World Water Day, celebrated annually in March, is a day to focus on the universal importance of making sure everyone has access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitisation in third world and developing countries.
It’s vital that we all advocate for fresh water sources and the sustainable management of its resources. World Water Day is also an annual reminder to those with clean water access to not waste of take advantage of such luxury, because somewhere someone is drinking dirty, contaminated water, or can’t find any water at all.
Why do we need to save water?
More than 97 percent of the world’s water is locked in oceans where it is far too salty for human consumption, and around 3 percent of the remaining water is in ice caps. We’re relying on the very small amount available to us not just to drink, but to wash, produce crops, clothing, food, and more – it’s essentially a natural resource for life. And with more and more water being used and wasted every day, it’s absolutely vital we do our bit to save what water we can.
Shower shorter
A power shower uses a staggering 17 litres of water per minute, so keep your showers short and sweet by setting a timer. Ideally, a shower shouldn’t take more than three minutes. You can also use a more efficient shower head that saves water, and cuts down your bills.
Turning off the tap
Most of us leave the tap running while we brush our teeth, but that can waste up to 6 litres of water per minute – so always switch it off between rinses. A leaky tap can also waste up to 60 litres of water each week, so it pays to get it fixed.
Do laundry in big loads
A full washing machine uses less water and energy than washing two separate, half-full loads. So not only will you save water and time, you’ll save money.
Install a water butt
Your plants prefer rain water over treated tap water, so installing a water butt in your garden to collect rainfall won’t only make your plants happy, but it will save around 5,000 litres of water every year.
Eat less meat
It requires around 2,400 litres of water to produce just one pound of meat, and only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat. Cutting down on your consumption of meat could slash your water usage drastically.
Low flushing toilet
On average, a UK household flushes their toilet around 5,000 times a year. The old single-style flush uses approximately 13 litres of water per flush, but the new and improved dual-flush system uses just 6 litres. It’s definitely worth investing in.
Use your dishwasher
Yes, really! If you completely fill your dishwasher when you use it, you’ll save more water than doing all the washing up by hand – even if you use a washing up bowl! I’ve never heard of a better reason to go have a cup of tea.
