It is a common truth that humans cannot survive without water. About 2/3 of our planet is covered with water, which makes us think that this natural resource can never be depleted. But the reality is that some areas are very dry and suffer from acute water shortage. The same applies to cities where water demand far outstrips its supply, hence the need for concerted efforts towards its conservation. People must be taught about the importance of conserving water because otherwise, it will run dry. Plus, the way humans treat water and water resources puts pressure on our ecosystem. Conserved water, in this regard, can be a solution.
For this article, we have compiled a list of 21 efficient ways to conserve water, and we hope you will find it useful. So let’s get down to it!
Install a low volume toilet flush tank
If you install a high-capacity flush tank, each time you flush it a whole sea of water will go down the drain and for no reason.
You do not have to buy another tank as you can use a plastic bottle filled with pebbles or water. This will help reduce the space inside the flush tank. But even with a low flush toilet, ensure that it can hold enough to flush the waste as you may be forced to do it several times which makes the whole thing unnecessary and inapplicable.
Stop using your toilet bowl as a waste-basket
Some people throw waste in the toilet bowl and flush it away forgetting that every time they do this, water is wasted. Instead, look for a waste bin.
Imagine flushing a toilet every time you smoke and drop a filter into the bowl. How
much water gets wasted during the day? This should be a wake-up call!
Check for leakages
A toilet tank stores water that is used in flushing down waste, and if there is any leakage, you may lose a lot of water. To check if there are any leakages, add some food colors in the tank and see if the colored water will find its way to the bowl when it is not in use.
Restrict water dripping from your shower heads
Restrict the amount of water that flows from your showerheads. The first thing you can do for it is to check the O-rings. Also, turn off the tap when taking a bath. By so doing, you will save both water and money.
Buy a high-efficiency washing machine
Traditional machines use more water than the modern ones. However, although expensive, they are more efficient because they help save not only water but also electricity.
Also, while planning to do the laundry, wait until you accumulate enough items so not to load it often. Plus, it just does not make sense to fill a machine to clean only one or two pieces of clothes.
In fact, some clothes, like jeans and coats, can be worn a number of times before washing them. They are an outwear which is designed for frequent wear.
Kitchen garden
In urban areas, farming is limited due to unavailability of space. As a result, scientific farming methods should be adopted such as growing vegetables and onions in special containers that can keep water longer.
Again, even water that is used to clean utensils can be collected in a container and used to irrigate your kitchen garden.
Harvesting of rainfall
During rainy seasons, people should harvest rainwater as much of it goes to waste. Houses with iron sheet roofs should be fitted with gutters to collect and store it in a tank. By so doing, we can minimize cases of flash floods as it is the same rainfall that causes it. This will also save you dollars that could have been spent in paying utility bills.
Use a car washing machine instead of a hosepipe
When cleaning your car, look for a cleaning machine rather than using a hosepipe. Cleaning machines are more efficient in this regard, and some are even able to recycle used water.
Alternatively, although cumbersome, you can use a bucket a piece of soft cloth and replace the water only when it gets dirty.
Take less time showering
Only open shower taps when you are ready to bathe. Some people open the taps and wait for the water to get warm. Why not open your tap only when you are ready?
And again, when you shower, use the shortest time possible to avoid wastage. Brush your teeth first, and only then head to the bathroom.
Cover swimming pools and store water in closed containers
Always store water in closed containers to reduce evaporation. Most swimming pools are not covered hence much is lost through evaporation.
Swimming pools should be emptied and refilled only when they are too dirty to swim. Meanwhile, use detergents to take care of your pool and do so on a regular basis.
Water plants in the mornings or late evenings
Watering during these periods reduces the chances of it evaporating as the weather is usually cooler compared to the daytime. Plants make food during the day thus, they will be able to store enough water to sustain before it can evaporate.
This can become your case for a study. Why would you otherwise spend time reading this article about water if not for a good cause? You can learn the ways of how people can conserve water and, who knows, maybe it is you who will come up with an efficient solution. Some use help from uk essay writing services to complete such a study on time, but if your interest has nothing to do with college and deadlines, you can perfectly do it yourself.
