Water conservation is becoming a key issue across the globe, even in areas that aren’t stricken with drought. Even though more countries are taking notice, one tiny country is putting much of the world to shame by stepping up their water saving methods.
Singapore, the island business hub south of Malaysia, says it has implemented a massive water-saving strategy that aims to cut the country’s water use from 151 liters per person a day to 147 liters by 2020—or almost 40 gallons per person a day to about 38.8 gallons.
To put that into perspective, the average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day—about 100 gallons per person—according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“Water demand in Singapore is currently about 430 million gallons a day,” the country’s water conservation website states. “This could likely double by 2060 with the non-domestic sector accounting for about 70% of the water demand.”
The average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day.
The country is relying on catching rainwater, recycled water, imported water and desalination to keep taps flowing. But water conservation is a big part of it, the nation’s water ministry said. That includes TV commercials reminding residents to take five-minute showers, cartoon characters that urge children to “save water” like superheros saving a city from disaster, and radio jingles encouraging people to “be a water saver.”
“Singapore is a small island. We do not have aquifers or groundwater. We rely on rain as a source of water but we cannot afford to use large areas of land to collect and store rainwater,” Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources states on its website.
“To overcome these limitations, we strive to be as efficient and innovative as possible to ensure that we have enough to meet our needs.”
Get six of our favorite Motherboard stories every day by signing up for our newsletter.
from Singapore Is Putting the US to Shame with Water Conservation
No comments:
Post a Comment