Conserving Earth's most precious resource

Water is important for us as individuals but it is also vital for the ecosystem to function. It supports the biochemistry of all life on the planet, and sustains growth as a foundational building block.
Without fresh water, humans, wildlife and much of the environment simply could not exist. 

The easy access of tap water has made many of us feel as though we have an endless supply of clean water, but the harsh reality is that we don’t. 

A term frequently heard is ‘water conservation’...but how many of us truly understand what this means? Water conservation is the practice of using water efficiently to reduce unnecessary water usage. Due to Singapore's challenging history with fresh water, which you can read about here, our nation has placed a heavy emphasis on its conservation. Most local water conservation work is spearheaded by the Public Utilities Board (PUB), which helps to manage Singapore’s water supply through the innovation of new technology as well as the revision of public policy. However, there is only so much they can achieve without the nation’s population acting wisely to conserve this valuable and limited resource. 

In Singapore, we are very fortunate to have access to clean drinking water, however this results in many of us being unaware of how much water we use daily because of the privilege we have at our fingertips.  In a recent poll by The Straits Times, 75% of Singaporeans had no idea what their water bill was. 

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The team here at Wateroam did a little study to identify our personal water usages, and many of us were shocked to discover how much water is used by simple household tasks. Showering alone made up over 50% of our personal water use, with toilet flushing accounting for a whopping 11%. We did not track all of our activity, but we were pretty alarmed to see a simple hygiene task like brushing your teeth or washing your face uses over 12L of water each time the tap runs for 2 minutes. This highlights that many of us in Singapore and across the globe are unaware of the personal impact we have on water usage in our own countries. 

We encourage you to track your daily water usage and take PUB's water saver personality quiz. Are you a water warrior or a water woe?
​Find out here!

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Importance of Water Conservation in Singapore

Citing a global study of 167 countries, Singapore topped the list of countries most likely to be “water-stressed” by 2040. Over the past few years, PUB has been rolling out many measures to help with the conservation of water, and some of these include the Water Conservation Awareness Programme and a 30% increase in water prices. PUB has also tried to inculcate a culture of water frugality through campaigns and roadshows to encourage Singaporeans to conserve water and discourage wastage in their everyday actions.

Fresh water is a natural, finite resource that is scarce in the world. Only 3% of all water is freshwater and only 0.5% is available for drinking. As our populations continue to grow, it only makes sense that we need to preserve and conserve this precious natural resource.

Now, for some easy to remember tips to save water at home 
PUB provides a set of tips for saving W-A-T-E-R at home, but here’s our take on it!

​When using the tap, do not leave it running

• Leaving the tap running while doing activities like brushing teeth and washing dishes results in a huge amount of water wasted. While it may not look like much, it flows down the drain almost immediately without serving a purpose. 

Accumulate your dirty laundry

• Saving up and accumulating dirty laundry to be washed in one full load helps  save water. The average top loader uses 67L per load of laundry, so bulk washing means the same amount of water can be used to wash more clothes.

Take public transport

• In a study done in Melbourne, cars utilise 6.4L of water per passenger while electric trains use as little as 3.4L of water per passenger. Not only are we able to save water, taking public transport will also reduce our personal carbon footprint. This is important to prevent climate change, which you can read about here!

Encourage reusing of water 

• Water used for cooking or cleaning often results in reusable water. For example, water used for washing rice or vegetables can be used to water the plants. This way we can effectively kill two birds with one stone!

Report leaks

• Although underestimated, reporting leaks helps in contributing towards conserving water as it allows repairs and maintenance of damaged water lines. This not only reduces water usage, but helps in preventing contamination of the piping systems and water inside.

This is not an exhaustive list of water saving tips and you can always come up with different ways to save water on your own. PUB also has a free water saving kit to help you reduce as much as 5% of your monthly water consumption. Without a doubt, water security and water conservation efforts are likely to become an even greater focus for Singapore in years to come. But today, we can make a difference and make every drop count to ensure water is available for future generations. ​

​Did you miss our past blog on viruses in water?
Click here to read more!​

Sources:
​https://www.constellation.com/energy-101/water-conservation-tips0.htm
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/drastic-action-needed-to-cut-water-use-here-world-water-day
https://sciencing.com/role-water-ecosystem-5444202.html

Blog Author: Joey Lim
Chief Editor: Michelle Falcone