Shower baths cause major water loss  
TIMES NEWS NETWORK   31 March 05

Mumbai: Shower baths are resulting in monumental loss of water in metro cities across the country. On an average an individual consumes eight buckets of water or 115 litres while taking a bath. 
A survey conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) across seven metros in the country shows that around 80% water is used for bathing, in toilets, for washing clothes and utensils. The survey was conducted early this month in Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kanpur and Madurai covering 2,734 households. 
An average of the seven cities showed that 82 litres is used to flush toilets, 76 litres for washing clothes and 67 litres for washing utensils. Abdul Shaban, an urban expert at TISS said while the consumption of water has increased, its availability has not kept pace with the growing demand. 
In Mumbai, around 17 lakh households are water deficient. In high income areas, the deficiency is around 57% while in the slums it is 72%. 
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims to provide 135 litres per capita per day, on an average the water supply is only 91 litres, said Shaban. With the ground water sources fast depleting, water would become even more scarce in the future. “Stringent measures need to be initiated by citizens to conserve water through efficient use and minimisation of wastage,’’ said Shaban. 
A change in consumption habits would help in conservation of water. Reverting to the use of a bucket of water instead of a shower would greatly reduce the wastage of water, said Shaban. Other suggestions are closing the tap properly, storing water in copper coated vessels for longer periods and using low sud detergents can prevent wastage of water up to 50%, he added. 

For bathing 

> Use a bucket of water instead of a shower 
> Recycle water and use for gardening 

For washing clothes 

> Use full loads of laundry 
> Use low sud detergents

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