It is pretty clear that water reserves in Pakistan will be reduced to
one half of what they were on 11 August 2014 in next 6 years. Since the government
is not doing anything serious about it, here are some ways in which us the common
people can contribute to help save water for our future generations and to
prevent sever draught conditions post 2020 AD.
If we manage to follow these very simple guidelines, according to a rough estimate, each of us can save up to ~18 cubic meter of water a year (that's ~18,000 Liters a year), multiply it by our population, it will be 3,240,000,000,000 Liters of water a year, i.e. 3,240,000,000 cubic meter of water a year. In comparison capacity of world's largest earth filled dam (Terbela Dam) is 13,690,000,000 cubic meter. so we'll save water equivalent to Terbela Dam's capacity every 4 years.
- Water your lawn at night. It is common sense that water evaporates quickly during the day time because of the sun, so sprinkle when it’s more likely to stay in the soil.
- Do not use a dish washer. A common Pakistani person may not have even heard the term dish washer, but some of us have and some of us use them too. Most dish washers use 1,000+ Watt of electrical power, if you have to use a dish washer use a solar powered one. To wash the dishes, fill a ~6 Liter bottle with water and use it to rinse and soap the dishes, then use tap directly to wash them, as quickly as possible.
- Some of us are privileged enough to have a swimming pool in our homes, we should cover them to prevent contamination of water and evaporation accelerated by the Sun during the day time. Buckets, tubs lying in the open should be covered as well.
- Do not go to the car wash. Car washers in petrol stations or dedicated one's, both use ~200 Liters of water per car wash, you can wash your car at home by using ~4 buckets of water, ~25 liters each. Wash and rinse one fourth of your car with each bucket, starting from roof and ending at the rim/tire. You can wash your car up to 3 times a year at home, still using less water than washing station. If you have to use a car wash, use it no more than once a year.
- This one is especially for home owners, collect the rain water. Make an underground tank in your home, under the lawn or the back yard, save water in it, then use water filters to use that water for toilet use or to wash your car or water the plants/lawn, even drinking and cooking after boiling.
- While brushing teeth, shaving, soaping your body while bathing, turn of the tap. While bathing it is preferable to not to use the shower, use old school tub and mug combo. In winters especially, do not waste cold water while you wait for hot geezer's water, collect that in separate bucket and reuse as necessary, or use instant electric geezers near to the taps/showers (minimum piping). Check out your toilets for leaks. Pour some color in the flush tank, if there is a leak, the color will help you verify it. Fix it if necessary, replace the toilet if unfixable.
- Wash your carpets once a year. While washing clothes, use appropriate amount of washing powder so you don't have to rinse them again more than twice.
