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Water conservation is a big issue as we finally wake up to the fact that our finite supply of water is not going to last infinitely. Saving water is everyone’s duty and doing so is even more important for people living in big cities since limited resources need to be shared by very large populations in big cities. In order to make sure that there is enough water to fulfill everyone’s needs in a big city, we can all follow some of these simple and easy tips to save water:

• Never keep the water running unnecessarily while performing your daily toilette. Shut off the faucet while brushing, shaving and washing your hands and turn it on only when you really need to wash, and not when you are just waiting to.

• Operate your washing machine and dishwasher only with full loads instead of using them for washing partial loads and you can end up saving hundreds of gallons per week.

• Mend all the leaks in your bathroom, kitchen and garden and you can end up saving up to fifty gallons of water per day.

• Start using aerated showerheads and taps to save water. They will give you a similar water pressure but save up to 50% water by combining their water flow with air.

• Do not keep the water running while doing dishes or washing vegetables. Instead, fill a sink with water and wash your dishes and vegetables in it.

• Fill a jug or bottle with water to drink and keep it on your kitchen counter or fridge. This will stop you from running the faucet till it starts producing cold water.

• If you have a garden, then water it during early morning hours, since this is the time when evaporation is the least. Plant during spring or fall since your plants will need lesser water as compared to planting in the summer. Do not let your sprinkler run unattended and make sure that it sprinkles only over your green area instead of watering your drive and passage.

• Cook food in utensils that are the appropriate size instead of cooking in large pans since larger utensils would require more water for cooking the same amount of stuff. Use the minimum amount of water possible for cooking. This will not only save water, it will also ensure that you lose lesser nutrients from your food.

• Attach spray nozzles to your garden hose so that you can regulate the flow of water as and when you need it. A lot of plants die due to over watering. With a controlled hose, you can ensure that you provide just the required amount of water to your plants. At the same time you can save tens of gallons of water by stopping the water supply while moving from one place to another or directing water where it is needed instead of letting it flow uselessly.

• Shorten the time period of your shower. Every minute in the shower wastes at least four to five gallons of water. You can easily save ten gallons of water per shower if you shorten your shower by just two minutes.

Water as we all know is one thing that nobody can ever do without. At the same time, we all know that water is non renewable, and should therefore be used as sparingly as possible so that it lasts long enough for everyone to have a glass of water as and when they want it instead of looking out for water substitutes. We can all do our bit to save water by following a few simple tips in our day to day lives. Some very simple things that you can do to save water without changing your lifestyle even a single bit are:

Brush Wisely: A large number of people keep the faucet running all the time that they are brushing. Depending upon personal habit, this could range anywhere between a minute to five minutes, where you waste 4 to 5 gallons of water per minute. A better and more environment friendly way to brush is to wet your toothbrush, turn off the tap and then turn it on again only when you need to rinse. This way you save at least five to ten gallons of water while ensuring that the taps will still be running ten years hence.

Wash Conservatively: We are so used to our washing machines and dishwashers running all the time that we now run them even if we have to wash just a couple of clothes and dishes. Both dishwashers and washing machines consume a lot of water, whether you run them with less than a half load or a full load. Therefore, you should always run these machines only when you have a full load. If you just have to wash a couple of dishes, then doing it by hand saves water and is also faster.

Flush Without Wasting: We waste ten to twenty liters of water every time we flush our toilets. However, the purpose can be solved by using lesser water for flushing. If you are in the process of building a new house or installing new toilets, then get it fitted with flushes that use only ten liters of water instead of the usual twenty. Both work equally effectively. Otherwise, you can also go for the option of getting your flush lever changed for a knob that lets you regulate the amount of water you use for flushing. This will hardly cost you anything, but save you a lot of water everyday. If you cannot do any of these things, you can just fill a plastic one liter bottle with water and keep it inside your flush tank where it does not interfere with the flush mechanism( this would be at the corners or the side). Every time you flush, you will be saving a liter, saving at least twenty to thirty liters or 5-8 gallons per day if you live with a family. 

Water Plants At the Right Time: If you have a garden or keep plants, then water them during the morning or in the late afternoon. Apart from being the best time for your plants, this routine ensures that lesser water gets evaporated than when you water them during day time. Do not make the mistake of leaving your sprinklers on all the time, and you can save a lot of water in your garden too.

Conserving water has become the need of the hour because of the non-renew ability of water combined with its necessity. We as a planet are running out of water, which unlike other things is necessary for living. It is not just the government or civic bodies whose duty it is to conserve water, but all of us are equally responsible for saving water for tomorrow by using it judiciously today. By following a few simple steps, we can conserve hundreds of gallons per day per day per household. All we need to do is use water wisely in the kitchen, bathrooms and in our gardens, and we can end up saving almost as much as we spend per day. Since the kitchen is one place where water is used a lot every day, it should be the first place to start house hold water conservation. Some simple tips that will help you save water in the kitchen are:

· One thing that you should always pay attention to is the time you keep the faucet running without doing anything substantial. At the same time, you might have noticed that the faucet generally provides more water than required for your task. The best thing to do to save water in your kitchen is to start using an attachment that either lets you regulate the flow of water from your faucet or decreases it substantially. We can generally do with only one-third of the water that our faucet provides while washing vegetables or doing the dishes. You can use external attachments that fit on to any kind of faucet to provide a lesser amount of water. These can be bought from any home supply store for five to ten dollars.

· If you do not want a slower supply of water, you can get an aerated faucet for your kitchen sink, which will provide you water at the same pressure that you were getting earlier, but still save on water by mixing its water output with a high percentage of air.

· If you do not or cannot change or attach any fixtures in your kitchen, you can still save on water by running the faucet only when it is absolutely necessary to do so. Start washing vegetables in pans or sinks full of water instead of washing them under running water. Instead of defrosting food under running water, keep it outside the freezer or in the fridge 4-6 hours before use. Try not to use the microwave too much for defrosting, for while this will save on water, you will still be wasting energy that is produced from non renewable fuel.

· Do not use your dishwasher or washing machine when you have to wash only a small number of utensils or clothes. This is because even partial or half loads consume almost an equal amount of water as that used for a full load. If you only have to wash just a couple of dishes, try washing them by hand to save water.