22 Mar 2012 For the love of water

Wednesday 22 March 2012 was World Water Day – an ever-worthy reminder highlighting the scarcity and preciousness of the world’s most precious resource, and the one we perhaps take most for granted. If you care about water, visit this great site, www.loveofwater.co.za, a prime example of social media in action for an essential societal cause. And check out top SA comic, Nik Rabinowitz’s water story.

International World Water Day, initiated by the UN, is held annually on 22 March as a means of  focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating the sustainable management of fresh water resources.

The theme chosen by the UN for World Water Day  2012 is “Water and Food Security”. Thanks to Swift Micro Labs for sharing this information and tips.

Did you know? · Of all the water on Earth, only 0.003% is available for human use. · Worldwide, agriculture is responsible for 70% of water consumption – rising to 95% in some developing countries. · It is expected that the population will grow by 34% between now and 2050, which translates into an estimated 70% increase in demand for food, creating even greater pressure on water resources. · Between 2 000 and 5 000 litres of water are needed to produce the food consumed by one person in one day. · Between 1 000 and 1 700 litres of water are needed to produce a kilo of grain. · A kilogram of meat requires 5 to 20 times more water than is used to produce a kilogram of grain – ie it takes 15 500 litres of water to produce one kilogram of beef! Source: www.waterfootprint.org

What can we do?

At home:

• Think before you buy: 30% of all food produced ends up in the garbage can. Your eating habits, generally speaking, have an impact on water resources – water is needed to produce goods and food.
• Turn off the tap while brushing teeth, shaving or soaping your hands.
• Take shorter showers and use less water if you bath.
• Install aerators and flow-reducing valves on your taps.
• Install water-saving devices on taps, toilets, showers and sprinklers.
• Fix leaks at home and report public water leaks to the municipality.
• Wash your car with a bucket and sponge only.
• Use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• Use the water for rinsing fruit and veggies to water your plants.
• Only turn the dishwasher on when it’s full.
• Use less dishwashing liquid to reduce the need for rinsing.
• Don’t use running water to defrost food.
• Water plants at the coolest part of the day.
• Adjust sprinklers to water plants, not the pavement.
• Cover your pool so the water doesn’t evaporate.
• Check your pool for leaks.

At work:

• Conduct a facility audit to quantify water use
• Educate employees about the importance of using less water
• Install water-efficient fixtures in restrooms and showering areas
• Fix leaking taps
• Where hoses are used for cleaning, make sure that they are equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
• Improve cooling tower efficiency by eliminating once-trough cooling and installing a conductivity controller in each cooling tower.

Top SA comic Nik Rabinowitz shares his Water Story

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