Imagine that you were opening the tap for a drink of water after an hour of tennis and nothing came out. You go to the bathroom and turn the shower knob and still no water…That is what is going to happen in about six months if we do not get good rains. We are constantly wasting water and it is scary to think what we will do if we have none left! Water is a natural resource and we have to do our part in restoring it.
I think you know that ¾ of our planet earth is water. Of that, only 3% is fresh water and the remaining is salt water found in oceans and seas. On reading some articles on the Internet I learned that most of the fresh water is in glaciers and snowcaps. We have very little freshwater for actual usage. Here are some ways I have decided to make a difference to preserve water.
1. Not playing with garden hoses: Although it is a lot of fun to get wet when your parents are watering the garden, quitting this activity will help save several gallons of water.
2. Manual car wash: I was always fascinated by the automatic car wash stations and used to enjoy taking our cars there. Now, I realize that the car wash stations use a lot of water. I will help my Dad wash our cars by hand so we can save water (and money). We can arrange for play dates with other friends and wash all our cars together by hand. This will be a fun way to save water.
3. Taking shorter showers: I normally like to take long showers. I have now decided to shorten them so I can save water.
4. Prevent running taps: When I wake up in the morning and brush my teeth, I am still very sleepy. I used to keep the water running while I brushed my teeth or washed my face. I will now open the tap only when I need the water and not keep the water running for the entire 5 minutes of my brushing. I am also planning to snoop of my family to make sure they do the same!
5. Recycling water in our homes: Dirty water from tubs, showers, washing machines and dish washers can be filtered and cleaned up. This recycled water can be used to flush toilets.
6. Scraping dishes before washing: I help my Mom with the dishes. I plan to scrape the dirty dishes with a paper towel before washing them. This will help reduce the amount of water needed to clean them. Also, while using the dish washer, I will see that the machine is full so we can reduce the number of trips.
7. Laundry: The same logic applies to washing clothes. I will remind my Mom to load the washing machine to full capacity.
8. Cooking: I love to cook and try new recipes. I will make a point to reuse the water used for cooking vegetables. This can be used in soups.
9. Cleaning: Instead of washing my hands before each meal, I could use a hand sanitizer.
10. Gardening and lawns: I will help my Dad spread more mulch around trees and plants. This will help trap the water and reduce the amount of evaporation. Also, flower beds can be planted under shady trees to reduce water loss. When the grass is cut short, it needs less water.
These are some ways to conserve water. I am sure that I can make a significant difference by following these guidelines. I hope you will also do your part in conserving as much water as you can. Together we can all make a difference. I guess that is why they say, “Many drops make the mighty ocean”.
PS: Update (1/22/08) I got 1st place in the County!!!
5 comments:
my dear chikuma.
very good keep it up
Dear Chikku,
I read with interest the ways to conserve water, it was very nice and I hope people will spread the message.
I wonder how is you did not mention about Rain Water Harvesting. It is a very popular and easy way to conserve water. Jayalalitha government made it a point and saw that it is done by everyone to bring the water table up. I do not know whether you noticed it Korattur. We drink rain water for nearly six months in a year. We collect the rain water from the terrace and store the same in a separate sump. The water is allowed to flow through a filtration tank before it reaches the sump. The filtration tank consists of layers of pebbles, charcoal, coarse sand and fine sand ( all separated by fine meshed nylon mats). This prevents all organic matter getting mixed and also cleans the water. With occasional rains in your area you can make an effort to store water and use it for drinking . In many places collected rain water from the terrace is allowed to flow to the well.
Hope you appreciate this, pl. feel free to mail in case you need further information.
With tons of love,
Ramani Chittappa.
@ Ammuma:
Thank you
@ Ramani Thatha:
Thank you for reading my blog and giving your ideas. I think rain water harvesting is a great idea too. The next time I come to Korattur, I will see how it works there. Most houses are not terraced here, but we can still collect rain water that is draining out. Thanks so much. I shall include your comments to my blog.
%%%%%%%%BBBBiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggggg HUggggggggggggggggggggg%%%%%%%% I am proud of u sweetie pie.... its almost like seeing Mini kutti a few centuries back...... (hehehehehe). If u flush to loo with the waste water ur toilet will stink more than the goo... so try the filteration system which Ramani chittapa uses to filter rain water.... this filtered water could be treated with bleaching powder to knock of smells amd germs as used in the loll or directly to water your garden......
Keep em grey cells working my little scientist.... love ya and what you wrote.....
@ Madhu mama,
thank you so much. You are gross and funny. Thank you again for reading my blog.
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