Water scarcity is one of the serious concerns for countries across the world. In 2019, Chennai made international headlines when the civic bodies declared ‘Day Zero’, as the city ran out of water and all the reservoirs dried up. A report by NITI Aayog, a government think-tank, said that if methods for water conservation in India were not adopted, another 20 cities including Bengaluru, Delhi and Hyderabad, would run out of groundwater in the next few years. The only solution to avoid this grim situation, is to adopt universal methods of water conservation, which could be replicated across households. Here is a detailed guide, for you to understand water conservation and what can you do at an individual level.
To create awareness on the global water crisis, World Water Day is observed on March 22 every year. The theme for World Water Day 2023 is ‘accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis’, emphasising on the need for stern action to address the global water crisis.
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What is water conservation and its significance?
Simply put, water conservation is the technique of efficiently utilising water and cutting down its wastage or unnecessary usage. Since fresh, clean water is now considered a limited resource, water conservation has become important and imperative.
- Large parts of India remain deficient in rain and groundwater. This unequal distribution across the country, makes most of the population face water scarcity.
- Water requirement in urban areas is higher than the availability in rural areas.
- Since rainfall in India is highly seasonal, water is required to irrigate crops.
- Conserving water also saves energy. By using smart appliances which are water and energy-efficient, we can reduce water usage and save energy too.
- Water conservation also saves finances. Installing a water meter at home will enable use of less water, and lead to lesser charges.
- Lesser consumption of water will maintain more water in the environments and help sustain the wetland habitats for plants, wildlife and aquatic life.
Simple ways to conserve water at home
Ways to conserve water in kitchen
- Do not use running water for cleaning food items: Avoid using running water for cleaning vegetables. Instead, soak the vegetables in a bowl of water for some time and wash it later. Do not defrost frozen foods with running water. You can keep frozen things outside overnight, for defrosting them.
- Use a washing-up bowl: Install a washing-up bowl in the kitchen sink for less consumption of water.
- Switch to water-efficient appliances at home and office: When buying a dishwasher, select one with a ‘light-wash’ option. Use electric dishwasher only for full loads and shorter cycle.
- Recycle wastewater: Reuse the wastewater from RO water purifiers for washing cars or watering your plants. You can also use this water for mopping or pre-rinse laundry. Do not drain the leftover water in water bottles. It can be used for watering plants or filling up water bowls for birds.
- Turn off the water when cleaning the dishes: If you have to wash a few vessels by hand, turn off the water while you are not rinsing.
- Close utensils when cooking meals: Cover the utensils and saucepans with lids. This will help minimise the consumption of water lost evaporated by heat while cooking. Fill the kettle or vessel with the amount of water required.
Ways to conserve water in bathroom
- Take shorter showers: About 20 to 40 gallons of water is spent during a four-minute shower. Take shorter showers. A partly filled tub consume lesser water. You can also install water-saving showerheads and shower timers.
- Turn off the tap when not in use: Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave. You can fill a glass of water before brushing and use the water to rinse your mouth. Apply short bursts of water for cleaning the razors while shaving.
- Check for leaks in the toilet: Turn off the taps tightly after use. Water dripping from taps can cause wastage of up to 50 gallons of water or more in a day. Immediately repair any tap leakages. Frequently check for leakages in the toilet flushing systems. This could be simply done by placing dye tablets or adding drops of food colouring into the tank and if colour appears in the bowl one hour later, your toilet is leaking.
- Avoid using toilets as ashtray or wastebasket: Flushing a cigarette butt or tissue in the toilet results in the loss of five to seven gallons of water. Do not use the toilet to dispose of cigarette butt, tissues, etc.
- Place a plastic bottle in the toilet tank: Keep an inch or two of sand or pebbles at the bottom of one litre bottle to weigh it down. You can place two bottles in bigger tanks. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and place it in the toilet tank, away from the operating mechanism. Typically, it may save five gallons of water or more daily.
- Use optimum quantity of water for each laundry: Usually, 15 to 40 percent of water use in households comes from laundry. One can conserve water by adjusting the settings on the laundry machine to the proper load size to ensure the use of right amount of water.
- Go for low-flush toilets: Install low-flush toilets that can minimise water consumption by up to 50%.
- Go for automatic washing machine only for full loads: An automatic washer may consume up to 35 gallons per cycle.
- Install water-efficient bathroom fittings: Install water-efficient showers and taps, to reduce water usage. Water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors can reduce shower flow up from up to five to ten gallons per minute to around three gallons per minute. Install dual flush toilet systems in the house, which have two mechanisms to flush different amounts of water.
