Cutting Paani with a pinch of Salt

Everyone would unanimously agree today that the need for saving water is no longer an option, it's our responsibility towards the generations scheduled to arrive in our planet in the future. When we say generations, it is not limited to a specific race, species or lifeform. The earth belongs to all.

Life is a balance between what we can control and what we cannot. There is however, another dimension to this old sayings…Life is also a balance between what we should try to control and what we shouldn’t.

While any idea to conserve water, #CuttingPani, is potentially a noble initiative, we should interrogate it with all seriousness to make sure that it would not send wrong signal. Inadequate consumption of water will have negative implications leaving the world with a generation of dehydrated people, quite similar to the anorexic population of today.

Our bodies are made up of about 60% water, more or less and constantly loses water through its excretory system. This needs to be compensated and the commonly recommended quantity is eight 8-ounce glasses per day amounting to about 2 liters. Not many of us reach this target on regular basis and some health gurus are of the opinion that majority of the population are on the brink of dehydration.

The other extreme of this spectrum is “water intoxication”, which occurs due to excessive water intake resulting into abnormal brain function and could be fatal in extreme cases. Although not as common, when it takes place, the excess water dilutes blood sodium levels and causes fluids to move inside cells, which then swell producing potentially life-threatening effects.

I believe, the message transmitted upfront need to focus on drinking more water while the appeal for “drinking water conservation” remains subtle. Restaurants and businesses could start using smaller glasses allowing people to ask for a second helping if they are very thirsty. That way we do not propagate the message of “Drink less and Save more”.

Few odd ideas for conservation of water usage from various aspects of our daily chores could be as follows. All of these without touching the drinking water segment and avoiding a wrong psychological message:

There has been no significant development in the way we wash our clothes ever since washing of clothes has been in practice.  

Making washing machine more water efficient is one way but there could also be machines that washes using microwave technology. One need to take on the mighty soap lobby to succeed though.

We could also develop clothes that doesn't catch dirt. We should be able to brush it clean like most animals does. After all our apparels are supposed to be second skin.

Could we not develop utensils that repels grease so that it needs little or no water to clean them?

Can we not make grease trap mandatory in our houses and not limit those to restaurant kitchens.

Our bathtubs could come with dedicated meters built into its body that would measure every time it was filled and charge us at a higher rate.

Why can we not make the tap water potable and ensure that the plumbing network is sanitized regularly so that we do not hesitate before drinking.

We can also make technology less expensive so that we could use pneumatic waste clearance technology in our WC so that the demand of water is minimized.

We need to plant more trees as this is the only way to produce more water.

Let’s have #cuttingpaani with a pinch of salt.

Hello,

I just signed the petition, “#CuttingPaani” initiated by #Livpure. I think this is important us and the coming generations. Will you sign it too?

Here’s the link: Just Do It

Thanks,

Suman