Water Conservation

Dr Kalithasan Kailasam

GAB’s GREEN WEEK PROGRAMME

21.04.2011

Water is Life

Water for Life

Presentation Outline

Water for Life

Water resources

Water Demand

Water Issues

Water Saving

Water Footprint

Water

“Water is life”

The most simple thing around.

Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

Second most importance sources for man kind

Where there is water there is life,

And where water is scarce, life has to struggle or just "throw in the towel.“

70% of Earth is covered by water

Most major cities are on waterways

ice liquid gas

H2O

Hydrogen

Oxygen

Water is Life ! Age % water in body

Adult 65

Baby 90

Water is of major importance to all living things.

Up to 72 percent of the human body is Water.

Therefore the quality of Water we drink is very important.

The Drinking Water should be totally clean, pure and free of any disease causing MICROBES

Human body part % water

Blood 83

Brain 75

Bone 22

Main usage:

Drinking

Agriculture

Industry

Domestic usage

Other usages:

Habitat

Transportation

Recreational

Hydropower

water usage

Water distribution

Fresh water source

surface waters (lakes, rivers, and reservoirs)

groundwater (wells).

58%

6%

36%

Surface Runoff Groundwater Recharge Evapotranspiration

Mean Average Rainfall in Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia = 2,400mm

Sabah = 2,360mm

Sarawak = 3,830mm

Source : National Water Resources Study conducted by JICA, 1982Source : National Water Resources Study conducted by JICA, 1982

Water Cycle

Cloud

990 bill. m3

Groundwater64 bill. m3 (7%)

Total Storage: 5,000 bill. m3

Surface Runoff566 bill. m3 (57%)

Evapo-transpiration360 bill. m3 (36%)

Rainfall 3,000 mm

WATER RESOURCES IN MALAYSIAWATER RESOURCES IN MALAYSIA

Total 990 billion m3 rainfall annually

Surface Runoff = 566 billion m3 (58%)

Groundwater Recharge = 64 billion m3 (6%)

Evapo-transpiration = 360 billion m3 (36%)

Water usage

Kebangsaan 184

Pulau Pinang 266

Selangor & KL 285

Singapura & Sydney 166 & 170

Usage per capital per day (l/c/d)

Recommended rate = 100 L/day

Minimum requirement = 20 l/d

Accuatly

In urban esp. town = 300-500 l/d

¾ of water usage at home = in toilet & bath room

The Water issues Water demand Water related disasters

Nearly 90% of natural disasters were water related

50% from floods 11% from droughts 29% from waterborne

disease

Water saving Water audit Water saving technology

Water Foot prints

1. Water Demand The usage for water increases as population grows

until the demand sometimes overshoots the supply or availability

Every watershed is affected by what takes place on the land.

Water Demand growing at 4% annually Projected to reach 20 billion m3 by the year 2020. Rivers form 97% of our fresh water resource

Water Consumption ≈ 12.5 billion m3 (year 2000) vs (Only about 2.2 % of the Surface Runoff)(Only about 2.2 % of the Surface Runoff)

BUT…..we still have water supply disruptions?! (1998 drought brought unpleasant water supply disruptions to the 1.8 million residents of Klang Valley )

Projected Water Demand

 *include losses

National Water Resource Study (Peninsular Malaysia), 2000

Need* 1998 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Domestic Mill. m3/syear

1,833 2,029 2,987 3,862 4,606 5,251 5,904

Industry Mill. m3/syear

1,260 1,454 2,592 3,561 4,330 5,016 5,639

Domestic and Industry

Mill. m3/syear

3,093 3,483 5,578 7,423 8,936 10,267 11,543

Irrigation Mill. m3/syear 7,350 7,350 6,517 6,517 6,132 6,132 6,132

Total volume

Mill. m3/syear

10,443 10,833 12,095 13,940 15,068 16,399 17,675

Demand to increase by 63% from 2000 to 2050

2. FloodsFloods exacerbated by : Raining pattern ~ climate change Drainage system Disposal of solid wastes into waterways Sediments from land clearance and