- Rectify leaks in pipes, hoses faucets, or couplings: One may ignore water leakages outside the house, but they can result in the loss of a huge amount of water compared to water leaks inside the house, especially if the leaks happen on the main water line. Thus, it is important to identify such leaks and rectify them.
Ways to conserve water in garden and outdoors
- Grow plants that consume less water: Choose to grow drought-resistant plants and trees in your home garden, which requires less water.
- Deep-soak the lawn: An effective way to water your lawn is to let the water stay long enough and seep down to the roots. However, do not turn on and leave the sprinklers for the entire day. A light sprinkling may cause water to stay on the surface and evaporate, thus leading to wastage. Make sure you do not over-water the soil as it cannot hold extra water. Avoid watering the lawns for a short duration every day. Instead you can do so every three to five days. Gardens or lawns need only 5 millimetres of water in a day during warm weather.
- Save water while washing the car: Use a hose only to rinse off the soapy water or use a bucket of water instead of a continuous water flow.
- Ask children not to play with the hose and sprinklers: Kids usually prefer playing in the garden under a hose or sprinkler during hot summers. However, it may lead to wastage of water.
- Swimming pool covers: Use swimming pool covers, which will help minimise evaporation. This will also have warm pool water to cut down costs of water, energy and chemicals.
- Avoid ornamental water features: Avoid installing ornamental water features if they do not recycle the water.
- Adopt drip irrigation method: This method involves placing tubing with emitters near the plants. The emitters slowly release water, dripping into the soil at the root zone. This helps maintain consistent moisture levels and consume less water when growing plants or crops.
Ways to conserve water at indoors
- Use broom instead of mop: While cleaning the house floors, consider using broom instead of mop with water, depending on the level of cleaning required.
- Shut off coolers: Some coolers consume a lot of water. Shut them off when not in use.
- Reuse water from AC units: You can reuse water from air conditioning units for different purposes such as cleaning the balcony or outdoor areas.
Conservation of water resources at community level
Water saving techniques can be encouraged at the social and community level, which includes the municipal authorities and state governments. One can adopt popular strategies such as public outreach campaigns.
Water conservation projects for students
- You can involve children in your neighbourhood and organise various activities to create awareness about water conservation.
- You can include games and quiz to make the activity interesting.
- Create colourful posters on water conservation and water use and post them at various places in the school.
- Organise water audit to assess how much water is being consumed and wasted at school.
- Ask children to reduce shower time by one minute at least. This can be done encouraging them to use stopwatch to track of the time.
- School children can be encouraged to start a save water project by creating a garden plot and planting drought-resistant plants.
Calculate water footprint
Use an online water footprint calculator and check the results. Work with other members of the group or family to reduce water usage.
Water footprint is an environmental indicator that measures the amount of freshwater (in litres or cubic metres) that was used throughout the entire production chain of a consumer item or service. The concept of water footprint helps in understanding the impact of human activities.
Water footprint is measured basis of the following factors:
- Total consumption volume: Water print is connected with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The greater the GDP, the bigger the water footprint.
- Consumption patterns: A country’s consumption patterns affect its water footprint and consumption of items that require a large amount of water for their production.
- Climate: In countries with high temperatures, crops require more water due to greater evaporation.
- Agricultural practices: Countries such as Thailand or Mali where agricultural performance is low, the water footprints are high.
Smart ways to conserve water at home
Water conservation projects can be done anywhere and in any kind of structure. Here are different water conservation methods where major savings can be done, without much hassles:
#1. Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is a very effective method of conserving natural water and replenishing the groundwater level. In this method of conservation of water, the rain water is collected and allowed to percolate into a deep pit or a reservoir, so that it seeps down and improves the ground water table.
Farmers can contribute to the water management efforts using the drip irrigation method where plants are watered with the help of narrow tubes. This water is delivered directly at the base of the plant, thus conserving water.
How to harvest rainwater?
Under a rainwater harvesting project, artificially designed systems are deployed for the collection and storage of rainwater, as explained below:
- Catchment for collecting and storing rainwater
- A conveyance system for transporting the harvested rainwater to the recharge zone.
- Flushing out the first spell of rain
- Filtering the stored water to remove pollutants
- Tanks and recharge structures for storing filtered water
See also: Why water harvesting is the best way to end water shortages
#2. Water metering
Another efficient way of cutting down water wastage is to install water meters and measure the amount of water that is being used in residential and commercial buildings. The volume of water that is used, is calculated and charged according to the price of water. Always monitor the water bills for unusually high usage. It can help detect any leakage.
