Water conservation is the most cost-effective and eco-friendly way to reduce our demand for water.
The need for water conservation: On an average, a citizen in much of the world is allocated 2.5 gallons of water per day for sustainability.
However, the average American citizen uses 80-100 gallons of water per day. Poor do not have access to safe drinking water. More than 4000 children are dying every day as a result of diarrhoeal diseases caused from unsafe drinking water, lack of access to sanitation and inadequate availability of water. Thus, it is very essential to conserve water.
The measures to conserve water are:
(i) Recharge ground water by harvesting rainwater.
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(ii) Collect water by building dams and reservoirs, and digging wells.
(iii) Protect forests to protect rivers, lakes, wells and other sources of water.
(iv) Prevent flow of untreated sewage to lakes and rivers. This will reduce the likelihood of water pollution and helps in water conservation.
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(v) Prevent flow of industrial effluents to natural water resources to avoid water pollution.
(vi) Use water wisely for household, agricultural and domestic purposes.
(vii) Avoid transmission and distribution losses by checking leaks in pipes, hoses, etc.
(viii) Reuse water whenever possible. For example, waste water after bath can be used for toilet.
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(ix) Adopt fairer policies for treatment, access and pricing of water.
(x) Use drip irrigation, precision sprinklers for agriculture. Switch to organic fanning.
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