Importance of water to our lives

The importance of water

Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must
have water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth.

Rainwater tanks

The rainwater which falls on the roofs of houses is often collected using roof guttering
leading through a pipe to a storage tank.

Rainwater tanks are installed to make use of rain water for later use,
reduce mains water use for economic or environmental reasons, and aid self-
 sufficiency. Stored water may be used for watering gardens, agriculture, flushing toilets,
in washing machines, washing cars, and also for drinking, especially when other water
supplies are unavailable, expensive, or of poor quality, and when adequate care is
taken that the water is not contaminated and is adequately filtered.
Underground rainwater tanks can also be used for retention of stormwater for release at
a later time and offer a variety of benefits described in more detail below.
In arid climates, rain barrels are often used to store water during the rainy season for
use during dryer periods.

Rainwater tanks may have a high (perceived) initial cost. However, many homes use
small scale rain barrels to harvest minute quantities of water for
landscaping/gardening applications rather than as a potable water surrogate.
These small rain barrels, often recycled from food storage or we can purified the rain
water to drinking water and their benefits .and that's what we will discuss in the next
topic.

Apart from drinking it to survive, people have many other uses for water. These include:

 cooking
 washing their bodies
 washing clothes
 washing cooking and eating utensils; such as billies, saucepans, crockery and cutlery
 keeping houses and communities clean
 recreation; such as swimming pools
 keeping plants alive in gardens and parks
 Water is also essential for the healthy growth of farm
crops and farm stock and is used in the manufacture
of many products.

Additional to importances of water

1. It protects your heart

Drinking a large amount of water could help prevent

heart attacks.

2. Gives the brain a boost

Water provides the brain much needed oxygen to

perform at optimum levels.

3. Helps save money

Soft drinks are becoming increasingly more expensive at restaurants; drinking water
can be a cheap alternative.

4. Helps you lose weight

Drinking water has the ability to increase your metabolic rate, thus helping your body’s
ability to burn fat.

5. Keeps you alert

Dehydration is a huge cause of fatigue; drinking water can keep you alert and active
during the day.

Surface water
This is water which falls to the ground as rain or hail.

This water is collected from a special area called a catchment. The catchment feeds
water into a holding area via rivers, streams and creeks. The water is then stored in a
natural or artificial (manmade) barrier called a dam or reservoir. Dams are usually
placed at the lower end of a valley.

Catchment areas are usually far away from towns or cities to lessen the chance of the
water being polluted. There are laws which control human activities, such as farming
and recreation in catchment areas and on dams to make sure that water supplies are
kept potable.
Rivers or lakes
Town or community water supplies are sometimes drawn directly from nearby rivers or
lakes.
Note:
Rivers and lakes can
supply water.

Springs
These are found where underground water flows out of the ground naturally without the
use of bores, wells or pumps.
Springs often occur towards the bottom of a hill or on sloping ground.
Rock catchment areas and rockholes
Sometimes large rocky outcrops contain low areas in which water is trapped. These low
areas make good natural dams. Often a wall can be built to increase the amount of
trapped water.

Excavated dams
Excavated dams are made by scooping out soil to make a large shallow hole. These
dams are sometimes placed at the bottom of a slope to aid water collection. However,
this can only be done in areas where the soil will not allow the water to drain away very
easily through the ground. For example, in clay soils.

Soils which do not allow water to drain away are called impervious.

If a community wants a dam in an area where the soil is not impervious this can still be
done by digging the hole and lining it with clay or an impervious liner, such as concrete
or heavy plastic. Excavated dams are often used by farmers to supply water to stock.
There is often a layer of water lying beneath the ground surface, trapped by an
impervious layer of rock which will not allow it to drain away. The water may be close to
ground level or it may be deep in the ground. This layer of water is called the water
table.

When this water table is close to ground level the water may actually come to the
surface and create a permanent wet area called a soak. This usually occurs in low lying
areas or hollows.

