Archived publication
This publication is no longer current or has been superseded.
Water – our shared resource
To mark World Water Day on 22 March this year, the United Nations called attention to the waters that cross borders and link people together.
When we look around the world at how little fresh water some countries have and how they share the resource with neighbouring countries, we should appreciate how we share our water with our own neighbours and the work that goes into ensuring it arrives clean at our houses and work places.
According to the UN, there are 263 transboundary lakes and river basins in the world which include the territory of 145 countries and cover nearly half of the Earth’s land surface. While New Zealand doesn’t share its freshwater bodies with other nations, World Water Day was an opportunity to consider the shared nature of our water – both between regions and between people.
Water is valued by New Zealanders in a multitude of ways. We all need water for drinking, cooking and washing. It is also used to generate electricity, and for irrigation and recreation. In addition to this, it is an integral political, economic and spiritual resource for Māori.
It is important to appreciate our fresh water as it isn’t a limitless resource. While water bodies are replenished with rain, it is still a finite amount. Our demand for water is ever increasing. In some regions we suffer droughts, and with climate change we expect to see increased drought risk.
“We need to get over our complacency about water use,” says Sue Powell, General Manager of the Local Government Group at the Ministry for the Environment. “In New Zealand we use nearly three times the amount of water of people in other countries – this is partly because we have extensive hydropower, but is also from other uses.”
Water storage, piping and treatment also cost money. Household water use accounts for around 60 per cent of piped water supplied in towns, and according to Frances Harrison, Public Affairs Advisor on Environment at Waitakere City Council, people need to understand all the steps involved before water arrives in their homes. These include water storage, treating water so it is safe, pumping the water to reservoirs and then sending it to our homes. If people don’t understand this, they don’t understand what their bills are paying for.
We could be using our fresh water more efficiently and many councils are promoting water efficiency. According to Harrison, Waitakere is aiming to reduce its water use 25 per cent by 2025 and she says it is the Council’s job to show people how easy it is.
Waitakere City Council is one of the councils that promotes many actions such as watering gardens in the early morning or late evening to minimise evaporation, fixing dripping taps, and using water-efficient whiteware. The kind of toilet we use can also save on water as the toilet accounts for about a quarter of household water use. Using modern dual flush toilets saves water as they can use only 3 or 6 litres of water per flush, which is 30 per cent less than older dual flush cisterns and up to 8 litres less than single flush toilets.
For World Water Day, the water supply companies in the Auckland region collaborated to run a campaign to make ratepayers aware of the need to use water wisely. They distributed information leaflets and posters around the community and placed an advertorial in the region’s community newspapers. Harrison says that if the demand for piped water isn’t reduced Auckland will be up for a hefty environmental and economic cost to find a new water source and associated infrastructure.
In the lead up to World Water Day, Waitakere City Council launched a Water Ambassadors Kids' Club. The CIub is targeted at 5-10 year old children who are interested and passionate about caring for their water resource and happy to share this information and learning opportunities with their friends and families. It is home-based and online-based including a website and a members’ pack with puzzles and stickers to educate children about water.
“It’s a colourful and bright resource. Children will be able to submit stories and artwork and enter competitions. Parents will need to help children so they will also be exposed to some of the messages,” says Harrison.
The club will promote things like reducing the use of drinking water outdoors in the garden. At present all water that is piped to our houses is clean enough for drinking. The use of this clean water can be reduced by collecting rain water – for example in rain tanks or barrels – and using it to water the garden.
Powell says it is really positive to see local government keeping the public informed about ways to save water because unless we reduce our consumption many areas will have to find or build expensive new ways of sourcing or storing water which will cost ratepayers.
“It’s encouraging to see councils planning ahead, setting targets around water and keeping ratepayers informed of how they can contribute,” says Powell.
“World Water Day is a good opportunity for us all to consider our water use. When we look around the world at how little fresh water some countries have and how they share the resource with neighbouring countries, we should appreciate how we share our water with our own neighbours and the work that goes into ensuring it arrives clean at our houses and work places. It’s everybody’s responsibility to help conserve water.”
For more information about saving water at home see www.waitakere.govt.nz/CnlSer/wtr/wtrsavetips.asp and www.sustainability.govt.nz/water
For more information about World Water Day 2009 see www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/
For information about Ministry work on water see www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/water/ or phone 04 439 7400.
To access the Water Ambassadors Kids' Club see www.waterambassadors.co.nz
LEFT: Waitakere City Council recently set up a water-wise gardening campaign to raise awareness of drinking water usage outdoors. Source: Waitakere City Council
RIGHT: There are a number of steps involved in getting fresh water to peoples’ homes.
