World Water Day: 7 smart apps and gadgets that help you conserve water

According to the UN, approximately 2.2 billion people don’t have access to potable water at home, and this impact can’t be lost on us. With frequent water cuts becoming a norm in Indian metro cities and rivers running dry in the summers, there can be no better time to start conserving water if we haven’t already begun.

Hence, World Water Day is a great occasion to begin to affect certain measures to conserve water instead of indulging in unwarranted, avoidable use of water. But what if we told you that you don’t have to turn off the tap or turn it down, only that you make smart use of technology and science to considerably cut down on your usage instead? Here’s how:

Dual Flush System

Flushes, a common feature in our bathrooms, are the biggest water wastage culprits as well. Having understood this issue, today many brands offer dual flushing apparatuses that let us opt for a lesser amount of water or more, as is necessary each time we flush. This double valve is thus intended to save over 50-60 per cent of the water every day and makes for one great upgrade in our water closets.

Why Waste App

A prime example of how the youth today cares about the world around them is Bengaluru-based Garvita Gulhati who is lending a hand in resolving India's burgeoning water crisis. She is the creator of the #GlassHalfFull movement that showed restaurants simple ways to save water and the founder of the ‘Why Waste’ NGO to educate people on the same lines. Last year they launched the free ‘Why Waste’ app that enables us to track our water consumption and find ways to reduce it by making us more conscious. (https://whywaste.io › app)

Sensor Taps

When washing our hands at a conventional faucet we always need one free hand to work it all along or end up wasting some amount of water that accrues to a sizable amount. But with Sensor Taps, we can avoid that. The water only flows when it senses your hands at the right distance and stops when you move. If simple things could be considered a genius, this makes it to the top of the water conservation list. While these taps cost a bit more, remember that within a few years, you would have conserved so many gallons of clean water.

Tap Aerator

If you don’t want to break the bank while conserving tap water, there is the option of choosing and using a tap aerator. These are tiny easy-to-install appendages that have to be fitted into a tap’s nozzle and end up saving up to 80% of the water by bringing down the flow rate drastically (by three times at the very least).

Water-saving Showerheads

Who doesn’t love hot showers in the monsoons and a cool one in the summers? So it’s easy to say that another area that needs a look-see is showerheads. If you’re happy to upgrade your showerhead, invest in one that’s eco-friendly and gives you the right water pressure while saving water. Since you need not replace the entire apparatus, this will not be an expensive proposition; only a smart one.

Rain Harvest App

Rain Harvest is another outstanding app that aids in calculating the actual amount of rain falling on your roof in a rainstorm. Doing this also inspires you to collect and store this water to use later as required. Since this water was going straight to waste anyway, by using this app you are in effect creating an amount of water that was not available to you otherwise.

Portable Water Filter Bottles

Water conservation is not only about saving water when you can but also preventing it from any further pollution while using it responsibly. So, when you go on a hike or a walk, and notice a clutch of discarded plastic water bottles, especially on the banks of water bodies, that’s not conservation. What is a way to filter such water on the go, so that you don’t need to purchase bottled water? Well, now you can with the variety of portable water filter bottles available in the market. These are affordable, lightweight, and portable solutions to create and consume potable water while you’re on the move. For trekkers, adventurers and explorers, this is a useful, green option.

With eco-conservation no longer an option but a necessity, let’s save water when we can, as every drop matters!