5 ways for us to value water in our daily lives

Analysis: water is a finite and irreplaceable resource, but we continue to waste and contaminate it

By Alacoque McAlpine and Patrice Behan, TU Dublin

Not everyone around the world can turn on a tap in their house to drink clean, fresh water, let alone flush a toilet with the push of a button. The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the critical importance of adequate access to safe water and sanitation for preventing and containing diseases. According to the World Health Organisation, handwashing is one of the most effective actions you can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections.

But 3 billion people worldwide lack basic hand washing facilities at home and one in four healthcare facilities lack basic water services. Freshwater makes up a very small fraction of all water on the planet. Even though 70% of the world is covered by water, only 1% is available to us as drinking water and the rest is saline and ocean based.

For many of us, water scarcity is an abstract concept, but it is a harsh reality for others. The UN report that some parts of the world seem relatively flush with freshwater because of geography, climate, regulation and competition for resources, but one in three people in much of the developing world are living without access to safe drinking water.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland in May 2020, reports on calls from Irish Water for people to prioritise handwashing over patio powerwashing and conserve water when possible

While the amount of freshwater on the planet has remained fairly constant over time—continually recycled through the atmosphere and back into our cups, the world population has exploded. This means that competition for a clean, copious supply of water for drinking, cooking, bathing, agriculture and industry, intensifies and increases every year. Humans have not proven to be good at valuing water: producing an average pair of jeans uses 7,000 litres of water, which is enough water to support one African family for an entire year. Many water-intensive crops such as cotton are grown in arid regions while industry and agriculture are polluting our water eco-system with containments that eventually end up in our food systems.

A survey by Irish Water, found that 52% of the public acknowledge that they waste water and 25% of Irish people believe that they don't need to conserve water because of the level of rainfall in Ireland. However different climate conditions over the last few years quickly led to water shortages to which the government reacted with increased Water Conservation Orders (hosepipe bans). It is time for the Irish government, industry and consumers to understand that we are part of a global water crisis and we all have a responsibility to manage water sustainably and to protect our water ecosystems.

World Water Day is an annual United Nations event focusing on the importance of freshwater. A core focus of World Water day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all. We cannot safeguard this critical resource without a comprehensive understanding of water's true multidimensional value. Here's how Irish consumers can begin to value water more.

From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Dr Michelle Minihan from the EPA on some private water schemes in Ireland which have failed quality drinking tests

(1) Get to know your loo

The average household in Ireland uses 125,000 litres of treated drinking water per year and we flush one third of all that treated water down the toilet. If your toilets were installed after 2001, it's likely you have an eco-conscious six litre cistern. Older toilets can have anything from nine to 14 litre cisterns, which are far bigger than what’s needed.

The solution is to buy a toilet cistern bag, which is basically a sealed plastic or polythene pouch or box of two-three litres capacity that sits inside the cistern, reducing how much water it can hold and how much the toilet uses with each flush. This costs around a fiver and are widely available in hardware stores. Or you can do the DIY thing by adjusting the ball cock to fill the cistern to a lower level.

(2) Ditch the tub

Irish Water suggest that we should all chose a short shower rather than filling up the bathtub to reduce water consumption. Research from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that the average (6 minute) shower uses 42 litres of water, while soaking in the bath uses almost twice that amount of water.

From RTÉ Brainstorm, what happens to the stuff that goes down the drain in your bathroom or kitchen?

Try to spend less time in the shower as every minute of shower time equates to 7 litres of water. If you shower daily, cutting back your shower time by just a minute could save 210 litres of water per month. For those who are committed to smart water usage, a tap aerator, which can be added to every tap in your home, is one of the cost-effective means of controlling the flow of water in your household. According to the EPA, tap aerators can reduce water flow by 30%.

(3) Turn off the tap

According to Irish Water, small changes can make a big difference. When brushing your teeth or shaving, for example, turn off the tap and save up to 6 litres of water per minute.

(4) Don't buy bottled water

Developing world countries often rely on plastic bottles of water as they do not have access to a safe piped water supply. Bottled water can also provide a degree of reliability in times of natural disaster. Consumers in countries with safe water, on the other hand, continue to buy bottled water and it is often perceived as a luxury item.

From RTÉ Archives, Alasdair Jackson reports for RTÉ News in 1989 on the rivalry between bottled water companies Tipperary Spring Water and Ballygowan for the international market

The global demand for plastic bottles, spurred on by the drinks industry, is wreaking havoc on the environment. About half a trillion new bottles are produced every year, and many billions end up in landfill, the sea or the environment. As well as requiring oceans of fossil fuels to make and ship, single-use plastics of all types are polluting our cities and oceans.

There is no need for bottled water in countries where water supply is reliable and safe. In fact, most bottled waters go through a similar treatment process as our tap water. It is time to wean ourselves off bottled water and invest in a sustainable water bottle. From stainless steel, bamboo or glass, to bottles with an option to add fruit to flavour the water, or flasks with filters that promise extra purity, the options are endless. And if you can't live without fizz, invest in a carbonated beverage maker.

(5) Green your laundry

The EPA report that the average residential washing machine uses about 45 litres of water per load. Greenpeace suggest reducing washing temperature, washing at full load, avoiding tumble-drying and purchasing eco-friendly fibres to lessen laundry environmental impact.

As well as water usage, our constant need to launder is contributing to contamination of our water ecosystem. Alarmingly, microplastics which are released when we wash syntenic fibres such as polyester, nylon and acrylic are released into our oceans, rivers and are found in our food chain.

Population growth, increased economic development and climate change will continue to put pressure on global water resources

Invest in a Guppy bag, a mesh laundry bag that slips into your washing machine and prevents shredded microplastics getting into our water systems.

Population growth, increased economic development and climate change will continue to put pressure on global water resources as well as contributing to pollution. We need NGOs, industry, governments and communities working together to ensure the sustainability of water.

As global citizens, we have the right and the responsibility to demand our government safeguard this critical resource for everyone. It is time to lobby our government for policies that value freshwater differently than water for other uses. We need urgent government incentives to support water re-use systems such as rain-water collection, in our homes and businesses as well as support for better drainage and irrigation on our farms.

Irish water are currently drafting their 25-year National Water Resources Plan (NWRP). This is an excellent opportunity to invite input from high water users, consumers, and as UNESCO suggest to harness science and research to achieve sustainability.

SDGliteracy, a community of practice around sustainability education and funded by the National Forum under TU Dublin IMPACT, are hosting an event for World Water Day to raise awareness of the global water crisis and the role of everyone in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Alacoque McAlpine is a lecturer at the School of Marketing at the College of Business at TU Dublin. Dr Patrice Behan is a Lecturer in Environmental Chemistry at the School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at TU Dublin

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