Shower power is such a waste!

The quantity of water used to brush your teeth could keep a family of four hydrated for nearly a week. Education on conservation, just like water, seems to be scarce. Gulf News community journalists raised their voices about this issue and pointed out areas where the issue of water wastage needs to be addressed. CASE 1 Kehkashan Basu, a student, said: "Water is the source of all life. Nowhere is this more relevant than in the UAE, where the natural availability of water is so scarce. Yet, it is surprising to note the low levels of awareness about the importance of conserving water. "On numerous occasions,  I have seen water sprinklers operating in the city during the day — with more than half the water wasted due to evaporation. The ideal time for operating sprinklers is at dawn or dusk when temperatures are relatively low. "Also, washing cars result in a lot of water wastage. We need to adapt to modern means of cleaning cars that use very little water. Personal habits also play a part — simple things like closing the tap while brushing your teeth can save several hundred gallons per household in a month. Awareness is the key, the rest is quite simple. Raising awareness has been my focus all along and I am sure that children could and should play a greater role in bringing in this change." CASE 2 Rakhee Mansukhani, a resident, said: "Water wastage is one of the biggest issues in the UAE. People waste water in their homes without even realising it. We have become so accustomed to having a constant supply of water to meet all of our needs like cooking, cleaning and drinking that we sometimes forget that we do not have an infinite supply. We must learn how to save water. " A place where I have witnessed a lot of water being wasted is the car wash, with too much going down the drain. We can also look into a few other areas to ensure water conservation like, for instance, making sure children have bath with a limited quantity of water and keep the tap closed while brushing teeth, instead of staring at the mirror and leaving the water faucet running. Installing smaller toilet flush tanks or equipping them with two buttons also helps." CASE 3 Firdos A. Poonawala, a sales manager, said: "The demand [for water] is surging, while supply is not keeping up and the environment is under threat. Scarcity of water will endanger the region's development and present a serious challenge to its ecological footprint as desalination of water is presumably a very high energy-intensive process. "A drive down Al Muteena Street, Al Rashid Street or Al Shaab colony makes you wonder if water, one of nature's most important gifts, is really a scarce resource. It is a common sight to see roads flooded with fresh water from overflowing tanks, or from some residents using a hose to wash the cars and floors. "The authorities should first make people realise that water is now the most precious and fast-disappearing natural resource. They should also penalise residents who waste water because the success of any nation and its water industry is dependent not just building robust infrastructure, but also on continual innovation, effective management and most importantly — education." Expert evaluation Amal Koshak, senior manager of marketing communications in Dewa, realises that there is a serious problem with regard to water scarcity and one of the best ways to solve this problem is by raising awareness. She said: "A lot of water is wasted here. People need to realise how much they are using and just cut down on it." Koshak suggested counting how long it takes to fill a 1.5 litre bottle from the tap or showerhead and then multiplying it by how long the water runs while brushing teeth or having a shower. This would give a perspective on how much water is being wasted. The advised time for brushing teeth is two minutes. The water, if left running for that duration, would be equivalent to 40 litres — enough to keep a child healthy and hydrated for 26 days. An average showerhead would fill a 1.5 litre bottle in five seconds. So a 10-minute shower uses 180 litres of water. This could be reduced significantly if the pressure is controlled or switched off. Koshak said: "The best way to save water is to shut it off when not in use."