Essay on Save Water

Water is the most precious gift of nature. Without it there can be no life on earth. About three-fourths of the earth's surface is covered with water, but most of it is salty sea water. Only a very small part is fresh water that we can use, and much of that is locked in ice. As the population grows, the need for water is rising, while rivers are getting polluted and the underground water level is falling. Many towns and villages already face a shortage every summer. We must therefore save every drop. We can close the tap while brushing, bathe with a bucket instead of a shower, repair leaks, reuse kitchen water for plants and collect rainwater. Saving water is not a choice. It is the only way to save our future.

"Jal hi jeevan hai": water is life. We drink it, cook with it, bathe in it and grow our food with it. Factories and power plants need it too. Plants, animals and human beings can live for some days without food, but not without water.

When we look at a globe, the earth appears blue because nearly three-fourths of its surface is covered with water. This makes us think that water can never run short. But almost all of this water is in the oceans and is too salty to drink or to use in the fields. Fresh water is only a tiny share, and a large part of it is frozen in glaciers and polar ice. What is left in rivers, lakes and under the ground must be shared by all living beings.

This small store is under great pressure. The population has grown, cities have spread and farms and factories draw more water every year. Tube wells have pulled the groundwater level deeper and deeper. Rivers and lakes are being polluted by sewage and chemicals. Forests, which hold rainwater like a sponge, are being cut. The result is before us: dry taps in summer, long lines at tankers and women in many villages walking for kilometres with pots on their heads.

Yet we waste water as if it were endless. A tap left running while we brush our teeth wastes several litres. A dripping tap wastes buckets in a day. Cars are washed with hosepipes and overhead tanks overflow.

Saving water begins with small habits. Turn off the tap while brushing or soaping. Use a bucket for bathing and for washing the car. Get leaking taps repaired at once. Water the plants in the morning or evening, and use the water left after washing vegetables for them. Run the washing machine only with a full load.

The second step is to catch the rain. Rainwater harvesting, in which rainwater from the roof is led into a tank or into the ground, refills our wells. Ponds and lakes should be cleaned and kept alive. Farmers can use drip irrigation, which gives water directly to the roots.

Every drop counts. If we do not learn to save water now, the next generation will have to pay a heavy price. Let us save water, and water will save us.