How to Save Water, Not Just on World Water Day

World Water Day

World Water Day has been observed every year on 22 March since 1993. It falls exactly one month before Earth Day, and it is a good moment to remember how important water is for us and for the whole planet. Without water, there would be no life on Earth. That is why it is worth learning how to save water, and not just on one day of the year.

Drinking water around the world

Many of us are lucky enough to have safe drinking water flowing straight from the tap at home. But we should not forget the people for whom it is not that simple. According to WHO and UNICEF, one in four people in the world, or 2.1 billion, still do not have safely managed drinking water. Many of them, mostly women and girls, have to walk to fetch water every day just to get a few litres. Others have to drink water full of bacteria and dirt, which causes a wide range of health problems and can even be fatal.

Water is becoming scarcer in Europe, too. After several dry years, there is less groundwater and less water in rivers, drinking water reservoirs and behind dams. According to the European Environment Agency, water scarcity affects about 30% of EU territory and a third of its population each year, at least for part of the year. In Central Europe, some towns and villages have already had to ban using tap water for watering gardens and lawns, filling swimming pools, washing cars and anything else that is not for drinking or hygiene.

In April 2019, for example, water companies in the Beroun area of the Czech Republic limited how much water residents could use to 5,000 litres a day and 500 litres an hour, and checked compliance by recording consumption. The aim of measures like this is to help a region prepare for a hot, dry summer.

How to save water at home: 15 practical tips

Saving limited supplies of drinking water is also good for your wallet. Some measures cost a little at first, but where water is metered, they usually pay for themselves quickly through lower bills. Here are 15 practical tips to help you save drinking water and money at home:

1. Fix dripping taps and leaking toilets. A single dripping tap can waste more than 5,500 litres of water a year, and a leaking toilet up to 400 litres a day.

2. Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. A running tap can use 6 litres of water a minute or more, so two minutes of brushing can easily waste 12 litres.

3. Invest in thermostatic mixer taps and showers. They quickly mix hot and cold water to the temperature you set, so less water goes down the drain while you wait for the right temperature.

4. Use a water-saving shower head.

5. Fit water-saving tap aerators. An aerator can reduce the flow of an older tap from around 15 litres to as little as 6 litres a minute.

6. Take a shower instead of a bath. A bath uses around 80 litres of water, while a five-minute shower uses about 35 litres. A high-flow power shower, however, can use about 90 litres in the same time, which is more than a bath, so keep your showers short.

7. Only run the washing machine with a full load. This saves both water and electricity.

8. Fit a water-saving toilet, for example one with a dual-flush system. A water-saving toilet uses about 6 litres per flush, while older cisterns can use up to 13 litres.

9. Choose a toilet with a hand basin built into the cistern lid. The water you wash your hands with then refills the cistern, so you flush with used water rather than fresh drinking water.

10. Do not wash dishes under a running tap. Wash them in a sink or washing-up bowl filled with water and then rinse them quickly. Even a tap with an aerator uses about 6 litres a minute, so washing up under a running tap can waste around 35 litres of drinking water each time.

11. If you have the option and the space, use a dishwasher. According to the European Commission, modern dishwashers use around 10 litres of water per cycle on average.

12. If you have a garden, water it with rainwater collected in containers such as water butts. Water in the morning or in the evening so that less of it evaporates.

13. Use drip irrigation in the garden. Drip lines deliver water slowly and directly to the roots, so less is lost through evaporation and run-off than with a sprinkler.

14. Do not defrost frozen food under hot running water. The safest way to defrost food is in the fridge overnight.

15. If there is water left in your kettle, do not pour it away. Once it has cooled down, use it to water your houseplants.

Sources: iROZHLAS.cz (in Czech), WHO, European Environment Agency, WaterSafe, NI Water, European University Institute, European Commission, RHS, Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK)