Reservoir levels in the city of São Paulo have never been lower. Concern over a possible lack of water in the world's fourth largest metropolis has taken many people's sleep. And with good reason. Knowing this, what are you doing to help decrease water consumption? Even if there is plenty of water in your area, it is also your responsibility to take steps to preserve this resource.
? It is possible to save water by changing small habits indoors ,? explains Marco Aurélio Teixeira, business manager of CAS Tecnologia. The company is responsible for the implementation of individualized water meters in Sao Paulo and has noted a 20% increase in demand for the system in recent months since discussions began about the city's water supply crisis.
The latest survey by the National Sanitation Information System (SNIS) showed that the average water consumption per inhabitant is 163 liters per day in Brazil, 48% above the 110 liters indicated by the UN as a basic human need for consumption and hygiene. .
Although our daily average is not as high as in countries like the United States (500 liters) and Canada (613 liters), we have a good way to go in terms of water savings.
Here are 16 tips for doing your part and reducing the water consumption in your home.
To do now
1. Reuse the water released by the washing machine. Just put a bucket in the water outlet and reuse it to wash the sidewalk or the car, for example.
2. Stop using the hose to wash outside areas and the car. When you wash the car with a bucket, for example, you only use 60 liters of water and not the 560 liters that would be spent with the hose on for 30 minutes, says Marco Aurélio. To clean the sidewalk, prefer the broom.
3. Decrease bath time. A 15-minute half-open registration bath leads to a waste of 135 liters. The same bath for five minutes, closing the register when lathering, consumes 15 liters, explains the expert.
4. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Brushing your teeth for five minutes with the tap open causes a waste of 12 liters of water, while if you wet the brush, close the tap and rinse with a glass of water, you will only spend 0.5 liters.
5. Collect rainwater. Put buckets of water in the yard to collect rainwater and use to water plants or wash the floor.
6. Turn off the tap while soaping the dishes. Organizing the dishes before washing and just opening the rinse tap helps to save a lot of running water.
7. Fill the washing machines and dishes. Washing everything at once using the full capacity of the machines is the best way to use the water you use. No washing up little by little.
8. Thaw food in the refrigerator. No using the tap. Take food out of the freezer the day before and defrost in the refrigerator.
9. Leave a bucket under the shower while the water heats up. If you have a habit of waiting for the water to warm up before taking a shower, leave a bucket under the shower to reuse the water later to water plants, fill the pet's water pot or wash the sidewalk, for example.
10. Use less water when cooking. Do you need to fill the pan so much to cook the potatoes? And to wash vegetables instead of leaving them in running water, soak them in a pot of water and chlorine-based solution (a product found in any supermarket).
11. Enjoy bath time to pee. No, that's not gross! 95% of the pee is water and the remaining 5% is mainly urea and salts. There is even a campaign to encourage people to join this habit. Know here.
To do as soon as possible
12. Call a plumber to check for leaks. To get an idea of the impact of leaks, a dripping faucet can waste up to 46 liters of water in a day. There are 16 thousand liters in the year (about 64 thousand glasses of curd).
13. Install water flow reducers in taps and showers. These devices reduce water flow and provide greater savings, says Marcos.
14. Preserve pool water. If your pool does not yet have a pump and filter, it is high time to call a professional to install these features, which are key to keeping water clean longer. In addition, periodic maintenance is important to monitor for leaks and to purchase a pool cover when not in use to prevent evaporation.
To do in the future
15. Install green roofs with cistern for water storage. Green roofs are already a reality and there are even companies that specialize in installing this technology in homes. "All rainwater can be collected and reused internally for use in discharges, for example," explains João Manuel Feijó, an agronomist and director of Ecotelhado.
16. Replace home discharges with smart models. Double discharges, for example, which release three or six liters of water per drive are a good thing, recommends Marcus Saussey, an Environmental Management expert.
Water footprint: how to calculate?
Do you know what your water footprint is? A home's water footprint is the calculation that shows how much your daily habits consume of water. To find out yours, click on the link, see how much you're spending, and take the 16 steps above to do your part. Since the page is in English, open the link through the Google Chrome browser and right click on the page, selecting 'translate to portuguese'.
In addition to adopting these new habits in your home, spread these tips and ideas among those you know. Collaborate with the environment, do your part.
Tips for Saving Water and Money (April 2024)
- Organization
- 1,230
