What does water mean to you? To us, water means hydration and that everyone has the right to access clean drinkable water.
It can certainly mean differently to others. In farming, water can mean irrigation, productivity and outcome. In religious practice, water can be a holy element. In nature, the water cycle is the most important ecosystem service. Water has multidimensional value but all in all, water is life. It is a precious and critical resource that must be conserved.
We cannot live without water and yet we often fail to understand that it is a finite resource. Some of us are privileged enough to have water running down through our tap where we can simply switch it on and off, day and night.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for about 2.2 billion people who are living without access to safe water. Some may have to walk miles and carry gallons of water everyday just to bring clean water to their families.
In this World Water Day 2021, we would like to raise awareness on the global water crisis and let’s be more conscious with how we use our water.
Water is a huge topic and there are a plethora of issues around water – pollution, scarcity, infrastructure, conflict, climate change, and so on. But now we are going to talk about an issue that is close to our heart, the water crisis that happened in our hometown, Bali.
In 2019, the island was running out of water as monsoon rains delayed and the demand for water remained high with over six million tourists coming in that year. A report by Indonesia’s Environmental Protection Agency stated that 260 out of 400 rivers in Bali had run dry. It also reported that Bali’s biggest water reserve, Lake Buyan, had dropped by 3.5 meters and that some parts of the island were experiencing saltwater intrusion due to the falling water table.
Now, the question is what can we do to preserve this finite and valuable resource?
It is not rocket science.
There are myriad ways we can do to save water at home. Here we have compiled a few tricks that you and I can easily adopt to save water around the house – in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the garden and others. Remember, our action matters and every single drop counts.
In the Kitchen
- Steaming your veggies uses less water compared to boiling and it also retains more nutrients.
- If you are using the dishwasher at home, wait until you have a full load of dishes before using it.
In the Bathroom
- Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or scrubbing your body.
- Wait until you have a full load of laundry before using the washing machine.
- Choose an eco-friendly toilet with a low flush option.
- Use the showers instead of bathtubs and save at least three gallons of water each time.
In the Garden
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- Check for leaks in pipes, faucets and couplings. (Same thing with your bathroom, always check for leaks and fix them right away).
- Water your garden early in the morning or later in the evening to reduce evaporation.
- Watering your garden by hand uses 33 percent less water.
- Use water from rinsing rice or cooking vegetables to nourish your plants.
- Build a rainwater-harvesting unit if you’re up for something more advanced.