construction areas Increase in impervious areas

LumpurKuala

S.Linggi

KELANTAN

Ipoh

Shah Alam

S.Perak

S.Bernam

Seremban

S.Klang

SELANGOR

Kangar

Alor Setar

George Town

PINANGPULAU

LANGKAWIPULAU

S.Muda

KEDAH

PERLIS

PERAK

THAILAND

S.Rompin

SINGAPORE

Kuantan

S.Pahang

S.Cukai

S.Muar

S.Batu Pahat

S.Benut

PAHANG

SEMBILANNEGERI

MELAKA

MelakaS.Melaka

JOHOR

S.Kuantan

S.Johor

BahruJohor

S.Endau

S.Dungun

Kuala Terengganu

Kota Bharu

TERENGGANU

S.Kelantan

S.Terengganu

S. Rej ang

S. Sadong

S. Rej ang

S. Sadong

S. SarawakS. SarawakKuci ngKuci ng

SARAWAK

S. BaramS. Baram

LABUAN

Kota Ki nabal uKota Ki nabal u

SABAH

S. Ki nabatanganS. Ki nabatangan

Flood prone areas 29,720 km²

(9% land area)

Squatters Encroachment of River ReservesDirect and indirect economic losses

3. Water Shortages - Drought

Growing demands and pressure on water resources

Per capita availability of water is decreasing

Reaching practical limits of surface water resources development Inter-basin and inter-

state water transfers

Water Crisis 1998 drought caused serious water 1998 drought caused serious water

rationing and hardship for 1.8 million rationing and hardship for 1.8 million residents of Kuala Lumpur & other residents of Kuala Lumpur & other towns in Klang Valleytowns in Klang Valley

RIVERS PROVIDE 97 % OF ALL THE WATER USED IN

MALAYSIA

RIVERS PROVIDE 97 % OF ALL THE WATER USED IN

MALAYSIA

Peninsular Malaysia = 89 ; Sarawak = 22 ; Sabah = 78 Total = 189 (57,300 km length)

4. Water Quality - Pollution

Food OutlesWet Markets

Slaughter Houses

Animal FarmsHousehold Waste

Sewerage Agriculture

Cottage Industries

Direct Discharges into Rivers

Water Quality trend in Malaysia (2005 – 2009)

57%

28%

15%

59%

31%

10%

63%

28%

8%

58%

34%

8%

54%

38%

9%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Pe

rce

nta

ge

(%

) o

f ri

ve

rs

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Clean Slightly Polluted Polluted

Source of pollution :

i. Business (Industry & Factories); ii. Agriculture; iii. Homes

Total rivers monitored : 2005:594, 2006:573; 2007:580; 2008:579; 2009:577)

Pollution Effect & Impact

bioavailability of portable water Water Supply : cost & volume

Ecology – (aquatic life forms )habitat – food supply, breeding site destroyed

Economy – food production, productivity, cost of production & processing, export market (green consumerism)

Social – natural behaviors, community livelihoods, our youth’s discipline and crime problems

Health – wellness of people, human’s productivity,

Biodiversity (Aquatic) fish population; allien fish

Proper Waste Management• Waste Minimization

• Concept 4R2C – Rethink; Reduce; Reuse;

Recycle

– Composting; Closing the loop

• Organic waste • composting

• Used cooking oil • making of soap & candle

Time to take action :Pollution reduction

5. Water Saving

Water auditing Audit Action

Water saving technology Gadget technology

5a. Water Auditing

5b. Water-saving gadget

Low-flow shower heads Why not take a shower instead of a bath? A bath

uses around 80 litres of water – by comparison a shower uses only around 35 litres. Be careful if you have a power shower though – some of these can actually use more water than a bath if they are turned up to maximum power.

Low-flush toilet, composting toilet and waterless urinals

Faucet aerators, which break water flow into fine droplets to maintain "wetting effectiveness" while using less water.

Fix dripping taps Broken taps can waste 12 to 20 litres of water a day.

New washers cost only a few pence but will save

you money if your water is metered.

Water butts collect rain water for use in the garden. 

Zero cost water saving method – plastic bottle are placed in the toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water available for each flush.

