Conserving Water for A Better Future for Our Planet
We have been hearing a lot about water shortage in many parts of the world recently. South Africa was in the news recently when Cape Town faced the severest lack of water availability. Fearing complete depletion of water, they nearly declared a Day Zero, a concept which was introduced by the City of Cape Town to bring the focus on efficient water consumption by the residents. Day Zero is calculated by taking into account maximum evaporation (based on temperature and wind) and water consumption patterns in agricultural and urban use, combining both natural and man-made patterns. On a given Day Zero, the city taps will be switched off, forcing residents to stand in queues for 25 litres of water per person each day. Currently, Day Zero in Cape Town has been postponed from April 29 to July 9, 2018.
Closer home, a similar water crisis has hit the queen of Indian Hills, the city of Shimla. A popular hill station located in the mid-Himalayan range of Dhauladhar, Shimla has been receiving water once in eight days. This presents a dismal situation for the tourism aspiration of the region. According to sources, tourism has faced a near 35% decline in the number of travellers. Hoteliers are discouraging people to avoid visiting Shimla as the taps in hotels and guest houses are running dry.
Not just Shimla, but many other parts of India will be facing a water crisis soon. According to NITI Aayog, the demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030. Releasing results of a study, NITI Aayog warned that our nation will face its worst water crisis in history if steps are not taken to address it.*
So what is bringing about these unbelievable situations in various parts of the world and in India specifically?
Despite the earth comprising 3/4ths of water bodies, freshwater on the planet is continually recycled through the atmosphere and received back for the planet’s sustenance needs. With an explosion in population, the level of groundwater has declined dramatically. In fact, water levels are receding by over a meter a year in some parts. Wastewater treatment has been hugely overlooked and contamination from industrial, mining and domestic sources has increased toxic levels dangerously. Despite proximity to a water body, there are states in India that still face water shortage. For example, while Uttar Pradesh is close to the river Ganges, lack of water conservation is leading to water shortage in the state.
Clean water is the need of the hour for sanitation, hygiene and good health for the population, and sadly it is becoming the rarest of commodities. It is estimated that 3.4 billion people will be living in countries defined as water-scarce by 2025, according to the UN.
What are the preventive measures we can take to conserve water today?
Here are a few basic do’s and don’t’s to avoid water wastage –
- Don’t leave taps running while brushing teeth.
- Reduce the number of flushes after toilet use.
- Use surplus, unused water to irrigate plants or save it for wiping the house.
- Install rainwater harvesting options if you own a home.
- Make sure there are no leaky taps in the house.
- Reduce washing cycles while doing laundry as the most efficient washing machines can also use anywhere from 56 litres to 114 litres of water approximately per cycle.
- Minimise car washing from daily to bi-weekly.
- Install reliable leakproof plumbing solutions while building your home or office as internal leakage comes to notice in due course of time. The water wastage in leakages is avoidable with efficient piping systems.
Whether for brand new installation or replacement of plumbing systems, choose only high-quality PVC pipe manufacturers. At Spectra Pipes, we manufacture PVC pipe and PVC pipe fittings along with uPVC pipes and uPVC fittings with 100% automated processes. We ensure zero leakage with 5 level testing and stringent quality control and our products deliver a long lifespan.
With some simple measures, we can together create an advanced and safe future for the planet. Let’s begin today.
*https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/india-faces-worst-water-crisis-niti-aayog/article24165708.ece
