Water becomes the most sought after commodity in summer with residents bracing for water cuts and long wait for tankers. To add to the water woes, the severe heat makes us consume more water by way of drinking or bathing frequently. There are some simple ways by which we can save lots of water and reduce our dependence on tankers.

Little drops of water make an ocean. Therefore you shouldn't be surprised to know that the leaks from taps can actually save hundreds of litres of water! So, it is very imperative to fix all leaking taps.  Even a minor leak, like 20 drops per minute adds up to waste of around 6 litres of water per day.

Sometimes, we never come to know that water is leaking through the flush. Put a bit of food colouring or liquid blue dye in your flush tank to check for leaks. If color appears in the toilet bowl without flushing, it means there’s a leak that needs repairing.

A senior citizen Aabid Surti was so taken aback by the fact that such huge amounts of clean water is going down the drain due to leaks, that he started  a one-man NGO – the Drop Dead Foundation – which is saving tonnes of water by repairing plumbing problems such as leaks, for free, in Mumbai households.

It would be hard to believe that an average faucet releases 7.5 litres of water per minute, so by just turning off the tap while brushing teeth will help you save up to 20 litres of water every day. 

A shower bath uses 8.5 times more water than a bucket bath. So chuck the shower and go for the traditional balti bath. If you still prefer to use the shower, then time it.If you keep it under 5 minutes, then you could save up to 2,000 litres of water per month.

An efficient way of saving water in the kitchen is to stop washing the vegetables under the tap. Instead, use a large pot of water and dunk the vegetables in it. It is always better to soak vegetables in water for a few minutes before cleaning them, so that purpose is also served. After rubbing the fruits and vegetables clean, the water in the pot can be used for plants.

Give your houseplants some extra nourishment by recycling the water you use to wash your rice, dal etc. The water running out of the RO purifier can be used for household chores or in the flush.

The existing taps can be converted into water saving taps by fixing a low flow aerator on it. Suitable for kitchen sink taps, wash basin taps and other utility taps, these small aerators are fitted on the tip of taps and dispense much lesser water (50%-70%) than a conventional tap without any change in efficiency. 

Instead of washing cars with a hose, use buckets as it reduces the water consumption by 70%. If we use bio degradable disinfectants for mopping the floor, then that water after use can be poured into the soil for plants rather than pouring it down the drain.

These are just simple efforts on our part which will go a long way in helping us tide through the scarcity of water during summers.