the stats

According to Stuff, New Zealand is losing 101 billion litres of water annually. This is around 18% of the total national supply. It is believed this is due to “ageing and eroding supply systems, household leaks, pipes damaged by underground works, earthquakes and landslides” Masterton’s usage equates to 655 litres per person per day. Within the house, it is believed that leaky taps and pipes caused lots of waste daily. This is an extraordinary amount of water to be wasted.

NZ Waste

Droughts are a growing problem in New Zealand, with Auckland experiencing one of the most severe droughts in 2020, rainfall was 52% less than the median, leaving the Auckland water supply depleted. Restrictions were put in place for the Auckland region, and the water supply returned to a stable level. However, a drought like this could be around the corner again, and it might be more serious with the growing climate crisis, it’s not long before Auckland's water supply won't recover so easily.

Droughts

Another major issue with wasting water is the generation of fossil fuels. Water treatment and heating in New Zealand and Australia can take up to “20% of a city's overall energy consumption. In some areas, wastewater plants can use up as much as 40% of the total energy consumed per year.” Altogether this adds up to, “45 million tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere annually.” This shows how wasting water, wastes energy and therefore contributes to fossil fuel emissions.

Fossil Fuels

the consequences

There are long-term consequences of wasting water. The lasting impact of emissions from fossil fuels. Pressure on the resource of water has increased over the years due to industrial and commercial needs. While water seems like a never-ending resource, we need to start using it sustainably. In New Zealand, agriculture requires a large amount of clean water. If we waste the clean water we are provided with, we are wasting the clean, available water needed for cattle, sheep, lambs, and the industry to keep running the way it does. Water is not a never ending source, it requires energy, and time to process and recycle unclean water. This energy is not sustainable and is creating fossil fuels, by wasting the water you have access to you are contributing to a nation wide increase in emissions of fossil fuels. This has to stop for our environment and for our country. You need to do your part, and save the water you can, because if everyone can save just a little bit more water, it will make a difference.

more info