The need to find more and more innovative ways to conserve water cannot be over-emphasized. With global warming and increasing depletion of natural resources throughout the world, the need for water conservation has become glaring. And with an average person needing around 88-100 liters of water per day, this adds up to around 30,000 liters of water per year per person! Now that’s a lot of water.
For people living in apartment complexes, the builder, as well as the residents, can play an important role in water conservation. Try to adopt ‘green’ lifestyles by using recycled or harvested water for outdoor activities. This will bring down your water bill and create less pressure on the dwindling water table too. Here are a few tips on reducing your water consumption:
Harvesting Rainwater – Harvesting rainwater from rooftops through storm pipes is fast catching on in apartments and independent homes.
Create Groups – Form groups of like-minded people to promote water conservation within your community. Encourage your family to find ways of saving water around the home too.
Close Taps – While brushing your teeth or shaving, do not leave the tap running. Closing the tap in-between while you are lathering can save you up to 5 liters of water each day.
Leaky Taps – Make a point of fixing or replacing leaking faucets. It’s a major contributor towards water wastage and even if one drop falls per second, it eventually adds up to around 2,500 gallons per year. The bigger picture is surely an eye-opener!
Leaking toilets – Check if your toilet tank is leaking water using a simple trick. Put some food color in your toilet’s water tank. If you see any color within the toilet bowl within thirty minutes without flushing, it means your toilet needs fixing. Better still, upgrade your toilet with newer models that have smaller flush tanks.
Flush tank hacks – In case you are stuck with the old model of toilet tanks which guzzle up gallons of water, you can use a simple hack to reduce water consumption. Just place a full bottle of water inside the flush tank – so each time you flush, you will save a liter of water!
Faucets – Change your faucets to the new designs which dispense less water when turned on.
Washing Machine – Run the washing machine, only when it’s a full load – this way you save on numerous buckets of water.
Dual Piping – Use grey water from the kitchen or bath along with harvested rainwater for flushing toilets, washing the car or watering the garden. Use potable water for kitchen, bathing, and washbasins.
You can always think up more ways….
