The importance of water is a topic of discussion on everyone’s lips in the current state of affairs. With a looming water crisis in South Africa, water restrictions being implemented in most major metropolitan areas like Cape Town, Johannebsurg and Pretoria, it is important to ensure that you, your family and your business is taken care of whenever there are water cuts (which is prevalent all over the country).
We’re here to look at the importance of water in everyone;s daily life and discuss why you need to ensure that you are prepared for any type of water cuts or restrictions coming our way.
Average amount of water used per person, per day
As mentioned previously, there is a lack of water in many areas of South Africa. But how much water does an average person use per day? We went digging and found that the average South African uses approximately 194.14 litres of water per day.
There are various categories where water is used which is why we can’t ignore the importance of water and it’s proper storage for our family and home.
The importance of clean water
While we can take care of many domestic with grey water (the relatively clean waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines, and other kitchen appliances can be used to water the garden and wash cars etc.) or water that is not suitable for human consumption (to shower/bath in and do the dishes and cleaning around the house), we require clean drinking water to survive.
The importance of drinking water is stretched by all health professionals due to the fact that our bodies cannot function without it. Our bodies are (essentially) made out of 60% water. Additionally, we are constantly losing water by normal bodily functions like sweating and urination.
Therefore, it is imperative that you keep your body hydrated to allow it to function optimally.
Clean Drinking Water
What is the right amount of water to drink a day? Does age affect the amount of water needed to stay properly hydrated?
Yes.
According to Health line we need approximately 8 glasses of 240ml (approx 2 liters) water per day to be healthy and hydrated. Children on the other hand, need less water to stay hydrated, according to Healthy Kids children need slightly less water to stay happy and healthy:
- 5 glasses (1 liter) for 5 to 8 year old
- 7 glasses (1.5 liters) for 9 to 12 year old
- 8 to 10 glasses (2 liters) for 13+ years (Adults)
This is a estimate that is agreed upon by most professionals and health advisers. If you have a physically draining job (construction, personal trainer etc) you would require additional water to sustain your daily activities.
What do we use water for in everyday life?
Clean drinking water isn’t the only reason why we need water in our daily lives.There are five main uses for water. These purposes all contribute to our lives in some way, shape or form, which is why it is important for us to be aware of them.
Five Main Uses of Water
- Domestic Purposes
Domestic purposes include things like washing the dishes, showering, flushing the toilet and drinking water. Additionally, it includes watering a small-scale garden.
Domestic purposes refer to all the household activities that you require the use of water.
- Agricultural Purposes
Agricultural water is mostly used for things relating to farming practices like irrigation, pesticide and fertilizer applications , crop cooling (for example, light irrigation), and frost control.
Moreover, it is used to water crops and livestock to ensure that the farmers have healthy animals and plants.
- Industrial Purposes
The importance of water in the industrial sector is most important when it comes to farming, gardening and, fisheries. These businesses/practices require large amounts of water to keep the plants and animals happy and healthy. When this sector suffers with a lack of water, the whole country suffers due to the fact that it is more costly to acquire additional water, therefore hiking up the price on our produce and meat in the retail shops that we shop at.
Furthermore, water is used in other industries like paper, soap, cool drink and a bunch of other manufacturing practices. Industrial Purposes refers to anything that relates to manufacturing of products containing water or the need for water for heavy duty cleaning purposes.
- Recreation
Recreational purposes include having a swimming pool, river rafting, and boating. As soon as water restrictions are set in place, these are usually the first use for water that is limited or cut out.
This is due to the fact that it is not necessary for survival but more for exercise and/or entertainment purposes.
- Hydropower generation
Lastly, people can make use of flowing bodies of water to generate their own electricity/power. You can read more about Hydro power generation on this article from Good Energy
Water Storage: Water Tank Structure
As can be seen from he evidence provided above, water is an essential part of our lives, industries and survival. Therefore, it is important that you invest in the appropriate water tank when you are looking at water storage for your home or business.
Luckily, there is an abundance of choices, depending on whether you want to collect rainwater, have an underground water tank, have backup water supply for water cuts or, have an agricultural water tank to ensure you have enough water for your farm.
Why is the Water Tank Structure Important?
The water tank structure is important as it can tell you a lot about the capacity of the water tank. Furthermore, the materials used, the colours and the style can all affect how you feel about the water tank being a permanent addition to your backyard.
Firstly, you need to look at the three available structures with regards to where the water tank will be placed. This can greatly impact your decision of the water tank due to space constraints etc.:
Position of the water tank
- Above Ground
These water tanks can be placed on a level concrete surface and connected to your main water supply to feed into your taps etc. It is one of the most common techniques of placement for water tank.
- Underground
Underground water tanks are placed underground and then covered. As with all water tanks, the pipes are connected to the main water supply pipes and feed right into your tap in the event of an water outage.
- Overhead / Attached to house
These water tanks are attached to the house (either by adhering it to the side of the outside wall or placed over the rooftop of any house,building or apartment.)
Water Collection for Water Tank
Secondly, you need to decide where the water in the tank will come from (it’s origin), if you require a tank to collect rainwater, there will be additional inlets and outlets for various uses.
You can read more about the details of rainwater storage tanks on our page regarding our Rainwater Storage Tank range.
Size of the Water Tank
Thirdly, you need to look at the size of the water tank. What size would you need for you and your family? How many days would you want the tank’s water to last?
If you are looking at an average family of four, and calculate the amount of water consumption for the family as a whole you can take the average amount of water used per person, and times it by the amount of people in the house: 194.14 x 4 = 776.56 liters of water per day.
Therefore, if you want your water to last for three days (in case of a total water shut down) you will need a tank of approximately 2300 liters.
Importance of Water Storage
Having a backup water supply is so important, especially if you rely on water for your business. Therefore, you need to ensure that your water storage tank has the available capacity and features that you need.
In this blog post we have gone over some of the basic facts on the importance of water in our everyday lives, and the importance of the water tank structure.
We will be back with more valuable information on water, water tanks and their application!
If you are looking for more information on our water tank range, feel free to visit our Water Tank Products Range page.