A common saying goes ‘You never miss the water till the well runs dry’. While this is usually applied figuratively, we Guyanese are beginning to feel the literal effects of water shortage. In the middle of a prolonged dry period, the importance of water has been magnified. Water is a precious resource that we humans really can’t do without. Water is applied in so many different ways. Water quenches our thirst, is vital in the preparation of our meals, is necessary for the growing of our crops, helps us to maintain sanitation, is utilised in our industries, aids in the manufacture of various goods and can even supply our energy needs. With such a broad spectrum of uses, we are to be very careful about how we use our water resources.
Since water resources are limited, this is the perfect time to have a reminder about water wise practices.

• Turn off the water while shaving or brushing teeth. (Savings: up to 4 gallons a minute, or up to 200 gallons a week for a family of four!)
• Take short showers and turn off the shower while you lather. (If you keep your showers to under 5 minutes you’ll save up to 1,000 gallons a month.)
• When washing your hands, turn off the water while you lather.
• Do not use water to defrost frozen foods; allow foods to thaw overnight.
• Fix leaks. Significantly reduce water use by simply repairing leaks in faucets and showerheads, pipes, and toilets. A leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. That would be like flushing your toilet more than 50 times for no reason!
• Set up a system to collect rainwater. This can be as simple as setting up a drum or barrel if buying a 450 gallon tank is unaffordable.
• If you use a hose to wash your car, use an adjustable nozzle or sprayer to turn off the water while soaping your vehicle.
• Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level or load size selection on the washing machine.
• Consider purchasing a high efficiency washing machine, which can save over 50 percent in laundry water and energy use.
• Install water-saving shower heads and low-flow faucet aerators. Inexpensive, water-saving, low-flow shower heads or restrictors are easy for the homeowner to install and is a great water conservation feature.
• Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush. There is no need to keep the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.
• When washing dishes by hand, don’t leave the water running while applying soap.
• Don’t let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Just rinse them in a stoppered sink or a pan of clean water. This same water can be used to water plants.
• Put a layer of mulch around trees and plants. Placing a layer of dry grass or compost will slow evaporation of moisture while minimising weed growth.
• Water plants either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Doing this reduces water lost to evaporation. Also, avoid watering when it’s windy since wind can blow water off target and accelerate evaporation.

While these tips are especially important in these times, we encourage all Guyanese to adopt these water saving practices even when it seems as though water is in abundance. Water is a precious resource that is not available to all in quantities that they need, therefore employing these saving water saving strategies are important.

Share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com or you can contact the Agency on 225-5467-9. Also check out our Facebook page, Environmental Protection Agency-Guyana.