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How much do you know about our water supply?

By Michael on Fri Sep 22 2023

We all know how important water is in our everyday lives, and we all know how lucky we are compared to many other countries that don’t have a clean running water supply, however what many people don’t know is how much water we ourselves are wasting on a daily basis. Despite the world being almost 70% water, only 2.5 percent of it is fresh and only 1 perfect of water is accessible. While today’s technology helps up purify water to the level it’s safe to drink, we’re still at high risk of running out of fresh water especially with the amount of water we waste yet tend to ignore.

In the UK approximately 150 litres is used everyday by 1 person. That’s 750 litres per an average household or family of 5. You’re probably wondering how on earth you can be using this amount of water on a daily basis, however it’s surprising to know just how much water is used with a quick shower or the flush of the toilet. Since 1930 the said amount, 150 litres per person, per day has increased every year by 1%. With the growth of technology and the latest modern day equipment we use along with water, it seems we’re constantly adding to the high number of water waste.

The UK has less rainfall per person than our northern European neighbours, and surprisingly London is drier than Istanbul! While that may come as a shock knowing how warm Turkey can be, the South East parts of England and Scotland are in more trouble as they are the most water stressed areas of the United Kingdom. Now, what do we mean by “in trouble”? Well, going back to our high usage of water and combining it with the 1% of fresh water the world has to offer; putting two and two together will give you an idea on why the UK could be in trouble.

Having such a high percentage of water usage, plus very little water “coming in” the UK making it a dry country, and with only a very small percentage of water in the world that’s actually fresh, our water supply should be known to all as endangered. We need to understand that we don’t have an unlimited supply of water, and the water we do have needs to be used with care. It’s easy to forget to turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, or to spend 15 extra minutes in the shower just because it feels good, but at the end of the day these extra seconds of wasted water all plays a big part in throwing away the little amount of water our world has to offer.

Let’s’ take a look at a breakdown and see exactly how much water is being used and where.

Despite the water available in our homes being perfectly safe to drink, the smallest percentage of water use goes to drinking, or what we actually need safe and clean water for, while the biggest percentage of water being used is simply going down the toilet! 30% of water is used to flush a toilet while 21% goes to us enjoying long baths. While you shouldn’t deprive yourself from a luxurious soaking session after a long and tiring day at work, perhaps we could cut down on long baths and keep them as a treat, maybe once in couple of weeks?

At the end of the day it’s up to us to make the changes. Our water supply isn’t likely to chance on it’s own, yet we have the power to do so. At 121 Plumbers we highly support water efficiency and encourage all our friends, families, and clients to do so to. We need water to survive, yet we often take it for granted.

So what can we do? On our next blog we’ll be discussing the simple tips one can easily do on a day to day basis that will play a big part in water efficiency.