Reasons Why We Have to Save Water – As we know that water is a necessity for all living things. Even though the stock or supply of water looks abundant and you can get water easily from PAM water, gallon water, or well water, that doesn’t mean you can use that water as you please. The water on Earth has its own cycle which is commonly called the water cycle. This water cycle is a cycle that continuously occurs in water and in short the water cycle will start from evaporation, condensation, then precipitation.
Evaporation or vaporization will usually occur in the sea, because as quoted from the United States Geological Survey Institute through the official website of LPPM IPB that as much as 72 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, 97 percent of that water is salty and is in the form of water in the sea. Hence, the reason why we have to save water.
Why Should We Save Water?
Below are some reasons why we should save water, including:
1. Fresh Water on Earth Only Amounts to 3 percent of the Total Existing Water
On this Earth, there is only about 3 percent left which is fresh water, which is not all suitable for us to consume, to eat, drink, bathe, and so on. In fact, of the total 3 percent of fresh water on Earth, most of it, namely 77.3 percent, is in the form of ice at the top of mountains and the other 22.4 percent is in the form of infiltration land that humans cannot reach because it is too deep underground.
2. Most Freshwater Is Polluted
Of the many fresh waters that we can reach, it turns out that not all of them are fit for our consumption. The higher the level of pollution from humans on the availability of water they need, it actually makes the supply of water suitable for consumption dwindling. According to the Directorate General of Pollution Control and Environmental Damage of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), quoted from National Geographic Indonesia, in 2015, almost 68 percent or most of the quality of river water in 33 provinces in Indonesia is in the status of heavily polluted.
3. Indonesia is predicted to have a water crisis in 2025
Have you ever heard that several areas in Indonesia lack clean water? During the dry season, generally these conditions will get worse. There are many factors that cause clean water to not be available in Indonesia apart from the dry season. In some areas even water is scarce and expensive. The poor water distribution system, especially in remote villages, makes this happen.
Given these conditions, it is not an exaggeration if the World Water Forum II (World Water Forum) in The Hague in March 2000 predicted that Indonesia would be one of the countries that would experience a water crisis in 2025.
4. Mindset of Water Use
Because we all already know how rare and also expensive clean water is, we can make it the mindset that the drops of water we use are money. Clean water is not a free material and requires sacrifice to get it. If you have to value money, then you also need to value clean water.
5. The Uses Are Unlimited
We will certainly use water every day in life and in almost all activities such as bathing, drinking, washing, cooking, and countless other activities. In essence, we need water for the various activities and habits that we do regularly. If we want to continue to keep our bodies healthy and clean, we must conserve water.
6. Water Can Grow Food
Vegetables and fruits and other products certainly need water to grow. However, if the land experiences drought and drought, how will the food grow? This can make living sustainably a difficult challenge as drought-stricken sectors will be rendered useless as any crop will not be able to grow. Without water, the inhabitants of Earth will also die of thirst and hunger.
7. Water Protects Ecosystems and Wildlife
Not only us who need water, almost all species on Earth need water to survive. Without water, life in the water such as fish that live in the river will not have a chance to survive. It is very important for us to save water for the sake of the sustainability of future generations.
8. Saving water equals saving expenses
By saving water, it will allow us to save more expenses. Especially in terms of water bills that use tap water. For users of water pump machines, saving water is one way to save on electricity bills. By practicing these basic water conservation tips, we can save more than hundreds and thousands of water every year.
9. Water Supply Is Limited
Currently, the availability of fresh water is limited. Of the 70 percent of available water, only 0.03 percent consists of fresh water. Every day, the population of living things increases, this makes the limited amount of water less and less. To be able to save the future of water conservation, we must learn to conserve the limited resources we have.
10. Saving Water Equals Saving Energy
Pumping water from a central facility would require a large amount of energy to run the equipment used. Saving water will lead to energy savings and reduce our carbon footprint. We can start to save water by making smart choices at home. Where we have to use the most water and energy efficient equipment.
The Importance of Water for Life Needs
Lots of daily activities that require water, from drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, watering plants, defecating, and so on. For those of you who live in urban areas with adequate infrastructure, you may still feel that water is available in abundance, due to easy access to clean water. However, in several villages in the mountains or in African countries which often experience drought, clean water is a very valuable and scarce commodity. Without clean water, human health will be disrupted, it can even cause various kinds of problems, ranging from dehydration to various other diseases.
Facts about Water Supply in the World
Even though we feel that the availability of water on Earth is very abundant, the supply of clean water that can be used by humans is only about 3 percent of the total existing water. For more details, let’s look at the following facts about water supply in the world:
1. According to The United States Geological Survey Water Science School, about 71 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water.
