A Small Step Toward Water Conservation – A Big Lesson for My Daughter

A Small Step Toward Water Conservation – A Big Lesson for My Daughter

As a father, I believe real learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms—it begins at home, through small actions and daily habits. Recently, my daughter, Vibusha, had a school assignment on water conservation. What started as a simple project turned into a meaningful experience for the whole family, and I am proud to share her journey and the knowledge she gained.

The task was straightforward: calculate how much water our family uses in a week for drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing. Then, make a plan to reduce the usage and observe the difference after one more week. We are a family of five—my parents, my wife and I, and our two children. I decided to guide her, but I let her take the lead, and that made all the difference.

Understanding Our Water Usage

Together, we started noting down the amount of water used every day. We discovered:

• Drinking Water: We use mineral water from outside cans, around 50 liters per week.
• Cooking Water: For breakfast, lunch, and dinner using tap/corporation water, we roughly used 10 liters per day—about 70 liters per week.
• Bathing: All five of us bathe daily. On average, each person uses about 15 liters per bath, adding up to nearly 525 liters in a week.
• Washing Clothes: Daily washing took about 20 liters per day, which is 140 liters a week.

In total, our weekly water consumption was around 785 liters.

I could see a change in Vibusha’s expression when she calculated this number. It was the first time she realized how much water a family uses without even noticing.

The Water-Saving Plan

This is where her enthusiasm grew. She came up with simple yet practical ideas:

• Use a bucket and mug instead of a shower.
• Turn off the tap while brushing teeth and soaping hands.
• Wash clothes only when there are enough clothes, not small loads every day.
• Use just the required amount of water while cooking.
• Reuse water (like leftover washing water) for cleaning floors or watering plants.

We all agreed to follow her plan for the next week.

Results After One Week

After seven days of conscious efforts, we calculated again:

We were amazed—we saved around 175 liters of water in just one week! It was a proud moment for all of us, especially for Vibusha.

What My Child Learned

What touched me most was not the number of liters saved, but the values she learned:

1. Awareness: She now understands that water is precious and limited.
2. Responsibility: She reminded us gently whenever we forgot to turn off the tap.
3. Leadership: She led the whole project with discipline and interest.
4. Gratitude: She said, “Appa, we are lucky to have water every day. Some people don’t.”

As a father, I felt proud and grateful. This project did more than just save water—it taught my daughter a life lesson. She learned that even small actions, when done sincerely, can make a big difference.

K. S. Omnath
Parent of K. O. Vibusha (IV-B) & K. O. Dhananjayan (I-B)
Mahatma Global Gateway CBSE