Adopt drip irrigation technology
Through drip irrigation technology, water is dispensed in small quantities unlike when it is poured with a can or a sprinkler is used. And since it is dispensed gradually, much of it is absorbed by plants unlike when you irrigate with a bucket or a sprinkler as much of it evaporates or is blown away by wind.
Add mulch at the base of crops
Mulch not only prevents the weed from thriving but also prevents water from evaporating quickly. In the process, the irrigating frequency reduces thereby saving you a lot of water.
In addition, mulch reduces splash soil erosion, as raindrops will not land on the bare ground.
Weed out your farm to reduce competition for resources
Weeds are unwanted crops in your farm as they compete for resources with what you have planted. They are also known to host pests and diseases that destroy crops.
Thus, if you fail to control them in time, they will grow alongside your crops and compete for available resources. For this reason, you will be forced to use more than you should feed those unwanted plants.
Do not cool your drinks by running water over them
Some people cool their drinks by holding them under the running tap water as opposed to putting them in a fridge. What a waste! This is a retrogressive cooling method as a lot of it goes down the drain.
If you cannot afford a fridge, look for a bucket, fill it with water and then put your drinks in there and once you are done cooling, use the same to do other things.
Clean utensils and other items in closed sinks
Although cleanliness is important, you can save some water by closing the bottom of your sink before filling it. That way, the same can be used to clean several items.
Alternatively, you can look for a dishwashing machine, as it is more efficient than manual washing.
Constructing dams and water pans
These can be constructed in dry places that receive heavy downfall seasonally. They are also ideal in places where farming and rearing animals are done.
Animals such as cows can consume gallons in a day, and the same case happens if you grow crops through irrigation.
To irrigate your farm, you can pump it from these reservoirs instead of using the one that is meant for human consumption. Imagine how much you would save by tapping and storing flash floods?
Afforestation
The best water conservation strategy is protecting water catchment ecosystem through afforestation. In the past, this natural resource was in plenty but due to the destruction of its catchment sites, it has become scarce, and this has indirectly led to global warming cases.
Nevertheless, if we plant more trees and increase vegetation cover in forests and other catchment areas, will be able to preserve and restore the ecological balance.
Source
Avoid using processed food
Mostly, food processing is done in factories through a process that consumes many gallons of water. Thus, by not buying processed food such as beer, soda, and juice, you will ease demand for those products indirectly making those companies require less water to process them due to reduced demand for them.
By doing so, you will also be living healthy as processed foodstuffs are the major cause of lifestyle diseases.
Sweep clean paths and driveways
Do not use a hosepipe to clean these places. Instead, use a broom to sweep them clean. This does not mean that they should never be cleaned with water but at least, do it when it is really necessary. By cleaning, I mean using a broom and a bucket but not a hosepipe.
Establishing a recycling plant
This a cleaning system whereby dirty water moves through several cleaning chambers to remove dirt and other toxins before it can be released for other uses.
This system is mostly used to clean sewage water whereby it is cleaned and used for farming or is even released back to the rivers for consumption while the sludge is used in making fertilizer.
If people can take it upon themselves to conserve it using these strategies that have been discussed here, then water scarcity problems will be a thing of the past. Even if you cost will be incurred to achieve this objective for instance by buying a car washing machine, pipes for drip irrigation, installing new shower heads and installing gutters and tanks for collecting rainwater, this should be considered as a short term pain for a long term gain. In some cases, you do not have to spend a penny. Simply by changing your lifestyle habits in line with some of these strategies will go a long way towards its conservation.
Emily Rundle’s bio
Having undertaken ecological studies, Emily is very passionate in championing for a lifestyle change to conserve the ecosystem. In her world tours, she has been able to see how people suffer due to water shortage while in other areas, people have enough but waste a lot of it. She believes that by people committing to save it, the ecosystem balance can be restored. It is for these reasons that she endeavors to sensitize and inform the public about the same through her writing.
