Water

Conservation
in Homes

AVNEET KAUR AHUJA

Asstt. Prof. (Home Science)
K.V.K. Kapurthala
 Causes of Water
Scarcity
• Wastage of water at Farm and Home.


• Increasing population pressure.

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• Excessive irrigation.
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• Ignorance of people to use efficient

water management practices.

 Rate of depleting ground
water
• Depleting @ 70-100 cm per year in
108 blocks out of 141 blocks of
Punjab.


• According to Farmer’s Commission,

The ground water level of about
85% area of Central Punjab i.e.
Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar,
Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib,
Sangrur, and Patiala districts has
S A V IN G W A T E R IN K ITC H E N
T h e kitch e n w a te r d ra in a g e sh o u ld b e d ire cte d to kitch e n
g a rd e n / la w n .

Fo r cle a n in g u te n sils, fillb ig u te n silo r b u cke t a n d w a sh u te n sils

in ste a d o f d ire ctly u n d e r ru n n in g w a te r.

Clean utensils with ash or ash mixed with detergent, it requires less
water.

Clean utensils altogether at the end of cooking.

Do not wash vegetables and fruits directly under the tap, rather wash
in the utensil filled with water.

Use pressure cooker for cooking the food. If cooking in pans select
proper size pans for cooking. Large pans require more cooking water.
Always cover the pans during cooking to reduce evaporation.

Soak soiled pots and pans in water instead of letting the water run
while you scrape them clean.

Keep the ice tray out for some time for having ice cubes instead of
using running water for that.
 Saving Water in Cleaning
Instead of washing floors, mop them.
If you want to wash the floor, first clean it with broom and then
wash with water stored in bucket , not with pipe.
Do not wash household and agricultural machinery
i.e. car, scooter, motorcycle, tractor etc. with water
pipes everyday instead wipe them clean. A 15 min.
car wash uses 100 gallons(450 liters) of water. Use a bucket of
water and rags instead.

While washing cars etc. park them on the grass.

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 Saving water in laundry
§Wait until you have a full load
before washing items, or use a lower
water setting.

§Check garments to make sure they need

washing. Do not wash clothes more
often than necessary.
§
§Soapy water from washing machines can
be collected and used for cleaning
bathrooms.

§Water from second rinse can be used

for cleaning floor and animal shed.
§
§Soak clothes prior to washing. Use
only required amount of detergent,
excess of it needs more water to
rinse.

§Take water in buckets for rinsing

clothes instead of washing directly
under the tap.
Saving Water in Bathroom and
Toilet
qTake water in bucket for bathing instead of bathing directly under
water tap.
Running tap consumes >25 to 30 liters of water.

qDon’t keep water tap running while brushing teeth or washing face.
It will save 4 gallons(18 liters) a min.
Total savings = 200 gallons(900 liters)/week for a family
of four.

qTurn the water off while shampooing your hair and save 50
gallons(225 liters) a week.

qPut food colouring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into toilet

bowl, it has a leak.
Can save > 600 gallons(2700 liters)/year.

qAvoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily.

qUse small toilet flush tank to avoid wastage of water.

qRepair dripping taps.

A tap leaking one drop of water per second wastes more than 25 liters of water a day!
That’s 9,000 liters a year!
q
 Saving water in
lawns
vDon’t over water your lawn.
In summer after 5
to 7 days.
In winter after 10
to 14 days.

vWater lawns during early

morning hours when temperature
and wind speed is the lowest.
This reduces losses from
evaporation.

vAvoid over fertilizing your

lawn. The application increases
the need for water.

vUse layer of organic mulch

around plants to reduce
evaporation and save hundreds of
gallons of water a year.
v
vUse native and low-water use
plants.
 Saving Rainwater
ØDuring rainy season, direct the rain
water from roof towards village pond or
store it in tank.
ØIf storing in tank, a cemented
underground filter tank of 2-3 width and
3-4 feet depth can be prepared. Tank can
be prepared on ground also or readymade
tank can be placed on ground, as shown in
photograph.
Ø
ØThe runoff rainwater from the roof is
directed towards the tank through
drainage pipes.
Ø
ØBefore the rain comes, clean the roof
and tank and put chlorine, bleaching
powder or potassium permanganate to make
it germ free.
 Rain Barrels
Rain barrels include:


• Ultraviolet resistant materials

that will not rust, break-down
or corrode.
•
• Ball valve with garden hose
fitting mounted at base.


