Water shortage is a serious issue that not only affects daily activities but also has long-term consequences on health and the availability of resources. Wastage of water is one of the key factors worsening the problem. However, one may not always realize they are using up excessive amounts of water, much more than they need. So, here are a few mistakes to recognize and avoid to prevent water wastage and shortage:

1. Delaying fixing leaks
One should avoid ignoring leaks, even if they seem minor. Even small leaks in faucets and old pipes can lead to the wastage of up to 50 gallons of water daily. So, it is crucial to fix all kinds of leaks as soon as possible.

2. Not harvesting rainwater
Rainwater harvesting involves collecting and storing rainwater for daily usage. It allows one to have extra usable water at hand along with their regular supply. To start this practice, one can look for rainwater harvesting tanks and systems they can install in their house.

3. Not choosing water-efficient bathroom accessories
Installing water-efficient bathroom accessories is a great way to prevent over-usage of water in homes. Such accessories restrict or limit the flow of water to avoid wastage. Some options one can easily find include flow-restricting shower heads and water-saving toilet flush systems.

4. Skipping inspection of faucets and pipes
Regularly inspecting home plumbing can help prevent water problems. One should specifically keep an eye on old and rusty pipes. Further, while leaky taps are easier to notice, leakages in toilets should also not be ignored. One way to check if the flush leaks is by pouring a few drops of food color into the flush tank. After a couple of minutes, if the toilet bowl starts filling up with the color without even flushing, it means there is a leak in the toilet. This hard-to-spot issue could waste up to a hundred gallons of water daily. So, one keep an eye out for toilet leakages and address them immediately.

5. Taking long showers
As taking a shower can be highly relaxing, many may lose track of time here, taking extra long showers on a daily basis. However, research suggests that an 8-minute shower (average shower duration in the country) uses about 16–17 gallons of water. This is why one should stick to shorter showers and turn the water off when not actively using it.