Business can involve a high
level of water use. Many of us take water for
granted.
How
much water is there?
We presume that just because seventy percent of
the planet is covered by water; we have an endless
supply. Ninety-seven percent of the earth's water
is in the salty oceans. Two percent is in glaciers
and icecaps and the remaining one percent is underground,
in the atmosphere and in lakes and rivers.
A country's water supply is determined by precipitation:
water that is collected above ground and underground
after rainfall. A water shortage occurs when use
exceeds rainfall.
How
much do we use?
The average person at work uses in the region of
50 litres of water per day. Businesses that use
water as part of a manufacturing or other process
use significantly more. Most of the older equipment
and processes used in business have not been designed
with water efficiency in mind. Water efficient equipment
is available, as are extensions that make existing
equipment more water efficient. It is therefore
incumbent upon responsible people in business to
encourage a water efficient culture.
If we continue to use it at the present rate there
will be cost and environmental implications for
everyone, as new and more expensive sources of water
will need to be found. We can all make a difference.
