Water Conservation

Introduction:
Water covers three-quarters of our world, but only a tiny portion of it is drinkable,
as we all know. As a result, it must be protected. Freshwater, which we can utilise
for our daily needs and drinking, makes up only around 3% of the water on our
planet. In our daily lives, we use water carelessly for washing, bathing, cleaning, and
a range of other activities. Conservation of Water is very important for all living
things.

It is only our responsibility to ensure an adequate water supply for future

generations and practice the motto of save water save life before it is too late. Given
how limited our freshwater supplies are on our planet, we have to do this regularly.
It is only our obligation to ensure that future generations have access to sufficient
water. Continue reading this article to know more about the ways to conserve
water.

Conservation of Water refers to preserving, controlling and developing water

resources, both surface water and groundwater, and preventing water pollution.
Water conservation is known as using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary
water usage and avoid its wastage. We should understand the importance of water,
figure out ways to save water, ways to conserve water and treat it as an asset to our
planet.

Importance
Every day we waste millions of gallons of water without even realising it. Water is
an essential part of our life. We use water for domestic purposes such as drinking,
cooking, washing, electricity production, farming, industrial purposes, and many
other purposes supporting human life.

Water conservation encloses the various policies, strategies, and activities to use
freshwater as a sustainable resource and to safeguard the water environment while
maintaining a balance between current and future human water demands. It is high
time for us to find ways to save water to be available to us in the future. We should
think of our future generations; if we waste our water resources senselessly, then it
is evident that we will not have a sufficient supply of fresh water in the future. We
have to make a little bit of extra effort to save water save earth. Take up water
conservation projects in your area and take the first step in save water save life
project.

Water is used in all day-to-day activities. We need to conserve water for the
following reasons:
1. To ensure continuous water supply to our future generations, we need to conserve
water today.
2. Because water is so crucial to our health, we must conserve fresh and potable water
while also protecting it from contamination, as we only have a finite amount of
fresh water on the planet.
3. Water conservation is also important to ensure food security for all the living
organisms on the Earth. Without water, plants and crops cannot grow on which we
survive.

Objectives:

• Use water judiciously – It is very important for all of us to take responsibility for water
conservation in our household works even if we are not facing any water shortage. Do not
overuse water for washing clothes and dishes; close the taps when not in need.
• Check for any leaks in your toilets or kitchen pipes. Fix them as soon as possible as these
small leakages can waste 100 gallons of water per day.
• Take showers with a minimal quantity of water required.
• Use a broom to clean your house instead of washing floors.
• Turn off the tap water while brushing your teeth and shaving.
• Wash your vehicles with a minimum quantity of water required.
• Do not water plants unnecessarily. Use showers or mugs to water your plants instead of
using flowing water pipes.

Methodology

Methods of Irrigation that Conserve Water

(a) Drip Irrigation – Drip irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the
probability of saving water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly directly
to the roots of plants.
This method aims to supply water directly into the root zone of plants and minimise
evaporation. By drip irrigation, there is no water loss due to seepage, run -off or
evaporation. This has emerged as a very efficient method of irrigation.

(b) Sprinkler Irrigation – Water is distributed through a pipe system, and is

sprayed into the air and irrigates in most of the soil types as it has a wide range of
discharge capacity.

(c) Night Irrigation – During night-time, humidity is high, which results in a

reduced evaporation rate. Since there is no sun, solar radiation does not contribute
to water evaporation, which minimises water loss.

Modern Methods of Water Conservation

Modern water conservation methods are more accessible and more effective, such
as water conservation methods at home and on the farm.

(a) Rainwater Harvesting

• (b) Rainwater harvesting is the process of collection and storage of rainwater
rather than allowing it to run off.
• (c) The importance of rainwater harvesting is that it can be stored for future use as
rainwater is pure and fresh; it can be used directly for many domestic purposes
such as cleaning, washing, and gardening.
• (d) The stored rainwater also checks and revitalises the ground level water and
improves its quality. Harvesting rainwater also checks surface water run-off and
reduces soil erosion.
• (e) Use your washing machine for full loads only while washing clothes. Every time
you use a washing machine, you use a lot of water. Therefore, try to wash your
clothes once in bulk instead of small parts when needed.
• (f) Protection of water from pollution – As we all know that fresh water is
present in minimal quantity; hence, we should try not to pollute them by
minimising the use of fertilisers, pesticides, and other chemicals in fields. As run -off
water from fields can pollute water bodies near them.
• (g) Wastewater Recycling by Sewage Treatment Plants
Most of the water that is drained after bathing or cleaning can be reused for
gardening. But sewage water can be recycled and used for irrigation after treatment
in sewage water treatment plants, followed by removal of solid wastes, aeration,
disinfection and filtration.

