As the finance minister of The Chewys family, I am always scrutinising our water bills and trying to find ways to reduce our household water consumption. After all, we are just a small family of two adults and two toddlers; I doubt we should be using THAT much water.
I decided to find out more at the annual month-long Singapore World Water Day (SWWD) campaign on 3rd March at the Marina Barrage. I was heartened to know that there were many other like-minded Singaporeans who wanted to do their part in helping to save water!
Guest-of-Honour President Halimah Yacob kicked off the SWWD event with a speech.
There were a number of booths run by both volunteers and students. For someone as clueless as me, it was an eye-opening experience learning about the various water-saving habits that one can adopt!
We use the washing machine daily as the sight of dirty clothes piling up in the laundry basket can be quite an eyesore. It is no wonder our water usage is so high! Through the SWWD campaign, I discovered that laundry contributes to one of the top water usage areas in household water consumption and that we should always try to wash our clothes on full load instead of running many small loads of laundry. Every time the washing machine is used, water is consumed, hence it is more efficient to consolidate washes!
I am not so guilty of taking long showers because mothers hardly have a peaceful time in the bathroom. LOL. However, if you have been enjoying your private karaoke sessions during shower time, please remember to not get carried away and stay in the bathroom for a longer time than you should! As a rule of thumb, always limit your shower time to not more than 5 minutes! Also, don’t forget to turn off the water while shampooing your hair and soaping up!
Did you know that if you flush a toilet 4 times a day on full-flush, you use 18 litres of water? Using 2 half-flushes instead will save you 3 litres of water and that’s 2 bottles of water saved! So, always remember to use half-flush when possible!
This might seem like a no-brainer but misterchewy and I haven’t been using a mug when brushing our teeth. We would cup our hands and scoop water directly from the tap when rinsing our mouths. Come to think of it now, this very act wastes water as the tap runs while your hands are away from the faucet. Okay, time to buy couple mugs! Hahaha!
Young children were also educated on water-saving habits through fun and games at the SWWD event. Besides gaining awareness on saving water, it is also important to pledge to do so. SWWD’s Water Conservation Ambassadors will reach out to residents either door-to-door or at SWWD roadshows to encourage the community to take up the “I Save” Pledge, adopt the five water-saving tips and reduce their water consumption.
Make every drop count! Everyone has a part to play in conserving water, in keeping our waterways clean, and in caring for Singapore’s precious water resources. Always remember that a little goes a long way!
Click HERE for the line-up of Singapore World Water Day activities in March! 🙂