Why save water? 8 reasons not to waste it

“Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth”, “take a shower rather than a bath”, “turn off the tap”: we hear and repeat these phrases regularly.

Behind the usual side, what are the reasons that lead us to save water? What water are we talking about? Why is it urgent?

66% of French people are afraid of running out of water

According to a survey by the water information center, CIEAU in 2022, two thirds of the inhabitants of France are more afraid of having enough water in their region. This fear is expressed rather at a maturity of 20 to 50 years mainly.

Infographic source: CIEAU

The latter has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s, with the proportion of respondents convinced that they will run out of water rising from 44% to 66% from 2005 to 2020.

Only 1% of water is soft and liquid

72% of the earth's surface is covered with water. That would be great news if only it weren't 97% seawater , so saltwater. It's up to us to make do with the remaining 3%:

• 75% of this fresh water is concentrated in the form of ice
• 25% is liquid, but not everything is exploitable: a large portion is unavailable because it is located at unexploitable depths.

You can get out the calculator: less than 1% of the surface water of our beautiful planet is simultaneously fresh and liquid.

We understand better why we have to wonder about our ability to share this blue gold among the eight billion humans.

Infographic source: International Office for Water

The real reflection is on our consumption of fresh water, the only one that is essential.

Water is essential for our industry and agriculture

In the world, water is intended for:

• 70% for agriculture
• 20% for industry
• 10% for our daily use

For the production of our food, improving irrigation would reduce waste by 10 to 25% by limiting evaporation. In addition, the evolution of our consumption, in particular meat, requires a large quantity of water. Without knowing it, a French person "eats" 8250 liters of water per day through solid food. To give you an idea, producing one kilo of beef would consume 15,000 liters of water according to the article by Marillys MACE du CIEAU.

At the industrial level, the manufacture of our everyday objects also requires a lot of water. The aluminum of our car, the linen or cotton for our clothes are the most telling examples to illustrate the need to preserve water to ensure the sustainability of these activities. This represents approximately 20% of our water consumption.

Saving water to better adapt to global warming

The rise in temperatures linked to climate change has two concrete consequences on water:

• Reduction in the flow of rivers and rivers by 20 to 30% by 2060
• Disappearance of part of the underground water tables

In arid regions, the quantity of water could even decrease by 40 to 70%, with all the repercussions that this will have on the fauna and flora.

Saving water to better adapt to demographic change

At the end of 2022, we allWe pass the symbolic bar of 8 billion inhabitants. The resource remaining the same (or rather decreasing), good water management is an essential solution so that everyone can have access to it.

By 2050 compared to 2013, we will approach 10 billion people on the planet. This represents 2 billion more mouths to feed, it is a need for food that is increasing by 60% according to the FAO. This ratio may seem surprising, it is explained by the growth of income in fast-growing countries. Indeed, this increase leads to a change in consumption patterns. This then becomes more important and as we have seen above, agriculture uses a lot of water.

No doubt, the hunt for water waste must be done quickly to respond to the pressure on water resources.

Save water to avoid conflicts

Like any resource as essential as it is scarce, we could experience wars if we do not act to prepare ourselves. Tensions have already arisen in a densely populated area, at the crossroads of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Closer to home, the Ukrainian conflict reminds us that this is happening a few hours from Paris: the Russians having annexed Crimea in 2014, kyiv had diverted a canal which provided 85% of the supply of this region with fresh water.

During the invasion in 2022, Russian forces quickly reestablished the infrastructure to supply the water needs of this region. This shows us the importance of this subject: without reasoned and shared consumption, we are going to experience confrontations.

Avoid wasting water to save money

With an annual budget of around 600 to 700 € per year for a family of 4 in France, saving drinking water is a major item of expenditure. This average varies greatly according to age, income, region and our habits. An athlete will, for example, consume more water through his activities.

So the famous "small gestures" are all levers to optimize this budget. Install a rainwater collector , flow reducers, reduce the duration of showers: there are many solutions to reduce waste.

The average monthly expenditure per household for the water bill is established on the basis of an annual consumption of a household estimated at 120 m³ (source: OIEAU )

Save energy by reducing our water consumption

For drinking water to reach our tap, it follows a long journey from its collection, then its treatment, its storage. It is then distributed to homes and businesses. After its use, the wastewater is sent to a treatment plant.

By remembering this circuit, we understand better that these different stages require large quantities of energy , in particular for pumping as well as for sending it back to the places of consumption.

With the cost of electricity exploding in 2021 and 2022, we understand that a good reason to save water is also to save large amounts of electricity. On a personal scale, less (hot) water necessarily means less energy to heat it.

The final word

While the average consumption of a French person amounts to 150 liters per day, the various reasons that lead us to save water are as much a local as a global issue. Our lifestyles have a concrete impact on our daily use.

This resource is still accessible (national average close to €4 per cubic metre) with, however, an upward trend. The latter will probably accelerate with the increase in energy prices.

The challenge for the next few years is therefore to reduce ourconsumption for various good reasons: simultaneously protecting the environment and your wallet! Some simple and affordable jobs will allow you to easily water the plants or the garden.

The only limit that we know concerns the most developed countries: all the efforts to save water and the related eco-gestures have a rebound effect: the pipes and wastewater networks no longer have enough flow , the energy required to pump and circulate them properly has increased. They tended to stagnate.

Infographic source: CIEAU