Water Conservation

We seem to be worrying about a lot of things that are not really critical. Yes, Oil, WMD, and terrorism are all crucial issue. But are they are really as critical as some of the other issues we face.

Consider water for one. Is water a renewable resource? If you said "Yes", you are right. But how long will it be before you are wrong?

It is not a widely published fact. But that's no reason why it should not be a widely acknowledged problem. The world's supply of fresh water is slowly running dry. Forty percent of the world's population is already reeling under the problems of water scarcity.

Most of the diseases plaguing us are water-borne. While there is a child being born every eight seconds in America, there is a life being taken every eight seconds by some water-borne disease in other parts of the world.

What is the cause and what the effect, is not clear as yet. Is it the lopsided distribution of fresh water that is causing climate change, or is it climate change that is causing this lopsided distribution? The fact is that there is significant climate change, and as a consequence of this change, some regions are becoming drier while others are getting wetter. Some parts of the world are experiencing greater desertification, while some others are suffering category 4 and 5 hurricanes.

According to the United Nations, water is one of the most serious crises facing the world. And things are only getting worse. Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan of the erstwhile USSR, Chile, Mexico, Paraguay, Argentina, Peru and Brazil in Latin America, parts of China and the Middle East especially Iran, and more than 25 countries of Africa are all suffering from varying degrees of desertification.

Global weather is a system gone skewed. It is making poor countries poorer. Countries that are already facing drought and famine are getting less and less water. For how long can these countries run on dry?

The growing water shortage will make food more scarce, potable water less accessible and water-borne diseases even more rampant. And the number of people who will suffer all this will only increase in the years to come.

Blame this on nature. That is the most convenient thing to do. But the fact is much of the blame belongs to increasing consumption and improper usage. At every opportunity nature reminds us by what it does and doesn't, that it is one of the forces we have little control over. There is no way we can stop the rain or start it. But what we can do is become more water-efficient and get more from every drop.

There is a basic problem. We don’t seem to realize how critical water is to our very survival. All life on earth will simply vanish without it. There are a few simple things we can do to ensure that we always have an adequate supply of clean water.

Things You Can Do In the Toilette

Repair or replace all leaky fittings. Avoid unnecessary flushing. Use a low-flow showerhead. While showering, first wet yourself, turn off the shower, soap, scrub and then turn on the shower again to wash off the water.

What You Can Do In the Kitchen

Use one basin of soapy water to wash dirty dishes and use a basin of clean water to rinse. Don’t wash dirty dishes under a tap of running water. Use the dirty water from the basins to run your sink. If you use a dishwasher use a model that uses the least amount water.

Other Ways of Saving Water

Never throw out water you can use for something else. For instance if you have ornamental fish, every time you change water in the tank use the stale water to water the plants in your house. Used water from a fish tank is also a good fertilizer for plants.

If you have plants don’t over-water them. There is no point in pouring more than the necessary amount of water. The excess water will simply run off serving no one any purpose.
Be a little creative and you will find hundreds of ways in which to save water. Water is the giver of life. It has no substitute. Make every drop count!