15 mindless ways we overuse water and effective means to prevent it
Toilet accounts for 30% of the total water used in our home. Around 8 liters of water is utilized in a single flush.
95% of the water that comes to our home ends up in the sewer.
Around 24% of the total food produced is wasted each year. About 70 percent of fresh water on earth is used for agricultural purposes, this means that 17% of the total water is squandered away each year due to wastage of food.
Running tap while brushing can waste up to 45 liters of water.
On an average, we spend 1000 liters of water to keep our lawn lush and green.
A typical 8 minute bath utilizes 80 liters of water, whereas a shower uses barely 62 liters of water.
An average dishwashing session uses 75 liters of water while an electric dishwasher uses only 40 liters.
A regular car wash at home consumes up to 400 liters of water, however a wash at garage uses only 150 liters.
Throwing junk in the toilet like condoms, hairs, tissues etc. leads to unnecessary flushing, which causes wastage of water. This can be avoided by throwing litter in the trash can.
Instead of growing water absorbing plants like hibiscus, impatiens etc, growing plants requiring less water is a better alternative.
Using hot water in bathtub dissipates water along with energy as hot water evaporates quickly.
Using sprinklers can waste up to 50% water, sprinklers can be replaced by water saving drip irrigation technique.
A leaky toilet can waste around 20-40 liters of water an hour.
Faulty and botch irrigation system wastes around 20-30% of freshwater annually.
A typical golf course uses 1.2 million liters of water each day, this is equivalent to the water consumed by 3120 people.
Effectual ways to save water
At home
Don’t wash fruits, food under running tap rather take some water in a container to wash them.
Don’t keep the tap water running while shaving, brushing.
Don’t wash your car directly through the pipe water instead take a bucket of water or a wet sponge to clean it.
Taking showers instead of baths save lots of water.
In garden, lawn
Used water can be recycled for watering lawn, plants.
Water your lawn at night as it prevents wastage of water due to evaporation.
Virtually
You can save water by reducing the amount of item you purchase. Producing a unit cotton T-shirt requires 2700 liter of water, even a single piece of paper requires more than 12 liter of water.
Beef, chicken and other non-veg diets require more water than vegan foods.
To know more about food-water relation click here.
References (in sequence)
https://greenscream.wordpress.com/2007/11/11/top-10-ways-people-waste-water-without-realizing-it/
http://www.vice.com/read/save-water-ban-golf-815
http://sswd.org/index.aspx?page=322
http://www.water-matters.org/topic/water-conservation/household-tips
http://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/the-impact-of-a-cotton-t-shirt
http://www.waterwise.org.uk/news.php/11/showers-vs.-baths-facts-figures-and-misconceptions
http://www.wikihow.com/Save-Water
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