Taking the Challenge Paul Martin's Diary
20 litres of water – it’s just two flushes of the toilet for most Westerners, but that same amount would serve a villager in rural Africa for an entire day.
It’s easy to forget that water remains an incredibly precious resource for millions of people across the globe, yet one we largely take for granted on these shores. Which is why Thirsty Planet, the UK’s leading ethical bottled water, set the challenge of seeing if you can manage with just 20 litres of water for a 24-hour period.
And Paul Martin, managing director of Waterbrands, the company behind Thirsty Planet, put his money where his mouth is when he took on the challenge to mark World Water Day ( 22 March), a global UN initiative to highlight water-related issues such as supply and sanitation.
Paul kept a diary of his day to demonstrate just what a tough challenge living on 20 litres of water a day is…
DIARY:
20 litres of water isn’t much at all, but that amount can transform your life if you’re used to getting your water from a pond in the middle of Malawi.
I was lucky enough to go out there last September and was horrified by what I saw. People were literally getting buckets of water from open ponds that contained algae and dead insects.
So, living in the UK on 20 litres of clean water should be easy…shouldn’t it?
6.15am
I’m currently going for a two mile run every morning and decided to keep the routine going. I’m actually going earlier than usual so that I’ll have more time to cool down before having a wash. A shower is out of the question as it will use up my entire daily allowance.
6.40am
Shattered and sweaty. I’ve just slugged half a litre of water after my run and have decided to make the porridge whilst I cool down. That’s another half litre of water. I’ve allocated myself 3 litres of Thirsty Planet to drink over the 24 hours, and will have two cups of tea in the office during the day.
7.00am
Porridge particularly good this morning. Now comes the interesting bit…the bathroom.
I don’t need the loo at this point and I know this is going to be the most challenging part of the day. When I was in Malawi, I helped Pump Aid dig out and install some very simple but effective toilets. The idea is that you hover over a large pit which, over time gets full and is then covered and used for growing trees. Absolute genius and it only costs a tenner!
While this was having a great impact on people’s personal hygiene and greatly reducing the risks of disease, this isn’t really an option for me today. I’m simply planning to hold on as long as I can and use the water from my trusty 20 litre bag to flush the loo!
I’ve decided to have a shave and have used about 300mls of water in a glass. This is fine, but it just keeps reminding me of how liberally we use our tap water.
I haven’t washed my hair but given that it’s short this isn’t too much of an issue. I actually read that we tend to wash our hair too frequently anyway. Daily washing of your hair can actually wash out the naturally occurring oils that keep it in good condition.
I then filled up the sink with 2 ½ litres of water and had a body wash. To be honest it felt fine and I always remember as a child having only one bath a week with my brothers.
7.40am
I’m now setting off for work with my remaining 16 or so litres of water in my bag.
8.10am
To be honest, I feel fine and don’t get any pulled faces or reactions from my other work colleagues. I’ve challenged them to join me and so far two have stepped to the plate! We’ll compare notes.
11.30am
Had a lengthy meeting which has helped move the time along and have had my first cup of tea. Still not been to the loo!
12.45pm
Popped out of the office for some lunch and a walk round Harrogate. Bought a sandwich and had a bit more water to drink.
1.30pm
Back in the office doing next year’s budgets. Decided that I needed a pee and have gone to the loo. Used 6 litres to flush it away!
Now down to 9 ½ litres for the remainder of the day.
3.00pm
Had a cup of tea and used another 400mls of water.
7.15pm
Got home and had some tea. Just used a litre of water to wash the pots. This is the first time I have not used the dishwasher in years!
8.00pm
Sat down and watched some TV and had a last glass of water before going to bed.
10.45pm
I used a litre and a half for washing, about 300mls for cleaning my teeth and it took the last 7 or so litres to flush the loo!
All gone!!
On reflection, getting through one day on twenty litres of water is just a matter of planning – and reducing the amount we use for everything requiring water!
Going through the day, it struck me just how much water we waste without really thinking about it. In particular, how much water we use for sanitation. Two trips to the loo and we say goodbye to around 30 litres a day. A shower uses up another 30 or so. Then there’s leaving the tap running whilst we clean our teeth. Not forgetting things like cleaning cars, watering the garden and using a dishwasher!
It has really made me think about how much water we waste in a day. If we can just do simple things like not flushing the loo if we’ve just had a pee; or putting a brick in the cistern to reduce the amount of water we flush; not leaving the tap running when we clean our teeth. It all adds up.
Providing 20 litres of clean water a day along with improved sanitation can improve the lives of millions of people. Pump Aid can do this with our help.
There are still a billion people who do not have these basic rights and we really must do all we can to change this.
Think about what you can do to help.
Good night!