SEVERE dry season has left Trinidad and Tobago facing a water crisis. With reservoir levels low and no prospects for significant rainfall anytime soon, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has been on a drive to promote water conservation, the most cost-effective and environmentally sound way to reduce demand for water.
To underscore the gravity of the situation, earlier this week WASA’s chief executive officer Dr Jim Lee Young said water supplies at the country’s three major reservoirs are fast dwindling because of daily consumption and evaporation and water conservation is needed now more than ever, to manage existing supplies.
Reservoir levels at Arena in January were 65 percent and 55 percent in February. At Navet, the supply was 80 percent in January and down to 62 percent in February. At the Hollis Dam, the supply was 76 percent in January and 64.1 percent last month.
Lee Young believes TT needs two days of constant rainfall to make an impact on the reservoir levels.
Consumers can play their part in ensuring that water is not wasted. Here are some of the many effective ways you can conserve water in and around your home.
In the Bathroom
1. Put a plastic bottle or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles and filled with water in your toilet tank. Displacing water in this manner allows you to use less water with each flush. Saves five to ten gallons a day. That’s up to 300 gallons a month, even more for large families. Better yet, for even greater savings, replace your water-guzzling five to seven gallon a flush toilet with a one and a half gallon, ultra-low flush model.
2. If you’re taking a shower, don’t waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on your outside plants or to flush your toilet. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.
3. Check toilet for leaks. Put dye tablets or food colouring into the tank. If colour appears in the bowl without flushing, there’s a leak that should be repaired. Saves 400 gallons a month.
4. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Saves three gallons each day.
5. Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor. Saves three gallons each day.
In the Kitchen
1. When you wash dishes don’t leave the water running for rinsing. If you have two sinks, fill one with rinse water. If you only have one sink, use a spray device or short blasts instead of letting the water run. Saves 200 to 500 gallons a month.
2. When washing dishes, use the least amount of detergent possible. This minimises rinse water needed. Saves 50 to 150 gallons a month.
3. Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats the wasteful habit of running tap water to cool it for drinking. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.
4. Don’t defrost frozen foods with running water. Either plan ahead by placing frozen items in the refrigerator overnight or defrost them in the microwave. Saves 50 to 150 gallons a month.
5. Don’t let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Rinse them in a filled sink or pan. Saves 150 to 250 gallons a month.
Outside
1. Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Chunks of bark, peat moss or gravel slows down evaporation. Saves 750 to 1,500 gallons a month.
2. If you have a pool, use a pool cover to cut down on evaporation. It will also keep your pool cleaner and reduce the need to add chemicals. Saves 1,000 gallons a month.
3. Water during the cool parts of the day. Early morning is better than dusk since it helps prevent the growth of fungus. Saves 300 gallons.
4. Have an evaporative air conditioner? Direct the water drain line to a flower bed, tree base, or lawn.
5. Drive your car onto a lawn to wash it. Rinse water can help water the grass.
6. Dispose of hazardous materials properly. One quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water, effectively eliminating that much water from our water supply.
The ten best ways to save water
1. Water your lawn only when it needs it. Step on your grass. If it springs back, when you lift your foot, it doesn’t need water.
2. Fix leaky faucets and plumbing joints. Saves up to 600 gallons per month for every leak stopped.
3. Don’t run the hose while washing your car. Use a bucket of water and a quick hose rinse at the end. Saves 150 gallons each time. For a two-car family that’s up to 1,200 gallons a month.
4. Install water-saving shower heads or flow restrictors. Saves 500 to 800 gallons per month.
5. Run only full loads in the washing machine. Saves 300 to 800 gallons per month.
6. Shorten your showers. Even a one or two minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month.
7. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks. Saves 150 gallons or more each time. At once a week, that’s more than 600 gallons a month.
8. Don’t use your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Saves 400 to 600 gallons per month.
9. Capture tap water. While you wait for hot water to come down the pipes, catch the flow in a watering can to use later on house plants or your garden. Saves 200 to 300 gallons per month.
10. Don’t water the sidewalks, driveway, or gutter. Saves 500 gallons per month.
