I am sure you’ve heard about “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”  We hope that we won’t say this in the future with regards to our WATER supply.  One of the easiest solutions to our water situation is – CONSERVE.

Source

Metro Manila and nearby provinces experienced water shortage beginning last year due to El Nino.  Personally, our barangay experienced daily water interruptions (which I shared in my previous post) beginning 4pm.  This experience taught me and my kids a lot about appreciating water and conserving it. 

I’m sharing some tips which you could also do at home and teach your kids.

1. Check for leaks and have it repaired.  Every drop counts.  Make sure you check your pipes or loose faucets that may contribute to water wastage.  This will also save you heaps of pesos on your water bill.
2. Use dipper when bathing instead of shower.  Using a dipper or “tabo” is a sure way you use just enough water you need.  The sprinkling water coming from shower sometimes isn’t aimed at you, so you end up showering longer, hence wasting more water.  Just in case you have a bathtub at home, it’s best not to use it at the moment.
3. Catch the water you used for rinsing and repurpose it for flushing toilet or cleaning garage.
4. Turn off faucet when not in use (especially in between washing plates, brushing teeth, washing hands, etc.)
• Toothbrushing – Use water for gargling in a glass instead of running water from the faucet.
• Washing hands – Rinse with water in a basin or dipper instead of running water.  Especially during this season when handwashing is very important and should be done more frequently than ever.
• Dishwashing - Instead of using running water to rinse soaped plates and utensils, rinse them in a basin filled with clean water.  You may still repurpose the used water in the basin afterwards for cleaning outdoor surfaces.
5. Schedule your laundry day.  It’s more practical to wash clothes by schedule than daily.

These are some of the basic water conservation tips we usually do at home.  But actually, there are many other ways you could do to repurpose used water in order to conserve it.  This way, we don’t contribute to the continual depletion of clean water supplied by Maynilad which all come from the main source, Angat Dam. 

Always look at the bright side.

The water interruptions we are experiencing may be an inconvenience to many, but personally, it has taught me and my family important things. 

I’ve already shared it in my previous post, I am sharing it again:

• We learned to appreciate our water supply. Thus, we make extra efforts to conserve it. 
• It created good water usage habits - working on a schedule or routine teaches discipline.  Kids ensure their used lunch kits are washed before the water supply gets cut off.  People in the household ensure they do their major water-dependent activities on time. 
• It taught us thoughtfulness and compassion.  Everyone in the family is now more mindful in making sure bins or pails are always filled so there may be clean water for others not yet at home to use even when water supply is already cut.

As I always say, always start and end the day with gratitude.  I am thankful that I was able to join the educational trip to Maynilad’s water facilities and treatment plant.  It made me appreciate our nature, our water supply, and it made me become more mindful in its usage. 

Water conservation starts at home.  Let’s not always put the blame on others.  May we all do our parts as concerned citizens to love, appreciate, and conserve water. 

For more tips, check out Maynilad Water Services on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MayniladWater/