* One-third of the water in homes goes on flushing the lavatory – each flush uses about 10 litres (18 pints)
* The average bath uses 80 litres; a shower about 35 litres
Although these facts appear in today’s (May 17th) edition of London’s The Independent, these carry a warning for all the countries, including the United States of America. In addition to these there are other reasons why we have water shortage.
We always thought in India that the municipalities did a shoddy job in preventing wastage of water. However, the story in The Independent is an eye-opener. “Billions of litres of water are gushing out of Britain’s crumbling mains network every day as the country faces its worst drought for 100 years.
“Figures from Ofwat, the water regulator, reveal that the privatised water companies are losing 3.6 billion litres a day – up to 500 pints per home per day. The worst offender, Thames Water, loses 915 million litres a day, equivalent to more than 700 swimming pools…
“According to the latest figures from Ofwat, for 2004-05, the 23 water companies in England and Wales lost between eight million and 915 million litres a day. Two companies, Thames Water and United Utilities – which together cover 11 million people in London, Manchester and Liverpool – failed to hit Ofwat’s targets for the number of leaks that can be economically repaired.
“Thames Water – which loses one-third of its water between the reservoir and the home – has missed its target for five successive years.”
Our worthy media colleagues worldwide who chase questionable issues at breakneck/breathless speed, can always do their bit to encourage public debate on the strategy to save precious water.
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.