<p>The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board recently warned citizens about dropping groundwater levels in the outskirts of the city. To avoid the crisis of last year, being judicious with water usage is key. Water conservation experts share ways to use water responsibly. </p>.<p><strong>Recycling</strong> </p>.<p>Vikas Brahmavar, CEO of Boson Whitewater, says often STP-treated water is only used in gardening. “If this water is used for flushing, mopping and similar secondary purposes, around 45 ltr (per person) per day can be saved,” he adds. </p>.Bengaluru: Oily waste from commercial kitchens clogging drains .<p>Odette Katrak, co-founder of Beautiful Bharat, has come up with ‘Ecowaternomics’, a framework to help reduce water consumption in the home, based on purity of water required. “The aim is to open taps less frequently for fresh water by reusing water from secondary sources. These can be categorised into differing levels of purity — fresh, clear, soapy, cloudy, soiled or muddy water,” she explains. </p>.<p>While clear water (waste RO water or stale drinking water) can be used to mop floors and that water can be further reused, soapy water (water from the washing machine outlet or after washing hands) can be used to clean basins, bathrooms, or even mops. “Cloudy water (water left after cleaning vegetables, pulses or rice) can be used to water plants or rinse dirty vessels, while soiled water can be used to clean one’s driveways,” she adds.</p>.<p>In RO water purifiers, around one-fourth of the water is filtered, while the rest is wastewater, says Brahmavar. For example: if a family is consuming 8 ltr of water a day, around 24 ltr of wastewater is generated. “The latter can be used for washing clothes and cleaning floors, as long as their total dissolved salts (TDS) is under 2, 100 ppm (parts per million),” he explains.</p>.<p><strong>Judicious usage </strong></p>.<p>Often people tend to overwater gardens at apartment complexes. “Around 5,000 ltr of water per acre is enough,” Brahmavar says. </p>.<p>Water conservation expert Ganesh Shanbhag says: “When brushing your teeth, switch the tap on only when required and don’t let the water run throughout. Opt for bucket baths over showers.” </p>.<p><strong>Watch it</strong></p>.<p>Installing an aerator is important, points out Shanbhag. Available for around Rs 100, these will bring down a tap’s water flow from 15 ltr per minute to 2-3 ltr per minute. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Fix water metres to measure everyday consumption in all flats in an apartment complex, Brahmavar says. “Average water consumption per person per day is 135 ltr in urban areas of India, of which 45 ltr is used for flushing and personal consumption. Limiting one’s consumption to 70 ltr per day is ideal,” he notes. </p>.<p class="bodytext">If you have a leaky tap or flush tank at home, it should be fixed immediately. “Leaky taps can lead to around 10,000 ltr of water wastage in a month,” he says. </p>
<p>The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board recently warned citizens about dropping groundwater levels in the outskirts of the city. To avoid the crisis of last year, being judicious with water usage is key. Water conservation experts share ways to use water responsibly. </p>.<p><strong>Recycling</strong> </p>.<p>Vikas Brahmavar, CEO of Boson Whitewater, says often STP-treated water is only used in gardening. “If this water is used for flushing, mopping and similar secondary purposes, around 45 ltr (per person) per day can be saved,” he adds. </p>.Bengaluru: Oily waste from commercial kitchens clogging drains .<p>Odette Katrak, co-founder of Beautiful Bharat, has come up with ‘Ecowaternomics’, a framework to help reduce water consumption in the home, based on purity of water required. “The aim is to open taps less frequently for fresh water by reusing water from secondary sources. These can be categorised into differing levels of purity — fresh, clear, soapy, cloudy, soiled or muddy water,” she explains. </p>.<p>While clear water (waste RO water or stale drinking water) can be used to mop floors and that water can be further reused, soapy water (water from the washing machine outlet or after washing hands) can be used to clean basins, bathrooms, or even mops. “Cloudy water (water left after cleaning vegetables, pulses or rice) can be used to water plants or rinse dirty vessels, while soiled water can be used to clean one’s driveways,” she adds.</p>.<p>In RO water purifiers, around one-fourth of the water is filtered, while the rest is wastewater, says Brahmavar. For example: if a family is consuming 8 ltr of water a day, around 24 ltr of wastewater is generated. “The latter can be used for washing clothes and cleaning floors, as long as their total dissolved salts (TDS) is under 2, 100 ppm (parts per million),” he explains.</p>.<p><strong>Judicious usage </strong></p>.<p>Often people tend to overwater gardens at apartment complexes. “Around 5,000 ltr of water per acre is enough,” Brahmavar says. </p>.<p>Water conservation expert Ganesh Shanbhag says: “When brushing your teeth, switch the tap on only when required and don’t let the water run throughout. Opt for bucket baths over showers.” </p>.<p><strong>Watch it</strong></p>.<p>Installing an aerator is important, points out Shanbhag. Available for around Rs 100, these will bring down a tap’s water flow from 15 ltr per minute to 2-3 ltr per minute. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Fix water metres to measure everyday consumption in all flats in an apartment complex, Brahmavar says. “Average water consumption per person per day is 135 ltr in urban areas of India, of which 45 ltr is used for flushing and personal consumption. Limiting one’s consumption to 70 ltr per day is ideal,” he notes. </p>.<p class="bodytext">If you have a leaky tap or flush tank at home, it should be fixed immediately. “Leaky taps can lead to around 10,000 ltr of water wastage in a month,” he says. </p>