7 Everyday Habits That Are Drying Out Our Future

1. Long, Indulgent Showers: Almost everyone loves hot relaxing showers and for most of us, it has become an indispensable part of our daily routine. Taking long showers, however, can be problematic because it contributes to water and energy waste. From an energy perspective, a ten-minute hot shower will cost you 1000 Kcal, which is half of the required daily calorie intake for an average female and a quarter for a male. Replacing eight minute showers with five-minute showers and low-flow showerheads can aid in energy and water conservation by close to ¾. (Image Source: Canva)

2. Overlooking Dripping Faucets: Just one leaky tap has the potential to wreak havoc to the tune of approximately 3,000 gallons of water a year. It can be compared to wasting drinking water, and all this is because of inaction. In a good portion of cases, fixing the drip will take less than half an hour, but a whole lot of refreshing water will be conserved. (Image Source: Canva)

3. Operating Washing Machines With Old And New Pairs Of Clothes: It’s incredibly easy to lose track of time whilst washing and drying clothes. Thinking one is doing laundry regularly doesn’t lead to expand the ability to multi-task, on the contrary, it expands the levels of water one happens to consume unintentionally while washing fewer clothes. It is advised to never run the washer until filled to the brim, and also use eco-mode wherever it is available. (Image Source: Canva)

4. Pouring Excess Water While Soaking Vegetables: Rinsing or soaking vegetables often leads to wastage of a large amount of water. A well-honed habit would be pouring just enough water to soak the ingredients and rinsing vegetables in a bowl instead of under a running tap, then reusing that water for other household chores or for watering plants. (Image Source: Canva)

5. Providing An Excessive Amount Of Water For Greener Gardens And Planting Flowers: Whenever someone attempts gardening or loves flowery gardens, the lush green lawns tend to require way more care than needed. Lawns that look pretty overdosed with water and are often in dire need of excessive care can actually save thousands of litres if watered only during cool times. Switching to drought tolerant plants is an added benefit too. (Image Source: Canva)

6. Filtered Tap Over Bottled Water: While it may look trendy to use bottled water instead of filtered tap, this choice greatly increases waste production for no reason. In nearly all cities, filtered tap is just as safe as bottled, not to mention cheaper and far more environmentally friendly. (Image Source: Canva)

7. Water And Efficiency Overlooking Fixtures: The lack of modernity in faucets, toilets and showers cause a spike in water use. Upgrading these loos to water efficient types can save a household's water consumption by roughly 20-30%. It does not require any additional spending down the line. (Image Source: Canva)

Inputs By: Mr. Gurmit Singh Arora, National President, Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) (Image Source: Canva)