Water droplet wearing tshirt saying water saving week

March 21 marks the start of the second annual Water Saving Week. Waterwise’s Managing Director Jacob Tompkins explains why it’s so important all of us try to save water and how you can get involved with the campaign.

March 21 to 25 is national Water Saving Week. Each day has a theme – Monday is saving water at School, Tuesday is Work, Wednesday Home, Thursday Community and Friday Garden. World Water Day is also on March 22 and the theme is Water and Jobs, so it all ties in nicely.

This is the second year of Water Saving Week and everyone from water companies and councils, to schools and business are taking part. Individuals can take part too and you can download facts and resources from our webpage www.waterwise.org.uk opens in new window

But you might ask why do we need to save water given the amount it rains in the UK!?

Firstly, the UK has less rain than you might think. Manchester has about half the rainfall of Sydney and London has a lot less rain than Istanbul or Rome. Also we have over 60 million people all using around 150 litres of water every day – that’s half a tonne of water per day for an average family. So the balance between supply and demand is tight and droughts are more common than you might think.

Water companies do a good job of keeping the taps running but it’s a constant balancing act to ensure there is enough water for people, business, agriculture and the environment. Added to this there is a hidden energy angle. Pumping, treating and heating all this water for our homes uses a huge amount of energy and accounts for about 6 per cent of UK carbon emissions and is a big part of your household energy bill.

Saving water is easy to do and it will help your wallet and the environment and will make sure we have enough to keep the taps running in the future. Local authorities, your local water company and organisations like Waterwise opens in new window, CCWater and WaterSafe opens in new window all have tips and resources to help you save, so please join us this Water Saving Week and see what you can do to save water.

Waterwise was founded in 2005 and has become the leading authority on water efficiency in the UK and Europe. It is an independent, not for profit organisation.