Now let’s get this straight from the start, there is no shortage of water in the world. The shortage is of usable clean water. Obviously what some people don’t seem to understand is that there is always the same amount of water on earth. It s a constant. Water can’t by its nature, run out! If it isn’t on the ground or in the oceans it is in the clouds. Clouds don’t just vanish, the build and rain falls. Clouds don’t disappear into the wider universe they stay in our atmosphere alone.
Form might change, quality might change and accessibility might change but it is there, always has been and always will be!
What we need to be seeking now is the means to clean the dirty water or collect excess from areas with abundance. The earth won’t run out of water only people will through their lack of understanding of the process. Recycling water by way of cleansing plants and desalination plants might be the way of the future for obtaining drinking quality water. Both methods have been successfully trialed.
It is wise to stop wasting water in the home and garden as these facilities are not yet widely available. So while we wait for the authorities to catch up and implement a better infrastructure, we must do what we can to conserve what we have available.
In the home the quickest and most efficient way to save water is to get rid of the daily shower. The daily shower has been a modern invention, having only been a habit of the last few decades. Prior to this it was the weekly bath. Because many people can’t be swayed easily from this acquired bad habit most can adjust faster to a swift shower, (especially if threatened with the alternative weekly bath!). Limiting the shower to three minutes allows enough time to freshen up without waste.
The use of grey water, that is, used water from baths, showers, washing machines and dishwashers on gardens is common in drought affected areas though piping of these grey waters is not widely approved of by local governments, a bucket can easily be used. If using grey water make sure you are using good biodegradable washing powders etc.
Under eaves rainwater tanks to catch adequate drinking water is a wonderful idea if your roof is deemed suitable ie no asbestos, rust or acid contaminants Most roofs are suitable collection areas even a large shed has a decent catchment area.
Fix any leaking taps as a single leak can lose a massive amount of water per day. check for leaking ground pipes. This generally shows as a far greener area in the lawn and again can waste incredibly large volumes of water that can also reflect in a change of usage on the water rates.
Swimming pools are great but they take a lot of water to fill and need frequent topping up. If you don’t want to lose the pool consider switching to salt water rather than chlorine as it evaporates at a slower rate.
All in all it is the little things that add up to a large saving, don’t hose paths, use a bucket to wash the car, use drip watering systems with timers set for late evening, (less evaporation and sun scorching of plants).
And while we are cutting back our usage don’t allow the governments to forget to fix that infrastructure problem and get those recycling plants or desalination plants up and running for our future!
