Water Wastage

Over the years of my existence on Earth, I have spotted a bad habit of people's. Camps after camps, sleepovers after sleepovers, it has not failed to escape my notice that the profligate use of water is ubiquitous.

I once saw a girl turn on a water tap and execute her facial regime - washing, scrubbing and exfoliating - for about 5 minutes and while she was at it, she left the tap running at full blast. What was worse was that she wasn't even using the water.

I have witnessed a similiar scenario while people are brushing their teeth. If you are one of them, please reconsider. Do you really need to let all that water flow down the sink while you are brushing your teeth? Perhaps to rinse and gargle your mouth, but all the water that flows while you're brushing your teeth will be a complete waste.

Bruneians in general are not too concerned about water wastage since its scarcity is not a major issue here. But perhaps bringing some statistics into light will make you more aware of how wasteful we are with water compared to our neighbouring countries.

Singapore - 150 litres per person per day

Malaysia - 220 litres per person per day

Brace yourself for what you will see next -

Brunei Darussalam - 450 litres per person per day.

That is indeed a staggering, mind-blowing figure. It is equivalent to 300 large water bottles.

According to a survey by the Department of Water Services, half of our daily water usage is spent in the shower or bath. Toilet flushes constitutes 12% of our water consumption.

So here are ways to reduce water usage. As subtle as it seems, it will cut down water wastage drastically in the long run.

1) Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or washing your face. Letting the water run can waste up to 9 litres of water per minute.

2) Take short and quick shower. For bath lovers, filling your tub half full would be sufficient.

3) Use a bucket of water and a sponge to wash your car as opposed to blasting the car with water. If you insist on using a water hose, you can still save water by using ones with nozzle in which you can shut off the water supply.

4) Water plants early in the morning when the day is cool. This reduces rapid evaporation of water.

5) Clean the ground by sweeping, not by using a hose.

6) Improve bladder control to reduce number of flushes.

Cheaper water tariffs have encouraged us to waste water mindlessly. The extra costs are being cushioned by our government, just like our other commodities. Behind the palatable water we are so accustomed to everyday, money is involved to produce clean water and to transport it. If you are anti-environment and pro-economy, then help ameliorate our nation's debt.

There's no good excuse for the extravagant use of water. If you are guilty of the aforementioned bad habit, break it. It's not a difficult one to break; all it takes is to close the tap when you don't need water. Cut water usage, conserve energy, save money.

Source:

The Brunei Times, Newspaper in Education - Water Woes, March 15 2008.