washing machine with half load. This causes wastage of water and electricity.

5. Teach your kids good habits

Most often than not, kids leave the water tap or faucet on after washing hands or brushing teeth. Ensure that they understand the problem that might occur due to a shortage of water – in the times to come. Also, make them learn the good habits of closing the water faucet after every use.

Make sure you teach your kids how important it is to avoid wastage of natural resources like water.  

6. Use stored water

Most individuals have a habit of washing vegetables and other things under running water. This washing method leads to wastage of water. One of the best ways is to store water in a container and then use it for washing. You can also store water in the refrigerator or bottles for drinking purposes to not have to operate the tap each time.

7. Re-use the water

Once you have used water to wash vegetables and dishes, you can re-use the same water to nourish your indoor plants.

8. Replace RO with other water purification options

If you have an RO for water purification, it surely causes wastage of water in huge quantities. For every 1 gallon of pure water, the RO wastes about 3 gallons of water. Hence, it is recommended to check other options, such as choosing a general water filter or a UV water filter. Another great way is boiling water to clean it.

If you are buying a new water purifier for your home then always follow the thumb rule ‘avoid RO water purifiers if the TDS level of water is below 500 PPM’.

9. Re-use RO wastewater for other purposes

RO (Reverse Osmosis used in water purifier) wastes a whole lot of water. But when you already have RO installed, you can use the wastewater for other purposes such as cleaning vegetables and dishes. This water is not dirty but is not fit for drinking. So, you can use this water for other cleaning purposes so that it does not get wasted. Store this water to utilize it in the right way.

RO wastewater can be reused for several purposes like floor mopping, washing utensils, and watering your plants or gardening.

10. Act smart

There can be several ways when the question of how to save water comes up. Different people may come up with different ideas to reduce the wastage of water. Apart from the ways mentioned above, there are many more ideas that can be used, such as:

• Washing your car with bucket water in place of using a hosepipe
• Watering the garden early in the morning when the sun is not absorbing water too much
• Stopping kids from playing with water
• Take short showers
• Taking only that much amount of water that you can drink
• Utilizing water in the right way so that you do not have to waste it

While we were researching more ways to save water, we came across a useful article. This is a good read if you are looking for more ways to save water in your daily life.

In regular day to day activities, you cause tremendous wastage of water unknowingly. Just a few small acts of smartness can help save water so that your next generation does not have to face scarcity of water in their lives. Yes, if you save today, then only your next generation will also enjoy the water the way you are doing now.