Fix one leak: how much water a dripping tap wastes

In a water-short year, the easiest saving is water you are not even using. A dripping tap is a small leak with a big total.

The figure (US source). The US Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense programme says a tap dripping at one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year. That is more than 11,000 litres (our conversion from US gallons). By our calculation, that is more than 80 days of water for one person at India's planning standard of 135 litres a day (BIS IS 1172). It is a US estimate; drip size varies, but the point holds anywhere.

Usual cause. Most dripping taps have a worn washer or gasket inside. Replacing it is cheap, and many people can do it with a spanner after turning off the supply.

Hidden leaks. WaterSense suggests a simple test. Read your water meter, use no water for two hours, then read it again. If the reading has moved, water is leaking somewhere, perhaps a toilet cistern or an underground pipe.

This week. Check every tap, toilet flush and the overflow pipe on your overhead tank. Put a cup under any drip to see how quickly it fills. Fix what you can or call a plumber, and tell your building caretaker or RWA about leaks in shared pipes.

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