Observation

1. Availability of water for future generations should be ensured, and the rate of
consumption of water in the ecosystem should not exceed its replacement rate.
2. Energy conservation: In some water management plants, most of the electricity is
used in water pumping, delivery, and wastewater treatment. This consumption of
energy must be minimised.
3. Conservation of Habitat: Reducing personal use of water can help to preserve water
for local wildlife and aquatic habitats. On the other hand, the construction of water
diversion infrastructures such as dams should be reduced to some extent as it may
disturb the local flora and fauna.
Water conservation is of utmost importance to meet the demand of an exponentially
growing population. Various benefits of water conservation are listed below:

5. Minimised effects of drought and water shortage: With time, our need for fresh
water sources is constantly increasing because of the growing population and
industrial growth, but the freshwater supply stays constant. Thus, by reducing the
amount of water we use, we can protect our Earth against future drought years.

6. It preserves our environment and energy: Reducing our water usage, and going
forward to better water management, reduces the energy required to process an d
deliver it to homes, farms, agriculture fields, and communities by using pumps. This,
in turn, helps to reduce pollution and conserve fuel resources. As a result, our
environment is protected.
7. Saves money: If we fail to conserve water, this can eventually lead to a lack of
adequate water supply, which can have drastic consequences.
8. It makes freshwater available for recreational purposes: We need freshwater
not only in swimming pools, spas, and golf courses but are also used for
 beautifying our surroundings by watering lawns, trees, flower gardens, and
vegetable gardens, as well as filling public fountains at parks. If we fail to
conserve water now, we may lose these beauties later on.
9. If an ample amount of fresh water is present in the environment, it will reduce
the need for new wastewater treatment facilities
10. Conservation of water saves aquatic habitat to a great extent.
11. Rainwater harvesting increases the water table by increasing the level of
underground potable water.

Analysis
1. Water demands in residential areas are evaluated, and minimisation in water usage
is suggested to reduce water scarcity during summers.
2. Water treatment plants should be expanded to improve the quality of degraded
water.
3. The uncontrolled rise in population has led to water scarcity. So, there is utmost
need to conserve water to meet the increasing demands in future.
4. In India, almost 80% of fresh water is used in agriculture.
5. Around 85% of freshwater comes to the Earth from rain, and the rest 15% comes
from melting snow and ice. Thus, rainwater harvesting can help to overcome water
scarcity to a great extent.
6. Water conservation also saves finances. Installing a water meter at home will
enable use of less water, and lead to lesser charges levied by the water supply
company.
7. Lesser consumption of water will maintain more water in the environments and
help sustain the wetland habitats for plants, wildlife and aquatic life. It is especially
important during dry seasons.
8. The extraction of freshwater from the icebergs has increased significantly in
recent years. The demand for water has also gone up to a great extent, including the
need for power supply water-based power generation.

Results and conclusion:

We should understand the fact that saving water saves a life and follow the motto,
“Save Water Save Life”. Water is as precious as money. So, whenever we waste
water, we should feel that we are wasting money. Though water is a renewable
natural resource, it is not replaced and replenished in nature as fast as it is
consumed. Wasting water at the domestic as well as the industrial level has bec ome
very common. Hence, it is very important at the consumer level as well as the
industrial level to reduce any wastage of water and reduce its unnecessary
consumption.

To avoid severe water scarcity in future, we should start conserving water from
today before it comes to an alarming rate. Various methods of water conservation
have been implemented, such as rainwater harvesting, drip irrigation, sprinkle
irrigation, sewage wastewater recycling, and many more.
As an individual, we should take the responsibility to save water save earth by
bringing small modifications in our daily routine such as closing the tap when not in
use, checking for any leakage at home and fixing it, taking a shorter bath, and many
more. Hence, it can be concluded that instead of waiting for somebody else to start
conserving water, we should take the first step towards conserving water!