Support World Water Day
Water saving tips and free gadgets to reduce water consumption
will be on offer from Wyre Forest District Council on Thursday
25th March.
Officers will be on hand at a market stall in Kidderminster Town
Centre to answer all water related questions. They'll be
giving out bags to put in your toilet to reduce the amount of water
used with each flush and giving advice on how you can have a free
water meter installed. It has been shown that monitoring your
water use can cut consumption by ten per cent and save you
money. There will also be information on water butts for your
garden.
The correct methods for disposal of used water are being
promoted too. Only human waste, toilet paper and waste water should
be flushed away. Other items, even if they claim to be flushable,
should be disposed of in a different way. This includes fats, oils
and greases you use to cook with.
Elaine Halford-Bishop, Wyre Forest District Council's Health and
Sustainability Officer said,
"The average person in Britain uses as much as 160 litres
drinking water a day. This adds up to an astonishing 500
baths full each year. Drinking water is not only used to drink and
prepare food but also to wash ourselves, clothes, the car and
dishes and to flush the toilet and water the garden. We're working
with Severn Trent Water to lower the water use within the
District."
She added,
"There are simple ways in which you can play your part in
conserving water. Fixing a dripping tap can save as much as
90 litres a week, while installing a free of charge 'Save-a-Flush
bag' in your toilet will save one litre of water every time you
flush your toilet."
The event is to highlight World Water Day, which is held on
22nd March. It was introduced by the United
Nations in 1993 to raise awareness of drinking water issues around
the world. Almost one billion people do not have adequate
access to drinking water.
Councillor Tracey Onslow, Wyre Forest District Council's Cabinet
Member for Housing and Environmental Services said,
"It is important to save water as it will not only help
residents to save money by lowering their water and energy bills,
it will also help to secure our water resources."
She added,
'It is also important to dispose of used water in the right way.
Every day the pipes that take waste water away from homes get
blocked, causing unnecessary expense and distress. No one likes raw
sewage to flood into or around their homes and no one likes to pay
for the unblockage. Yet more than half of the blockages are caused
by people flushing away items that should have been disposed of in
a different way. "
For more tips and information on saving water visit Severn Trent website
Photograph shows, (Left to right) Elaine Halford-Bishop, Health
and Sustainability Officer, Fiona McIntosh (Trainee Flood Engineer)
and Kirsten Huizer (Watercourse Officer)
Date of issue - 12th March 2010
