Parents, guardians, teachers, neighbours, and our elders, always tell us to save water. However, many people waste plenty of water while bathing, brushing, cleaning vehicles, or playing. We all know that water is a slowly renewable resource. If everyone wastes water at a high rate, there will be no drinking water left on the Earth one day.
Many parents face difficulty in teaching their children why we need to conserve water. As the Earth is coloured in the book mostly in blue, kids are likely to assume there is abundant water around us. They might wonder how it can be scarce. If you are facing the same questions from your kids, let us help you find an answer.
Why Do We Need to Save Water?
We use water for almost all purposes. Whether we are at school, office, home, or outdoors, most of our activities involve the use of water. When we wake up, our morning routine includes the use of water for brushing, cleaning, washing clothes, bathing, preparing food, washing utensils.
The electricity that comes from hydraulic power plants too uses water. Factories use water for manufacturing. All kinds of cleaning and washing involve water. Our body needs 3 litres of water a day to stay healthy. Water is necessary for irrigation and umpteen other activities without which sustaining life on earth will be impossible
Now, the question arises, do we have abundant water to meet all our needs? The answer is no. Most of the water available around us is not freshwater. We use fresh water in most of our activities. The blue oceans and seas that we see are saltwater. Hence, it cannot be used for our day-to-day activities.
What does the Report Say?
According to reports, only 2.5% of total water is available for the whole world. Now, think, what will happen if we do not conserve water?
Freshwater is a scarce resource. If everyone goes wasting water thoughtlessly one day, there will be no water left in rivers, lakes, or ponds for the next generation. The world cannot survive without water. The existence of mother Earth and all its flora and fauna will be threatened in the absence of water.
Some Other Reasons Why Do We Need to Conserve Water?
#1. Not only human beings, animals, insects, and birds all need fresh water to live. The existence of freshwater aquatic life depends on the water in natural water bodies like rivers and lakes. If we do not conserve water, the complete ecological system will suffer.
#2. Most of the human habitation is located near the river bank. Have you ever wondered why? Because of the availability of freshwater. Our economy involves activities of production and manufacturing. Every industry requires fresh water to achieve its purposes. An economic system can not be run without the sufficient availability of water.
#3. What about amusement parks and tourist places? Think how much water is required to keep the gardens green and flowers blooming. Pools require clean and pure water. Maintaining all these resources will become challenging if water becomes scarce.
#4. India’s economy is, to a great extent, agrarian. If water gets scarce, irrigation and other activities involving farming will become difficult. In the absence of agricultural produce, sustenance will become extremely difficult.
Why Do We Need to Store Water?
The human mind is evolved and has a rational faculty, unlike animals. Unfortunately, the steady progress of human civilization has been detrimental to the health of the ecosystem. Water scarcity is one of several instances of overuse of natural resources by humans. There are many ways in which we pollute and waste water in our everyday activities.
Number One
#1. Around 300 litres of water gets wasted every time while washing vehicles. However, it takes only 25 litres of water to clean a car properly.
Number Two
#2. Have you thought of how much water gets wasted when we clean our hands or face randomly, leaving the tap on at full speed? Or how much water gets wasted while cleaning utensils with the tap on? On average, these activities can waste up to 120 litres. If we become cautious and keep a watch on running taps, we can save 100 litres of water every day.
Number Three
#3. The parks and gardens that use pipes to water plants waste around 150 litres of water approximately. The use of sprinkling pipes or irrigation systems requires only 30 litres of water every day.
Number Four
#4.Small activities like brushing teeth waste a lot more water than is required. For example, most people keep their taps running while brushing their teeth. Always turn off taps while brushing. It might be a matter of two minutes, but the amount of water wasted in those two minutes will take years to restore.
Number Five
#5. Washing single clothes can waste around 175 litres of water each time. In the same 175 litres, around 6 kg of clothes can be washed.
How to Conserve Water?
Through very simple ways and good habits, we can all save a lot of water every day.
Store Water
If you are thinking, why do we need to store water, read this point carefully. The water storage at homes can be used to save rainwater. Use this water by storing it in tanks. Storing rainwater is an excellent idea to use at times of need.
Check Water Supplies
Check on the water supply system at home and in the locality on weekends. If you spot any leakages, get them fixed immediately to control water waste.
Take Water as Much as Needed
Do not pour yourself a full glass of water when you drink only half of it and throw away the rest. Most of the time, we throw the half glass of used drinking water in the sink. The wasted water can be saved by pouring water as much as required. Even when you are serving water, serve water as per the requirement.
Wrapping it Up
Conservation of water is essential. Water is the lifeline of the entire ecosystem. Therefore, it is necessary to teach kids to conserve water. They should know why we need to save water. Conserving water should be the duty of every individual. It is necessary to inculcate this habit in kids from the very beginning. They should be made aware of the advantages and importance of saving water without being burdened by complicated concepts and jargon.
In this direction, The Real School Of Montessori is working to educate kids to learn the basics and adopt good habits from the beginning through practical methods. The Real School Of Montessori works on the very foundation of what we learn, how we learn, and why we learn. There are professionals from every field that have entrepreneurial experience in running education programs in over 300 schools. Stay connected with us to learn more about such engaging topics.