Rainwater harvesting Waste water reuse or recycling systems, allowing:

Reuse of graywater for flushing toilets or for the garden, and Recycling of wastewater through purification at a water treatment plant

Water saving gadgets

Washing hands greywater is reused for flushing toilet in

Japan.

Time to take action

LaundrySwitch off the "extra rinse" cycle; save 8 gallons.

ToothbrushingDon't run the water while you brush, use a glass to rinse; save 4 gallons.

Dish washingDon't rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, or half-fill a plastic tub to rinse; save 8 to 10 gallons.

ShowersTake a "Navy" shower (turn the water off while you lather); save 8 gallons.

GarbageUse a compost pile instead of the garbage disposal; save 2 gallons.

ToiletDon't use the toilet as a trash can; save 3.6 gallons.

ShavingDon't run the water while you shave; save 4 gallons.

Drinking waterKeep a bottle in the fridge; don't run the tap to get it cold; save 1 gallon.

BathsShower instead of bathing; save 30 gallons (even with a long shower).

FoodDefrost in the refrigerator overnight, not under running water; save 4 gallons.

6. Water footprint Ecological Footprint

impressions or images left behind by a person walking

total land and water area required to support a population with specific lifestyle and given technology with all necessary natural resources and to absorb all wastes and emissions for an indefinite length of time

2 Ecological footprint Water footprint Carbon footprint

the total amount of carbon dioxide attributable to the actions of an individual (mainly through their energy use) over a period of one year

Water Footprint generally expressed in terms of the volume of

water use per year water footprint of an individual consumer refers to

the sum of direct and indirect freshwater use by the consumer.

the direct water use is the water used at home. the indirect water use relates to the total volume of

freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the consumer

The major objective of the study is to assess the water footprints of all nations of the world, using and comparing both calculation approaches. Based on the top-down approach, the global average water footprint is found to be 1240 m3/yr/cap.

There are large differences between countries. In the USA the average water footprint is 2500 m3/cap/yr. In China the average water footprint is 700 m3/cap/yr.

Average national water footprint per capita (m3/cap/yr). Green means that the nations's water footprint is equal to or smaller than the global average. Countries with red have a water footprint beyond the global average. Period: 1997-2001.

The global average = 1243 m3 water/capital/yearMalaysia = 2344 m3 water/capital/year

A water footprint consists of three components:

Blue water footprint - the volume of freshwater that evaporated from the global blue water resources (surface water and ground water) to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community

Green water footprint - the volume of water evaporated from the global green water resources (rainwater stored in the soil as soil moisture).

Grey water footprint - the volume of polluted water that associates with the production of all goods and services for the individual or community

Water Requirement Equivalent of Main Food Products

Product Equivalent Water Needed for Production (litres/kg)

Tomato / Lettuce 200

Carrot 280

Grape 580

Maize / Corn 600

Wheat 700

Rice 1,550

Soybean 2,000

Milk 1,090

Egg 4,620

Poultry 6,800

Pork 13,600

Beef 50,000

WATER NEEDED TO PRODUCE THE FOLLOWING:

Items Water Needed

1 Tonne Of Printing Paper 47,300 Litres

1 Sunday Newspaper 567 Litres

1 Tonne Of Aluminium 757,000 Litres

1 Tonne Of Synthetic Rubber 1.89 Million

1 Computer Chip 17,000 Litres

1 Average Sized Car 147,000 Litres

1 Pair Of Jeans 6800 Litres

http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterFootprintCalculator

Personal approach There are many opportunities to save not only

reduce our impact on the natural world but to save money as well

Take responsibility for your actions. Think globally – act locally

Resource management

Discover your river basin (water catchment) and work to protect it

Water auditing Water saving; Pollution reduction

Become a Green and/or organic consumer Vegetarian SMART Ranger or RIVER Ranger

Calculate FP & Set your target Life style & your diet

Make a Smart Choice!

A meat diet implies a much larger water footprint than

a vegetarian one, at an average of 4,000 litres of water/day versus 1,500

litres of water/day.

"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your

parents. It was loaned to you by your children”

-Kenyan Proverb -