Water Conservation: Jal Ministry Notifies Installation of Aerators in Govt Buildings

New Jal Ministry taking action to conserve water and control water wastage, has issued a memo to all the government buildings to install Flow-Controlling Device called Aerators. An aerator is a device that control the flow of water from the water taps by increasing the mix of air in the water thereby reducing the water dispersion while maintaining the pressure.

An office memorandum issued by the Jal Shakti Ministry reads, “All the ministries/departments are requested to issue directions to the concerned authorities to fit aerators in taps used in buildings of ministries/departments of Government of India thereby conserving a large amount of water.”

The memorandum further added, “It is brought to the notice of this ministry that a simple device called aerator could control the flow of water from the taps and thereby help in conservation of water. Aerators are small attachments that are fitted at the end of the water taps or can be inserted inside the spout. The aerators through their fine pores break the incoming stream of water into the sub-streams. Therefore, while the out-flowing water is sufficient for utilization towards cleanliness, wastage is prevented by reducing excess flow. This device substantially saves water with no sacrifice in water pressure and rinse-ability of water.”

It also said there is an increasing gap between water availability and demand, which highlights the need for conservation of water.

“With water levels falling drastically and several states across India facing a severe water shortage, every small step taken in the direction of conservation of water would go a long way in tackling scarcity of water in the country,” it added.

India uses 250 cubic kiloliters of water per year and has close to 33 million bore wells. Borewells continue to be dug, now at the depth of 1,500-1,800 feet. According to a NITI Aayog report, India will run out of groundwater in the next 10 years. Close to 40 percent of India will not get access to drinking water by 2030.

With water becoming precarious all over the country, government, as well as private sector, must devise ways such as Aerators and greywater recycling to cater to their own water needs and removing or reducing dependence on groundwater.