2. The world’s water supply is equivalent to 332.5 million cubic miles.
3. The oceans are about 97 percent of all the water on Earth, which means that only 3 percent of the water is not salty.
4. Of the total fresh water in the world, only 69 percent is frozen in ice and glaciers. The other 30 percent is in the ground.
5. Only 0.26 percent of the world’s water is in freshwater lakes.
6. Only 0.001 percent of all water is in the atmosphere.
7. More than 80 percent of the community’s dirty waste flows back into the environment without any treatment or reuse.
8. As much as 71 percent of the world’s natural wetlands have been lost since the 1900s and this is human error.
9. According to the UN, there are approximately 2.1 billion people who do not have safe drinking water at home. Of this number, 844 million people do not have access to basic drinking water services, including 263 million people who travel for approximately 30 minutes per trip to collect water.
10. As many as 159 million people still drink untreated water and face serious health risks from surface water sources, such as lakes and rivers.
11. There are 663 million people who live without a clean water supply close to their homes.
How to Save Water at Home
Can you imagine how valuable every drop of clean water that we have been using? Therefore, avoid wasting clean water. We can start this step in saving clean water from ourselves at home, by doing the following:
1. Washing Clothes in Large Amounts
To save water, we need to avoid washing clothes a little, especially if you use a washing machine. The reason is because the washing machine will produce a lot of waste water that is simply wasted. Therefore, give time intervals for washing clothes, for example, every two to three days. That way, water waste from the washing machine can be reduced. Not only saving water, this method can also make you save electricity.
2. Set a Schedule for Watering Plants and Washing Vehicles
For water use that is not too routine, such as watering plants and washing vehicles, you can set a schedule so that the water used is more effective. For example, watering plants during the dry season and washing vehicles when they are really dirty.
When watering plants, use a hose spray that can be turned off so that the water doesn’t run out all the time. When washing vehicles, you can also add a pressurized spraying machine. Even though it appears that more water is coming out, the pressure from the machine can allow water to wet an entire larger surface and save water expenditure than a regular hose.
3. Benefits of Aerator Faucets
The way to save water that you can do is to use an aerator faucet. With this one tool, you can limit the flow of water from the faucet. So that the water will be more efficient.
4. Avoid Leaving Faucets Dripping
When brushing your teeth or washing your face at the sink, sometimes we just let the tap water run. In fact, this habit will waste water in vain. Therefore, try to get used to turning off the faucet while washing your face or brushing your teeth. Then turn it on again when you are going to use the water.
5. Cook Sufficient Water
Always take into account the need for water when you are cooking, be it for making coffee, brewing tea, or just cooking noodles. Sometimes, the water you cook is often excess and the rest will just be thrown into the sink. So, you can fill a pot or kettle enough so that you not only save water, but also save gas or electricity.
6. Avoid prolonged bathing
Bathing for a long time seems fun, but this one activity is a source of water wastage at home. The solution is to try to replace the bathtub with a shower to limit the use of water when bathing. However, also avoid leaving the shower on when you are using soap or shampoo.
7. Accommodate Rain Water
In the rainy season, you can make a rainwater reservoir which you can later use to water plants or mop the floor of your house. However, pay attention to the rainwater reservoir that you make and make sure you close it tightly because it risks becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes that cause dengue fever.
8. Don’t Ignore Leaking Pipes
Leaking pipes or damaged faucets should be repaired immediately. You will never know how much water is wasted from the leaky pipe. If collected, the amount can meet water needs for a week or even a month. If you haven’t had time to fix it, then just catch the leaking water in a bucket and then use it on another occasion.
9. Use a Water Filter
If you often buy water in gallons, then you can make savings by using a water filter. By using this water filter, you no longer need to buy bottled water or gallons of water because you can use tap water at home for consumption by filtering it using this tool. The price alone may be quite expensive, but in the long run, you will be able to save more water.
10. Use Point of Use Water Heaters
The next component that you can use to save water is the point of use water heater. By using this small heater, you can immediately get the hot water and use it without wasting water while waiting for it to warm up. Due to the current high demand for hot water, this one water heater can be a solution to save money. Not only that, a water heater will be quite profitable because you don’t need to need a large space for storage.
11. Reuse Water
Reusing water or reusing water can also be a way to save water. Of course, what is used is not dirty water, but water used to wash fruit or vegetables or water used to soak rice. You can use it again to water the plants.
12. Use enough soap
Whether it’s dish soap, laundry soap, or body soap, using too much of it will only create more lather and require more water to rinse. So, it’s better for you to use enough soap.
This is an explanation of the reasons why we have to save water and several ways we can do to save water at home. Remember, don’t overuse water, because it will have a negative impact on the availability of clean water in the future. Hopefully the explanation above can make us all aware of the importance of saving clean water.