Quebecers tops in wasting water: conservation group

BY NADIA RAHMAN

Montrealers become water-happy this time of year; washing cars, watering plants, filling pools and hosing driveways. It comes as no surprise then, that during the summer months, our water consumption doubles.

The over-consumption of water jeopardizes the quality of our drinking water and of our aquatic environment, a spokesman for a Montreal-based water-preservation lobby group said. The more water we consume, the more wastewater is produced, which is then returned to our rivers and lakes., added Annie Ethier.

RÉSEAU environment, a non-profit organization who, for the second year in a row, are tackling the water wastage issue by holding a summer-long Waste Festival in cities all over Quebec as part of their Drinking Water Conservation Campaign.

The festival isn't really a festival per se, but rather, a concerted campaign by conservationists to call attention to water preservation across Quebec.

Strange as it may seem, the Waste Festival is one in which the public is encouraged not to participate.

“The primary goal of the campaign is to make people aware about their water consumption,” said Annie Ethier, promotional agent at RÉSEAU environment for the region of Montreal.

Quebecers are the second highest consumers of water in the world, using about 424 litres of water per person per day.

The campaign hopes to moderate the public’s water consumption by providing simple strategies that it can apply in everyday life.

“We don’t want people to [drastically] change the way they do things,” said Ethier.

Some of the tips Ethier mentioned that West Islanders apply both inside and outside the house include: shutting off the tap when brushing your teeth, taking quicker showers, sweeping the driveway instead of hosing it down and watering the lawn at night rather than in the afternoon.

The efforts seem to be working: according to reports from last year’s campaign. Ethier feels that there has been an improvement in terms of the amount of water consumed by Quebecers.

She believes that everyone can play a part in the excessive consumption of water as it is an issue that affects us all.

“Everybody is affected by water.”

For additional tips on how to lower your water consumption visit the Waste Festival website at www.festivaldugaspillage.com. However, please note that the website is only offered in French.