Soaks are affected by changes in the depth of the water table. That is, if the water table
drops then soaks may dry up. Some causes of this can be drought or overuse of ground
water by people.
 Standard process of purifying water

The process aims to

guarantee the highest
safety standards for
drinking water and
ensure a taste that is in
accordance with
consumer preference.
1. Water is carefully
collected and received
through stainless steel
pipes from either a local
well or municipal water
supply. Quality testing of
the original source is
conducted regularly to
monitor for
abnormalities.
2. This step is taken
when the water
originates from a
municipal or public
drinking water system. It
consists of removing
chlorines and THMs
(trihalomethanes)
through a daily-
monitored activated
carbon filtration process.
3. A water softener is
used to reduce water
hardness.
4. Demineralisation
removes unwanted
minerals (through reverse osmosis or distillation).
5. Water received in storage tanks is monitored on a daily basis.
6. Selected minerals are added to cater to consumer taste preferences.
7. Pharmaceutical grade micro-filtration removes particles as small as 0.2 microns. It is
also capable of removing potential microbiological contaminants. This is monitored
on an hourly basis.
8. Ultra-violet filtration provides additional product disinfection. This is monitored on an
hourly basis.
9. Ozone disinfection is the third disinfection step (steps 7-9), using a highly reactive
form of oxygen. This is monitored on an hourly basis.
10. The filling room is highly sanitary to ensure bottling is conducted in a
microbiologically controlled environment. It is continuously monitored and controlled.
11. Packaging quality assurance is conducted by human inspection and the latest in
modern equipment designed to ensure the removal of any packaging defects.
12. Line sanitation includes automated cleaning equipment to ensure maximum
cleanliness, effectiveness and control.

How to conserve water

Even a few small changes can add up to hundreds of gallons in water savings each
year! Here are 20 water-saving tips to get you going…

1. Shower Bucket. Instead of letting the water pour down the drain, stick a bucket
under the faucet while you wait for your shower water to heat up. You can use the water
for flushing the toilet or watering your plants.

2. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. Water comes out of the average faucet
at 2.5 gallons per minute. Don’t let all that water go down the drain while you brush!
Turn off the faucet after you wet your brush, and leave it off until it’s time to rinse.

3. Turn off the tap while washing your hands. Do you need the water to run while
you’re scrubbing your hands? Save a few gallons of water and turn the faucet off after
you wet your hands until you need to rinse.
4. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. This tip might not be for everyone, but the toilet is one of
the most water-intensive fixtures in the house. Do you need to flush every time?

5. Fix your leaks. Whether you go DIY or hire a plumber, fixing leaky faucets can mean
big water savings.

Water fact: The average American household uses 400 gallons of water per day!

6. Re-use your pasta cooking liquid. Instead of dumping that water down the drain,
try draining your pasta water into a large pot. Once it cools, you can use it to water your
plants. Just make sure you wait, because if you dump that boiling water on your plants,
you might harm them.

7. Head to the car wash. If you feel compelled to wash your car, take it to a car wash
that recycles the water, rather than washing at home with the hose.

8. Cut your showers short. Older shower heads can use as much as 5 gallons of
water per minute. Speed things up in the shower for some serious water savings.

9. Choose efficient fixtures. Aerating your faucets, investing in a low-flow toilet,

choosing efficient shower heads, and opting for a Water Sense rated dishwasher and
washing machine can add up to big water savings.

10. Shrink your lawn. Even better: lose the lawn completely. Instead, opt for
a xeriscaped landscape that incorporates water wise ground cover, succulents, and
other plants that thrive in drought conditions.

Water fact: One in eight people worldwide does not have access to clean drinking
water.

11. Don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine until it’s full. Those half-loads
add up to gallons and gallons of wasted water.

12. Keep an eye on your bill to spot leaks. If your water bill spikes suddenly, there’s a
good chance that a leak is the culprit. Call in a plumber to check your lines to save
water and cash!

13. Install a rain barrel. Rainwater harvesting is a great way to keep your plants
hydrated without turning on the hose or sprinkler.

14. Flush with less. Older toilets use a lot of water. You can reduce your usage by
sinking a half gallon jug of water in the toilet tank. Do NOT use a brick, because it will
break down and the sediment can damage your tank.

15. Water outdoor plants in the early morning. You’ll need less water, since cooler
morning temperatures mean losing less water to evaporation. It’s not a great idea to
water in the evenings, since this can promote mold growth.
fact: Scientists predict even more droughts in the future due to climate change. They
also predict longer and more severe droughts.

16. Hand-washing a lot of dishes? Fill up your sink with water, instead of letting it run
the whole time that you’re scrubbing.

17. Use less electricity. Power plants use thousands of gallons of water to cool. Do
your part to conserve power, and you’re indirectly saving water, too!

18. Wash Fido outdoors. That way, you’re watering your yard while you’re cleaning
your pup. Just make sure that the soap you’re using isn’t harmful to your plants!

19. Skip the shower from time to time. Do you really need to shower multiple times a
day or even daily? Skipping even one shower a week adds up to big water savings.

20. Re-use grey water. Check to make sure that this is legal where you live, but in
some areas you can do things like re-route the runoff from your clothes washer and use
that water for things like flushing the toilet.