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#3. Grey water recycling
Greywater recycling is a method of saving used and waste water from kitchen sinks, washing machines and showers, which is then recycled for usage in toilets, for watering plants, etc. Unlike rainwater harvesting which relies on rainwater, greywater is surplus in volume. Environmentalists have demonstrated that the usage of this recycling system has reduced almost 70% of domestic water usage.
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#4. Efficient irrigation technology
Maintenance of lawns and gardens required large quantities of water. efficient outdoor irrigation technologies such as smart irrigation controllers are beneficial as they help conserve water. These irrigation controllers track factors such as precipitation or temperature and avoid over-watering the fields. Moreover, you can further save water spray sprinklers that deliver water directly to plants as these are buried under the lawn.
#5. Pressure reducing valves
A pressure reducing valve basically controls the amount of pressure in a hydraulic system. These valves ensure a pre-set level of water that is to be used. In this way, downstream components used in the water system last longer and water consumption is also reduced. This is a very efficient solution for water conservation in industrial, residential, commercial and institutional buildings.
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#6. Water efficient bathroom accessories
Currently, the market is flooded with water-efficient toilet tanks, taps and shower heads that can cut water consumption by up to 60%. Innovations, such as change in spray patterns in taps and showers and increased pressure for flushing in toilets, are pushing the boundaries of water conservation, without compromising on usage habits.
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#7. Watershed Management
Watershed management involves the process of planning and organizing the use of land and other resources in a watershed to provide required goods and services without impacting the soil and water resources. The programme involves the multi-resource management involving all stakeholders within the watershed, to identify the resource issues and concerns of the watershed.
#8. Insulated pipes
In most buildings, hot water return pipes remain uninsulated or not insulated correctly. Taps are kept open as one waits for hot water to flow from faucets or showers, which may result in wastage of water. The process of insulating piping and storage tanks for domestic hot water system helps in conservation of water. Insulating the pipes properly ensures immediately availability of hot water and when the tap is closed, it is supplied back to the plant, minimising the energy demand of the heating unit.
#9. Wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment is a water purification procedure that involves certain techniques for the removal of contaminants from wastewater in order to make it safe for human health and the environment. Some of the common methods adopted in the wasterwater treatment include:
- Sedimentation: This is a process of removing suspended solids from water with the help of gravity.
- Aeration: This method involves treating wastewater by providing oxygen to it through air circulation, including surface, spray and diffused aeration.
- Sand filter technique: This is an ancient method used more than 200 years ago, typically used for downward-flowing wastewater.
- Aerobic process: In this method, organic matter in wastewater is decomposed by aerobic microorganisms like bacteria or fungi and converted into carbon dioxide.
- Anaerobic process: In this process, fermentation is used for decomposing the organic matter in wastewater instead of oxygen.
Water-saving technology for commercial spaces
There are many water-saving devices, which can be installed in commercial buildings. Some of the popular systems include:
- Waterless car washes
- Pressurised waterbrooms instead of a hose for cleaning sidewalks.
- X-ray film processor re-circulation systems
- Cooling tower conductivity controller
- Waterless urinals in bathrooms
- Advanced faucets like infrared or foot-operated taps. These devices help conserve water by using short bursts of water for rinsing in a kitchen or bathroom.
- Steam sterilisers, which are machines used for sterilisation process in hospitals and health care facilities
- Water to water heat exchangers
#10. Rooftop rainwater harvesting
Roof water harvesting is a water conservation method in which rainwater falling on rooftops of buildings are collected and diverted through a downspout pipe. The filtered water is stored in a sump or any storage tank. This method is also used for recharging groundwater.
#11. Construction of farm pond
Farm ponds can be created if you have an agricultural land. For this, the digging of the ground should be done in a low-lying area. The soil removed during the process can be used to create an earthen berm around the pond. The water from the pond can be used for various purposes such as irrigating crops, providing drinking water supply for farm animals, etc.
#12. Xeriscaping
Similar to efficient irrigation method, Xeriscaping is a modern landscaping technique that aims to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. The technique is popular in the west and gaining popularity owing to its environmental benefits and reduces maintenance costs. This method works well in areas that experience limited water supply. The Xeriscaping method involves practices such as:
- Grouping plants having similar water requirements
- Using mulch to promote water retention
- Choosing plants that thrive on minimum water
Contribution of real estate sector towards water conservation
With the growing population and urbanisation, there is a greater demand for properties. This is a key growth driver for the real sector. Water consumption used to take place on a large scale owing to the increasing construction activities. The introduction of stringent policies by the government and initiatives undertaken by the developer community have contributed to the conservation of water.
