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RATIONED WATER CONSUMPTION – OUR PLANET ASKS FOR YOUR HELP
By Samuel Lee, Managing Director, Actaris Latin America.
The World Water Day will be celebrated on March 22. But there is not much to celebrate. Average water consumption in Brazilian capitals is 150 liters/inhabitant/day, while the UN recommends that this consumption should be 110 liters/inhabitant/day.
Vitória, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have top consumption records per inhabitant in the country (236, 226 and 221 respectively) which is nearly twice the amount established by the UN.
But why don’t people become concerned and begin to use water in a smart way? When you speak about lack of water on the planet and rationed water use, most people don’t believe it, as they probably think that it is an overreaction and will not happen until 200 years from now. The amount of water we have in our oceans leads us to believe that it is impossible that some day we will no longer have drinking water available in the world. But this is not actually our reality! According to data from the International Water Management Institute – IWMI – up to 2025, 30% of all humans will experience from water shortage.
Because only 0.007% of existing water is fresh water, combined with the fast growth rate of the world’s population - for each 1,000 liters of water used, another 10,000 liters are polluted - water has become the most strategic natural resource for any country throughout the world.
Facing such frightening scenario, it is about time people became aware and began to use water rationally, as this precious resource is extremely important for humanity. Using more than 110 liters of water a day is wasting a natural resource, and money as well.
In Brazil, water is used as follows: 27% for cooking and drinking, 25% for shower and tooth brushing, 12% for laundry; 3% for other purposes (washing car) and finally 33% for flushing the toilette. Excessive consumption is related to continuously wasting water and its unconcerned use, including washing your frontward with tap water or taking longer than 15 minutes when showering.
In buildings and apartments, water consumption tends to increase due to higher water pressure and, of course, the way people pay their water bills. Today, in most vertical and horizontal complexes, there is only one water meter that measures the consumption from all apartments, and the final bill is allocated equally among all units. This way, an individual who lives alone pays the same amount as family of six. This is an old way to measure water consumption and the reason why people are not concerned with using water in a rationed and smart way. What is the purpose of my saving water if my neighbor doesn't do the same? Individual water metering is an excellent solution for this problem and there are many cities with passing bills designed to make it mandatory. But what does individual metering mean? Each apartment will have its own hydrometer that will measure how much water is used so that people will pay for what they have actually used. It is a fair way to pay for water consumption and it will cause people to save water and use in the best way possible. In buildings where this solution has been implemented, it immediately led to 20% reduction which, in some cases can be as high as 40% in the first three months after implementation.
In addition to implementing new technologies such as individual metering and new public policies, it is vital that people are aware that water is a limited resource that can be exhausted before most could imagine. Finally, according to the UN, 50% of the disease and death rate in developing countries takes place due to lack of water or water contamination. Therefore, rationed water consumption is vital for us to prevent, as much as possible, serious environmental, sanitation and public health issues.
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