The climate crisis we are experiencing is causing intense, frequent and prolonged droughts. The consequences for the planet are devastating: crops are affected, biodiversity is harmed, and temperatures rise, leading to soil evaporation. Failure to manage water and waste properly can also worsen the situation of vulnerable people.
The lack of rain in recent months – and years – has reduced water reserves in Catalonia’s reservoirs to minimum levels, triggering the exceptional phase. Restrictions have been imposed to save water, such as limiting the litres of water per inhabitant per day, turning off fountains, irrigating with groundwater and closing beach showers.
Citizens were asked to participate and act responsibly by changing their water consumption habits. Water is a very precious resource that needs to be managed carefully. Although recent rainfall has slightly improved the state of the reservoirs and some restrictions have been eased, we cannot let our guard down and must continue to do everything we can to save water at home.
With this in mind, here are some practical tips that are easy to implement and could help you halve your water bill.
Tips for saving water at home
1. Don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth or washing your hands. This can save up to 8 litres of water per minute.
2. Take a shower instead of a bath. When you take a shower, collect the cold water in buckets until it’s hot, then use it to scrub the floor or pour it down the toilet (so you don’t have to flush).
3. Install aerators and flow reducers on all taps.
4. Only run the dishwasher when it is fully loaded to save between 20 and 40 litres compared to washing dishes by hand.
5. If you have to wash dishes by hand, turn off the tap and use a sink to reuse the same water for rinsing.
6. Install dual flush buttons or a flush interruption mechanism on the toilet cistern.
7. Place a one-litre or one-and-a-half-litre bottle of water in the cistern to save that amount with each flush.