Contributions by real estate developers
Water recycling plants are installed at the project site to reduce the wastage of water. Further, it is now compulsory for developers to install rainwater harvesting systems and greywater recycling systems in projects to reuse wastewater for non-potable purposes such as cleaning, flushing, etc. With the aim to implement sustainable practices, many real estate developers focus on obtaining green certifications and rating systems such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Energy Star.
Rebates on property taxes
In some cities, including Pune, Patna and Indore, property owners get rebates on their property taxes for properties that have rainwater harvesting systems installed. There are state-specific rebates on property taxes by installing rainwater harvesting systems in buildings.
- Tamil Nadu: The government has mandated the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in buildings, providing property tax rebates.
- Rajasthan: The state offers property tax rebate for residential properties with rainwater harvesting systems.
- Karnataka: Property tax rebates are offered for buildings with functional rainwater harvesting systems.
Maintenance of water infrastructure
The regular maintenance of water-related infrastructure can contribute to the conservation of water. This involves regular inspections and servicing of plumbing systems to minimise leakages, irrigation equipment and water treatment systems.
The growing trend of green buildings in India
Green buildings are buildings constructed with sustainable materials and technologies aimed at minimising environmental impact. Green buildings promote water conservation by treating water. These buildings utilise low-flow faucets, rainwater harvesting techniques and water-efficient landscaping strategies. There are many buildings that are LEED certified, which refers to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification programme by US Green Building Council (USGBC). India is one of the leading countries to obtain LEED certification by USGBC and it ranked third in 2024.
What are water conservation projects?
Water conservation projects are special programs undertaken by the government or at community level, which aim to reduce the usage of water and safeguard the water resources.
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Different traditional methods of water conservation in India
Rapid urbanisation and water pollution have been severely impacting the quantity and quality of surface and groundwater in several parts of India. The country’s agricultural system is still largely dependent on rainfall. Given the changing rainfall patterns, the government has been considering the revival of traditional water conservation methods.
Some of them are listed below:
Talab or Bandhi
Talabs or pond are reservoirs to store water for drinking and household consumption. These ponds may be natural or manmade. A reservoir spread over less than five bighas is known as talab whereas a medium-sized lake is known as a bandhi.
Jhalaras
Jhalaras were constructed for regular water supply for community use, religious rites, and royal ceremonies in the past. These are rectangular-shaped stepwells with tiered steps on three or four sides. The subterranean water seepage from a lake or an upstream reservoir gets collected in these stepwells.
Baoli
Baolis were constructed by the ruling class for strategic, civic, or philanthropic purposes. These structures were open to people of all sections of the society. Baolis are stepwells that were beautifully designed with arches and motifs. The place where these baolis were located mainly determined their purposes. For instance, baolis on trade routes were used as resting spots while those located inside villages were for used for utilitarian purposes and social gatherings.
Kund
Kunds were built for the conservation of water and harvesting rainwater for drinking purposes, mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is basically a catchment area shaped like a saucer, sloping towards the circular underground well at the centre. Modern kunds are built with cement. In earlier days, they were covered in disinfectant lime and ash.
Bawari
An example of traditional water conservation methods in India, Bawaris are stepwells that formed the earliest water storage networks in Rajasthan. They were uniquely designed to divert the minimum rainfall the region would receive to artificial tanks via canals constructed on hilly terrain in the city outskirts.
Taanka
Taanka is among the traditional types of water conservation systems involving rainwater harvesting technique specific to the Thar desert region in Rajasthan. Taanka is a cylindrical paved underground pit, where rainwater flows from courtyards, rooftops and artificially prepared catchments.
Nadi
Nadis refer to village ponds where rainwater collects from neighbouring natural catchment areas. As these water bodies get water supply from irregular, torrential rainfall, they would witness quick siltation due to large amounts of sandy sediments deposited regularly.
Bamboo drip irrigation system
Among the different methods of water conservation in India, the system of bamboo drip irrigation has been practiced in northeastern parts of the country. It is an over 200-year-old technique developed by tribal farmers for irrigating terrace fields. In this system, water from perennial springs is transported using bamboo pipes.
Zings
Zings are water harvesting structures found in Ladakh. These are small tanks built to collect the melting glacier water. This one of the easiest water conservation and management methods in such mountainous regions. Water from the glacier is diverted to the tank through a network of guiding channels.
