With the ongoing water shortage in 200 barangays in Metro Manila, we all need to do what we can to conserve water.
While recent reportage from Inquirer.net say that Manila Water announced the shortage may be over before the end of summer for those in Metro Manila and Rizal, we could consider this water crisis as an opportunity to teach our children and household help how not to take water for granted.
Here are seven simple water conservation methods you can immediately apply at home.
1. When drinking water, pour only what you need to drink.
Instead of serving fully filled up glasses of water at the dining table, instruct your Yaya to pour only half. Teach your family to fill up only as needed.
2. Turn off the faucet while washing hands, veggies, fruits or baby feeding equipment.
We often leave the water running while we lather our hands with soap or while we’re washing our salad veggies, etc. This is a waste of precious resource. Teach your family and Yaya to turn the faucet off after they wet their hands and turn it on again only when it is time to rinse. And instead of keeping the water running, fill a clean basin with water to wash veggies, fruits or baby feeding equipment. Then reuse the water for watering the garden or mopping floors.
3. Refrain from bath tub use.
While there is a water shortage, now is not the time for breaking bath bombs in your bath tub as part of your me-time.
4. Shorten your shower time.
If your shower heads are old, they could be using up as much as 5 gallons of water per minute! Cut your showers short and you’ll make big water savings. As an extra boost, it will also help your time management.
5. Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth.
Did you know that the amount of water that comes out of an average faucet is 2.5 gallons per minute? Imagine that’s the amount of water that gets wasted, going down the drain while you are brushing your teeth! Make it a practice to wet your brush first then turn off the faucet while brushing. Leave it off until it’s time to rinse.
6. Find alternatives to using a water hose.
Use a pail and basin to wash cars. Use a watering can or tabo to water plants. Every little thing we do to conserve water helps.
7. Use non-potable water for flushing toilets.
We are all currently advised to run the water first when turning on the faucet, to ensure that the brown gunk is flushed out and we use only clean water from the tap. Instead of just letting all that water run down the drain, instruct your Yaya to stick a pail under the faucet while waiting for the water to clear up. You can use this water for flushing the toilet. Less toilet flushing conserves water.
Engage Your Family in Water Conservation
These water saving tips are simple enough so you could leave them as reminders on the refrigerator door or somewhere in the kitchen counter where everyone is likely to see. Get even more pro-active in conserving water by asking your family to think of other creative ways to save water. Make it a family experience and one that they will take with them as they grow older.
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