Variety

Water footprint?

The water footprint (WF) is a measure of the total volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services.

People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes and so on. So, the water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.

Virtual water and water footprint

Virtual water is the amount of water that is embedded in food or other products needed for its production.

The water footprint is a term that refers to the water used to make a product. In this context we can also speak about the ‘virtual water content’ of a product instead of its ‘water footprint’.

The water footprint concept, however, has a wider application.

We can for example speak about the water footprint of a consumer by looking at the water footprints of the goods and services consumed or about the water footprint of a producer (business, manufacturer, service provider) by looking at the water footprint of the goods and services produced by the producer. Furthermore, the water footprint concept does not simply refer to a water volume only, as in the case of the term ‘virtual water content’ of a product.

The water footprint is a multidimensional indicator, not only referring to a water volume used, but also making explicit where the water footprint is located, what source of water is used, and when the water is used. The additional information is crucial in order to assess the impacts of the water footprint of a product.

The water footprint refers to the volumes of water consumption and pollution that are ‘behind’ your daily consumption.

The water footprint of humanity has exceeded sustainable levels at several places and is unequally distributed among people. There are many spots in the world where serious water depletion or pollution takes place: rivers running dry, dropping lake and groundwater levels and endangered species because of contaminated water.

Water footprint reduction at home

As a consumer there are many ways you can reduce your ‘direct water footprint’ (home water use) by installing water saving toilets, applying a water-saving shower head, closing the tap during tooth brushing, using less water in the garden and also by not disposing medicines, paints or other pollutants through the sink.

Your ‘indirect water footprint’ – the water consumption and pollution behind all the goods you buy – is much larger than your direct water footprint at home. You have basically two options to reduce your indirect water footprint.

One option is to substitute a consumer product that has a large water footprint by a different type of product that has a smaller footprint. Examples: eat less meat or become a vegetarian, drink tea instead of coffee, or even better drink plain water. And replacing cotton clothes by clothes from artificial fiber saves a lot of water.

However, as this approach has limitations, because you may find it difficult to drastically change your consumption pattern.

There is a solution;you can select the cotton, beef or coffee that has a relatively low water footprint or that has its footprint in an area that doesn’t have high water scarcity.

This too may prove difficult as it requires that retailers to provideyou with proper information to make such choices.

So, what you can do is use water sparingly and avoid polluting this dwindling resource that is the life giver on Planet Earth.!

What do you prefer - reading or watching television ?

“ Reading maketh a full man,” is a famous proverb which highlights the benefits of reading. When we read even a small section of a newspaper or a magazine we can enrich our knowledge. It is important to cultivate the habit of reading to enhance one’s knowledge as well as the vocabulary. It has been proven that books increase the power of imagination because when we read, we automatically start to imagine what is written in the book. This paves the way to sharpen our minds.

Television is an introduction of modern technology and is used in most homes. We could even say that today it has become a necessary evil in our lives as many simply cannot do without it. It plays a major role in the lives of many adults and children who are addicted to it.

Most people sit in front of the television or the ‘idiot box ‘as it is often called, to find relaxation and entertainment. However, there is a great doubt as to whether T.V. programmes, especially the numerous soaps and teledramas really satisfy the needs of viewers. Of course, there are many programmes that help enhance one’s knowledge too. The viewer must be selective of the programmes .

Reading and watching television are two ways of enhancing knowledge and being entertained. So, what is the difference between these two modes of media? One obvious difference is that television does not help us hone in on our imaginative skills because the visuals explain everything.

We do not attempt to think or imagine beyond what we see on the screen. Reading however makes us think and analyse the various situations and characters portrayed in the story. For example, when we read a story such as ‘Oliver Twist ’by Charles Dickens, even though we feel annoyed with Nancy for bringing Oliver back into their gang, we also feel sympathy towards her when she sacrifices her life to save him at the end. We are forced to read and interpret different situations and behaviour of the people when we read .The skills we develop by reading aid us in real life situations too.

Television too has the ability to evoke our emotions and keep us entertained but most often the fascination is only short lived . Whereas with books we could read the story over and over again .

Scientists have proved through many experiments that watching too much television is harmful. It could have an adverse impact especially on our eyesight. So, going by all the negative and positive impacts of these two modes of media, you must choose the best mode to light up your future. You can experiment how they effect you and come to a conclusion about what is best. In my opinion,reading is the best means to pave the way for a bright future.

- Theja Dilhani Kapuruge