• Lid with filtering screen to keep

barrel free of debris and
insects.
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 Benefits of rain barrels
• Harvesting of rainwater is free.
• Rainwater is better for your lawn and
garden because it is not treated with
Chlorine and Fluoride.
• Using rainwater reduces demands on
storm water systems.
• Stored rainwater is warmer and will not
“shock” plants or lawns.
• No pumping is required, so there are no
electricity costs.
• Setup is easy, and little maintenance is
 Grey
♦ Grey water is the Water
water used for bathing, washing clothes
and utensils, and floor cleaning. Currently, grey water,
which forms 60–70% of our total usage, is drained into the
same sewage system that handles black water, i.e., the used
water from toilets, making it unsuitable for human
consumption even after treatment.

♦ It is a known fact that efficiency and effectiveness of

our sewage treatments plants is not within acceptable
standards. The treated water might still contain harmful
pathogens when it is released to our water bodies.

♦If grey water and black water are segregated at the

source and treated separately, the former becomes fit for
human consumption, though not potable, whereas the latter
can be treated more effectively and supplied for
irrigation and industrial uses.
 Advantages of Grey water
Will keep your plants and lawn thriving in
drought conditions.

Provides lots of organic materials for the

plants as well.

A family of four can create 30-40 thousand
gallons(135-180 thousand liters) of water, if
system is used to full potential.
Disadvantages of Grey
water
§Must monitor plants for over
fertilization and watering.
§Must be careful about ingredients
in laundry soaps and cleaners, some
can harm your plants.
Ways to enhance Water Resources
☻3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.

☻Judicious use of fresh water.

☻Adapting new technologies on agriculture.
(like drip irrigation, sprinklers etc.)
☻Roof water & Storm water harvesting.
☻Reclaiming Sewage & Industrial effluents.
☻Desalination near coastal regions.
Water Management in India
 What can be done on a macro
level?
• When there is concentrated heavy rainfall in a short period of time,
floods happen. These are seasonal and natural. Floods also
happen when the rainwater does not find ways to get drained
into soil and nearby water bodies.
•
• Floods and its aftermaths cannot be controlled, but can be
managed to lessen its effects on people’s lives. If flood
management is done in a holistic way, it will moderate the
intensity of floods and take care of the water needs during the
drought season.
•
• De-silting rivers and canals and clearing choked drains will prevent
water logging and ensure smooth flow of rainwater. Removing
illegal structures and encroachments along riverbanks,
preserving catchment areas of rivers, and maintaining available
wetlands and tanks as well as creating more, will enable
absorption of rainwater into the ground.


• In areas with heavy density of buildings, installing rainwater

harvesting (RWH) systems is the best way to ensure adequate
recharge of groundwater.
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• Using rainwater for garden watering, toilet flushing and washing

 What can be done on a micro
level?
• In urban areas, the best way to get
individuals involved is the inclusion of
residents’ welfare associations in water
management. Welfare associations can
spread awareness about the necessity of
water conservation and management at
an individual level.
• Rainwater harvesting and grey water
recycling systems can be set up for
apartment complexes or even
independent houses. Black water can be
piped out to the sewage system and
grey water can be recycled.
T h e se m e a su re s m ig h t lo o k to o sim p le to
m a ke a n y co n sid e ra b le ch a n g e s. B u t a s
th e sa yin g g o e s, a u n it sa ve d is a u n it
p ro d u ce d .

E fficie n t co n se rva tio n , d istrib u tio n , a n d

co n su m p tio n w ille ve n tu a lly le a d to se lf-
re lia n ce in w a te r. C o m e ra in o r sh in e , w e
ca n h a ve w a te r a n d d rin k it to o .
W a te r co n se rv a tio n o ccu rs
th ro u g h
w h at you d o,
n ot b y w h at you kn ow .
THANKS