Australians have been working hard to cut down their household’s daily water consumption, however a new study reveals that clothing, food and electricity are the three biggest culprits for a household’s high water usage.
The study’s author, from the University of Melbourne said people were very aware of using water efficient appliances, having shorter showers and not leaving taps running, but the invisible, behind the scenes water usage involved with creating the electricity and other goods and services consumed by our households was far more significant and alarming.
The indirect, or embodied, water usage of an entire household over 50 years is equivalent to filling 54 Olympic swimming pools.
This represents 94% of a household’s water footprint.
In contrast, the direct water used by households – for drinking, washing, showering, watering, cooking and cleaning – is equivalent to only four Olympic swimming pools, or 6% of the household’s water demand over 50 years.
Read more at The University of Melbourne