With large parts of England facing worsening drought conditions following a summer marked by repeated heatwaves, a new water-saving initiative is encouraging people to rethink some everyday practices, from how many times rice is washed before cooking to the amount of water used during wudu.
The taxpayer-funded campaign, backed by water regulator Ofwat under a project focused on water efficiency in faith and diverse communities, aims to engage directly with cultural and religious practices where small changes could help reduce water consumption.
One campaign targets rice-washing habits commonly followed in many South Asian households. British Malaysian celebrity chef Ping Coombes features in a video explaining that rice is often rinsed multiple times, sometimes five to seven times, until the water runs clear. Instead, she demonstrates washing rice just twice, suggesting that the change could save up to five litres of water each time.
The campaign also looks at ways to reuse the leftover rice water rather than simply pouring it away. Suggestions include using it for plants, while journalist Sonia Haria also discusses its traditional use in beauty routines, including as a toner or hair rinse.
Another initiative, titled ‘Reviving the Sunnah’, focuses on reducing water wastage during wudu, the ritual cleansing performed by Muslims before prayer. For many worshippers, wudu can be performed several times throughout the day, making water conservation an important part of the conversation.
According to the campaign material, using a running tap can consume several litres of water during a single wudu session. The initiative instead highlights the traditional practice of performing wudu with a limited quantity of water, referring to accounts that the Prophet Muhammad performed the ritual using approximately one litre.
At Cambridge Central Mosque, Imam Sejad Mekic demonstrates the practice using a one-litre jug rather than leaving a tap running, encouraging worshippers to “make wudu the Prophetic way.”