Kuhls
Tapping glacial waters coming from rivers and streams through surface water channels has been one of the oldest ways of water conservation in the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh. These channels are known as Kuhls widely used for irrigation of over 30,000 hectares of fields in the region. There are hundreds of Kuhls in the region.
Jackwells
This is one of the oldest water conservation practices in India. Jackwells are small pits used for harvesting rainwater. In earlier times, people in the low-lying regions of the Great Nicobar Islands constructed the structure using bamboo and logs of wood.
Water harvesting structures of Ramtek
One of the traditional save water projects and techniques is the Ramtek model in Maharashtra. The system uses a network of groundwater and surface water bodies where tanks connected by underground and surface canals form a link, from the foothills to the plains. Once water fills the tanks in the hills, it flows to the successive tanks.
Water conservation in other parts of India
Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh has a network of well-connected water drainage and storage systems. Every fort in the region houses well-organised storage systems for conserving water. These forts served as a space for providing supplies during wars and movement outside were restricted. Thus, these structures helped in storage of water.
Dholavira in Gujarat is an historical site of the Indus Valley civilization. There are several lake-shaped storage reservoirs built to store surface water during the rainy months.
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How to make a project on water conservation?
You can start a water conservation at your home or in your community with these steps:
- Assess the water management issues in your area, whether it is the overuse of water or scarcity of water.
- Define the goals and strategies of your project to make a compelling case for water conservation.
- Identify the potential stakeholders to gather support and resources for the project.
- Track the progress of the project
Water conservation: Interesting facts
Water is a natural resource that is vital for the existence of life on earth. However, misuse and wastage of water have resulted in a water crisis affecting several parts of the world.
- Rainfall accounts for nearly 85% of water available in India. The remaining 15% comes from melting snow.
- The Indian government launched the ‘Namami Gange’ programme for the Ganges river basin as part of a major water rejuvenation plan.
- India’s water requirement is 1100 billion cubic meters per year.
- The agricultural industry accounts for 80% of the overall water consumption in the country.
- Water shortage also leads to income loss as many women spend about 150 million workdays per year carrying and fetching water.
- Nearly ten crore people use water having excessive fluoride levels.
- The population across the world has increased to over 6 billion people from 1900s. Hence, the consumption of water has also grown to 600%. Consequently, inadequate access to clean water has impacted the health of people.
Key water issues in India
- Pollution levels: Several waterbodies, such as lakes and rivers in India, are seeing high pollution levels owing to the discharge of industrial waste, untreated sewage and agricultural runoff.
- Urban lakes: Several urban lakes in India witness high pollution levels due to encroachment and waste dumping.
- Depletion of groundwater: Groundwater sources in India, including aquifers and groundwater-fed lakes and rivers, are witnessing over-extraction due to demand from agriculture, industries and domestic use.
- Loss of wetlands: Wetlands that serve as habitats for flora and fauna are witnessing damage owing to urbanisation, pollution and land-use changes.
Housing.com News Viewpoint
Water scarcity and depleting water tables is becoming a serious environmental issue. Thus, it is important to adopt water conservation techniques, which will be a step towards sustainable living. By taking a small effort to reduce water wastage in each household can make a big difference. You can start conserving water by installing smart appliances in your kitchen and bathroom and by being aware of the amount of water being consumed every day.
FAQs
Why is water conservation important?
Water conservation is important to ensure that future generations have access to fresh clean water.
What is water conservation?
Water conservation refers to saving water and reducing its unnecessary wastage.
What are the ways to conserve water?
One of the five easiest ways to conserve water at home is to turn off the tap when not in use, fix leaking pipes, use a mug instead of a tap for brushing teeth, utilise wastewater for watering plants, etc., and take shorter showers.
How can we conserve water in schools?
Schools can actively contribute to the conservation of water with the help of pupils and staff. One can start by creating an action plan which would involve a full water audit to identify all the areas of water consumption and the scope for reducing the usage of water.
What is the role of people in water conservation?
People take small measures to reduce the consumption of water at home. One can install water-efficient bathroom fittings and check for leaks.
How can we save water in public places?
Some simple steps to save water at public places include repairing leaking faucets, installing pressure-reducing valves and dual flush toilet systems, etc.
How can we spread awareness about water conservation?
Organising workshops, presentations and campaigns at community level are some ways to generated awareness on water conservation.
(With additional inputs from Surbhi Gupta)
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