What if water doen't come out of the tap anymore?

Water supply is no longer a problem for later, but one of today. 

During the summer of 2021, something very strange happened. At our house in Overijse (where we lived at that time) there was no more water coming out of our taps, and we were puffing and sighing under a heat wave. No more showers, no more dishwasher, no more toilet flushing (because our groundwater well had been empty for several weeks), cooking was only done with mineral water ... and that for days.  Reason: unforeseen high water consumption during the hot days.

We must learn to be more economical with water, provide better collection of rainwater and use new technologies. Otherwise this kind of situation risks becoming a summer phenomenon.

On average, Belgians consume 7400 liters of water per day. That includes the water needed for the consumption of meat and agricultural products and clothing. The production of an average T-shirt already consumes about 2700 liters of water. For jeans production, the consumption is much higher. 

For example, if we buy a T-shirt for 4 euros and throw it away after only wearing it twice, wouldn't it be better to buy a slightly more expensive shirt (that lasts longer) and reuse more? We throw away a lot of clothes in Belgium, no less than 15kg per year. Of that, almost nothing is recycled. The reason is obvious, recycling clothes costs more than buying new ones. 

What can we do concretely? Five tips:

1. When renovating, you can opt for a larger well, so that you can use this water to water your garden, fill your pool or flush your toilets. Also replace your tiled driveway with pebbles. Give the water a chance to seep into the ground.  

2. Don't rinse your dishes before you put them in the dishwasher. This can easily double the water needed for your dishes.

3. Save water by eating smarter. Be aware that some foods require a lot of water to produce: meat, coffee, chocolate...  

4. Don't flush wet wipes or panty liners down toilets. They clog the pumps of water treatment plants. 

5. Buy quality clothing that you can wear repeatedly. And always give children's jeans a second chance if they have a hole in the pants. Our iron-on knee patches can help. 

Waste isn't waste until we waste it.