How To Teach Your Child About Water Conservation

As parents, it’s our duty to ensure a better future for our children. On World Water Day, find out ways you, as a family, can save water and work towards a sustainable future.

The United Nations is celebrating March 22 as World Water Day to stress the importance of conserving water resources and spreading awareness about the challenges we face today.

On this occasion, let us look at some facts about water —

• Out of the total supply of water available on the earth, less than 1 per cent is drinkable.
• According to the United Nations, around 1.2 billion people face water scarcity in the world and 500 million are approaching this situation.

These facts highlight the problem of water being a scarce resource. Therefore, parents, together with their children, should do everything they can to save water.

Following are the methods we can employ to save water in different areas of our homes and teach our children about the importance of water conservation.

Ways to save water at home

By following these simple practices at home, you’ll not only help conserve water, but also inspire your child to become a responsible and caring human being.

According to water conservationists, that is how much each of us in an average urban Indian household, utilises in a day. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Imagine — cities like Cape Town in South Africa are reeling under severe water shortage, with water usage being cut down to 50 litres per person. In our country too, there are many regions where some children must walk miles to get access to water, while others make do with a little every day.

But let’s look at the bright side. All over the world, children are leading the way in raising awareness about conservation efforts. From saving lakes to organising garbage cleaning drives, kids are the keepers of our environment. On World Water Day (March 22), what best way, then to talk to children about an imminent water shortage or to involve them in conserving water for the future?

Here’s how you can prepare kids for a water crisis:

1. Involve them in the decision-making — When you know that a water crisis is looming large, it is a good idea to plan well so that you do not face a severe crisis at home. Encourage your little ones to suggest ways to bring down water consumption in the house. Sometimes, kids can come up with the most wonderful ideas. Implement their ideas — this will inspire them to be more involved in efforts to save water.

2. Make them aware of the water supply — Next time your water bill comes home, make your children aware of the amount of water consumed in your household and encourage them to set goals to reduce the monthly water consumption. Appreciate your children, if they save water and help in bringing down the family consumption. So, next time there is a water shortage, all the family members will be prepared with a strategy to reduce water use.

3. Teach them not to waste water — During a water crisis, tell the children that water is going to be scarce and they must use it judiciously. So, they should take quick showers, not keep the tap running while brushing their teeth, close all taps tightly and keep the tap in a low-flow mode when cleaning hands and washing their faces. Ask your children to fill only half a glass with drinking water, when thirsty and to take more only if they need it. Store water, which you have used to clean vegetables and encourage kids to water the plants with it.

4. Show them the value of small actions — Even a simple and small effort can make a huge difference. “In the school where I studied, there is a blue drum kept near the gate, and children returning home are asked to empty whatever little water they have in their water bottles, into this drum. The collected water is used for watering the school garden or for cleaning,” says Vinod. Such an exercise not only saves water but demonstrates to kids that even a little can go a long way.

5. Talk to them about saving rainwater — Installing a rainwater harvesting system in your house or apartment building is an important step towards water conservation and can be a boon when water is scarce. To teach children the value of rainwater, ask them to keep a bucket out when it rains and use the water for cleaning and washing purposes.

6. Take them for a tree planting drive — Children learn in school that forests are important to bring rain, but unless they get a first-hand experience in planting saplings, they may not learn the long-term benefits of growing trees to make rain. Whenever there is a tree-planting drive in your neighbourhood, take your child along to volunteer in the activity. This is a long-term strategy against a water crisis, but you cannot imagine the positive impact it will make on children.

Originally Published by parentcircle.com