Every drop counts: Dr Ng Swee Ming using harvested rainwater that he collected in containers for daily use in the view of the coming water tariff hike while saving the environment too at his house in USJ, Subang Jaya. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: A change of habit and using the right equipment can help conserve water and reduce the water bill, says a think tank.
With the water tariff hike for domestic users, Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (Awer) president S. Piarapakaran advised practising simple water conservation tips, such as doing a full load of laundry. He said this not only helps in optimising water use but also in reducing electricity bills.
He said another example is using water-efficient taps, which use air bubbles to reduce water usage in taps.
“The mixture of water and air bubbles assists in washing soap away faster and reduces water usage up to 50%,” he said.
Piarapakaran, who is also the Centre for Water and Energy Sustainability (CWES) chief executive officer, said another way to reduce water consumption is to use a glass to fill up water to gargle after brushing teeth and use moderate water flow when washing the face. By doing these, a person can save over two litres of water, he said.
“For example, in a family of four, this will help to reduce water consumption by at least 480 litres a month,” he said.
Piarapakaran also said to save water, bathing time should be within 15 minutes and water should be turned off when applying soap or shampoo.
“You can save more than 93 litres of water in every bathing session if you use average water flow and bathe within 15 minutes. In a family of four, this will help to reduce water consumption by at least 11,160 litres a month.
“Hygienically, you only need to use three litres of water to flush after urination and six litres of water to flush after defecation. Using a dual flush system is advisable,” he added.
Piarapakaran said while cooking, washing ingredients under running water causes more waste.
Instead, by filling up water in a basin to soak and wash the cooking ingredients, he said over 34 litres of water can be saved in a span of 10 minutes.
In a month, this can save at least 1,020 litres of water, he said, adding that letting the taps run while washing clothes by hand is also not advisable.
“You can easily save more than 171 litres of water in half an hour by fetching water using pails or basins to wash clothes with average water flow. In this way, you can save at least 5,130 litres of water monthly,” he said.
Piarapakaran said the wastewater from washing cooking ingredients can be used to water plants, flush the toilet or wash the drain, among others.
Wastewater from hand-washed clothes can be used to clean the garage, drains, lawn areas, toilets and bathrooms.
“This can help reduce your dependency on piped water, also known as tap water, or treated water,” he said.
Piarapakaran said when washing vehicles, it is not advisable to use a hose as it tends to waste more water.
Instead, it is better to fill up the amount of water needed in a pail and use a water dipper to wash the vehicle.
“You can easily save more than 224 litres of water in a single car washing session,” he said, adding that harvesting rainwater to wash vehicles is also a good practice.
All harvested rainwater must, however, be covered to prevent mosquito breeding, he said.
The rainwater can be used for non-potable purposes only, such as watering plants, washing drains, cleaning the lawn and washing cars, he said.
When watering plants, usage can be further reduced by using a watering can, said Piarapakaran. He said there is no need to water plants from top to bottom as they absorb water via the roots.
“An aquarium also adds additional water consumption. By not using one, on average, you can reduce water consumption by 50 to 500 litres a month.
“Same goes for a pond. Without a pond, you can reduce water consumption by more than 1,000 to 10,000 litres a month,” he said.
From Feb 1, the price of treated water supplied to households will go up by 22sen per cubic metre (1,000 litres) in Peninsular Malaysia and the Federal Territory of Labuan, the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) said on Wednesday.
