How many of us recognize the legend Rajendra Singh? Also known as the 'Water Man of India', Rajendra Singh has helped revive water table in the dry region of Rajasthan and contributed towards water conservation through several methods of rain water harvesting. Decorated with Magsaysay Award, he was instrumental in bringing water back to over 1,000 villages and revived five rivers in Rajasthan, Arvari, Ruparel, Sarsa, Bhagani and Jahajwali. If Rajendra Singh could do it, why cant we? His foresightedness has helped villagers survive drought. When are we going to do something about the receding water table and shortage of drinking water?
An initiative by Livpure #CuttingPaani has created a buzz everywhere which aims to create awareness on cutting down water wastage for the larger good. The video conveys it nicely.
Not only in restaurants or homes, one can practice this at their workplace as well. Take a look at the video showing the same.
Current situation of water: Grim
-Water table is fast depleting and drinking water is NOT infinite.
-2015 saw Cape Town the worst effected with drought. Possibility of Day Zero was declared in January 2018 when the municipality would be forced to shut down the water supply and residents would rely on water collection points for drinking water with a cap of 25 litres for each household.
-Mexico, Jakarta, Sao Paulo are struggling with scarce supply of water.
Future situation of water: Grimmer
-Human's increasing demands for freshwater and protecting the eco system will be perhaps the biggest challenges to meet in coming few years.
-Melbourne, Australia may run out of water by the end of the decade.
-Water stress is increasing in India, China and Sub Saharan Africa. Bangalore is next on the list to be hit by severe water crisis.
Best ways to save water and the grim situation:
1- Cut down wastage of water:
-Use wet cloth or sponge to clean your car. Using water through hosepipe to wash cars wastes approximately 20-30 liters of precious water. Hubby bought a portable car washer that uses less than 1 liter of water. The water scarcity news badly effected him and he stopped using the car washer machine. He switched to microfiber cloth to clean wipe his car. pledging to zero water wastage. He feels proud about it and I appreciate his little effort towards saving water for the planet.
-Always carry a water bottle. This will avoid wastage of water in glass and will prevent you from buying plastic water bottles while travelling.
-Turn the taps off when not in use. Every 5 minutes of running tap water drains out 4-5 liters of water.
-Mop, don't wash. Husband was visibly disturbed after the water crisis of Cape Town did the rounds in news channels. He pulled up his socks and decided to contribute with the smallest things he could. For instance, he instructed the maid to mop the backyard and porch instead of throwing water and wiping. After all every drop counts.
-Practice half flush- Using half the water for flush will help save 2-3 liters of water in one go. Small efforts only go a long way.
-Do not leave tap open while washing utensils. Infact washing utensils under running tap accounts for a huge wastage. If utensils are stacked together and rinsed with water from a tub,an individual will contribute saving 9-10 liters of water everyday.
2. Reuse water
-Birds die thirsty in the scorching summer. Reuse the left over disposable water in earthen water bowls for birds. You can use it for your pet's water bowl too. Even better, I collect water in a bottle to spray on leaves of trees in my garden/colony.
-Use the unused drinking water from glass for plants/trees. They need it the most during summers.
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| Pic courtesy: http://remax-pueblo-co.com |
-The above picture has been very popular on social media. This arrangement will direct used water to the flush tank. A two-in-one benefit straightaway!
- The water used for mopping the floor can be put to use by sweeping the terrace or staircase.
3. Rainwater Harvesting
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| Photo credit: Wikipedia |
This is an age old practice that can stock millions of gallons of water. Careful and smart ways of water conservation can save us from drought like situation. Communities/ residential associations should come together to adopt rainwater harvesting.
4. Protect trees
Depleting water table and other climatic changes run in a vicious cycle. Increasing population has led to deforestation and that further adds to global warming and shortage of water. How about doing your bit by planting trees around you? You can start with an occasion like birthday or anniversary and plant saplings. In next twenty years, you would be proud of your contribution with some fresh air to the environment and home to birds/rodents. Save the old trees. No body should encourage wood chopping or felling of trees. Remember, more trees means less CO2 emission and more oxygen.
5. Solar Power
Solar power is used to produce electricity and reduces the pressure on hydro electricity. More the use of solar power, lesser the use of water and lesser the electricity bills. Even if a single solar panel can produce electricity for tubelights or fans of household, imagine the reduction in use of water for electricity production. Streetlights these days use solar power. Cochin has world's first fully solar powered airport. The project costed 620 million rupees. Kolkata's international airport, is planning to build a solar plant covering around 70 acres land that would reduce its electricity bill by one third. While cost is a detrimental factor, it can be countered with mass use of solar panels on larger scale.
Every drop of water counts and saving each drop will save the planet. What are we leaving behind for the coming generations to see? Drought, floods, melting glaciers, no forests, dying fauna? Saving water will help living beings survive. Its a necessity and lets not waste it.
Mere words will not help. Our actions will help save water. I took the first step by pledging to save water. Have you signed the petition by Livpure yet? Sign the pledge now if you haven't. Sign it here
have a great day
ReplyDeleteYou too . Thanks for reading
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