“Little drops of water save a mighty
planet”
Top 10 tips to help you re-establish your connection with nature
So, you think a bucket-and-mug bath is a
water-saving one? You couldn’t be more off the mark! Here’s a cool list of
things you could do to save a very, very precious resource called water.
1.
Take a shower. Studies
have shown that it saves up to 40 per cent water against a bucket-and-mug bath.
Moreover, it’s quicker, more efficient and clean.
2.
When you are washing
the car, ensure that you do not use a hose pipe or running water. Use a damp
cloth instead. This will save water, bring down electricity bills and keep your
car shiny and rust-free! And when you sweep the courtyard, sprinkle water from
a mug; don’t hose down the area. The dust will settle will just a brisk
sprinkling of water from the mug.
3.
Turn off the tap while
you are brushing your teeth. Most people merrily leave the tap on while they
brush and preen and pout! If you are simply too lazy or forgetful, then get you
have to invest in quarter turn taps.
4.
Replace leaking taps
and valves right away. One dripping tap can lead to 120 litres of water being
wasted every day and this number equals one person’s daily water use!
5.
However stylish a lawn
may look, please don’t have one in your garden. Green lawns are actually green
deserts. They guzzle water. Instead, grow hibiscus, crotons, plumeria and such
water-saving plants. And, whatever you do, don’t grow banana trees in your
kitchen garden. Do you know that every kilo of bananas drinks up 3500 litres of
water? Do the math now: a 10-kg banana bunch consumes 35,000 litres of water.
You’d have to water the plant every day for a whole year before you actually
enjoy the fruit of your labour, but at what environmental cost? Water has to be
pumped for over 100 km (from the Cauvery) just so that you get your home-grown
banana fix! Just buy a bunch when the mood strikes you!
6.
Say ‘No’ to potted
plants and grow plants in the soil. Plants that grow in soil consume less water
as the moisture in the soil keeps them hydrated and healthy.
8.
There’s nothing called
“old water”. I’ve watched -- in horror -- as folks throw away water that’s been
stored for a week or more on the pretext that it has become “old”! Water that
is stored in an open tank with light entering it will certainly lead to the growth
of algae/ bacteria. Make sure that you store water in covered tank or in
containers kept covered in a dark place. Such water is fit for use even after
months or years.
9.
Did you know that a
Front Loading washing machine saves 50% of water when compared to Top Loading washing
machine? Also you can recycle the water that your washing machine spews out
every day, this needs some infrastructure like a separate sump with a pump and
a dedicated overhead tank which is connected to the toilet flushing
system.
10. Always
water your plants/ garden at dawn or dusk, never in
the afternoons. 