Water and sanitation in NZ

In an average household in New Zealand water is used in the following ways:
  • Toilet – 25%
  • Bathing and hygiene – 25%
  • Laundry - 20%
  • Kitchen  - 10%
  • Garden - 20%
The Wellington District Council released figures that average residential use is around 220 litres of water per person, per day. During summer we use even more water when we water the garden and fill up swimming pools.  A garden hose can easily deliver 20 litres of water every minute.

Facts from the 'Right to Water' website.


Ways in which we can reduce the amount of water we use in the home are:
  • Showering instead of taking a bath.
  • Turning the tap off when we brush our teeth/ wash our face.
  • Not filling our bathtub to the top.
  • Not leaving the tap running when we do the washing up.
  • Using a short cycle on our washing machine instead of a long cycle.
  • Store drinking water in the fridge instead of running the tap cold.
  • Run the dishwasher only when it is full.
Toilets use up a lot of water – it would be better for the environment if we had latrines (like indoor pits).

Sanitation

Councils in New Zealand take care of sanitation, which includes collecting rubbish, sewerage systems and treating water with chemicals to make sure it is safe for us to use and drink.

Not all countries have councils to look after sanitation, certainly not in developing ones.  When there is an emergency, like war or a natural disaster, sanitation systems can be neglected which puts people's health at further risk.