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Water = LifeH2O – everyone knows this simplechemical formula and evenchildren know that water is essentialfor the proper function of ourplanet –the environment andits inhabitants. Unfortunately,sources of drinkable water aredepleting at an alarming pace.Pollution is the main culprit. Justone litre of sewage can contaminate8 litres of clean water. Furthermore,as the world’s populationincreases and industrydevelops, the amount of wastewater(industrial, agricultural andmunicipal) produced by people,is also increasing from year toyear. Unfortunately, this does notgo hand in hand with increasesin resources of drinkable water.Living in Poland, we don’t sensethere being any difficulty inaccessing drinkable water. However,with only 1.8% of the entirecontinent’s fresh water resources,Poland has one of the fewestsources of drinkable water. Atless than 1%, on a world-widescale, this is virtually insignificant.Renewable resources of surfacewater, those circulating and beingpart of the hydrogen cycle,are expressed on a per capitabasis. Globally, this figure isapproximately 7300m 3 per person,in Europe it’s 4560m 3 and inPoland – 1580m 3 . In effect, thismeans that in our country, thefigure is three times smaller incomparison to other Europeancountries and almost 5 timessmaller than the worldwideaverage. On the one hand, thislow figure is a result of Poland’spoor hydrological location, onthe other, a result of the dramaticincrease in pollution.It’s obvious that in this situationit’s worth helping nature, becausewe’re helping ourselvestoo. One of simplest things wecan do as individuals is to de-crease the amount of waste-waterwe produce. There are severalbasic rules we can introduce intoour daily routines. Turning thetap off when washing teeth orwhilst shaving is just one example,as is choosing to have ashower rather than a bath. Payingattention to the rating whenbuying a washing machine ordishwasher. This information isavailable for each appliance andit’s a very good indication of howenvironmentally friendly theappliance is. To further increaseour water conservation activities,it’s worth remembering that weshould make sure that we onlyturn these appliances on whenthere’s a full load. Otherwise,we shouldn’t forget to put thewater-saving option on, whichwill adjust the amount of waterto the size of the load.It’s also good to check and fixany dripping taps or see if thetoilet flushes correctly. For peoplewho live in houses, it may bea good idea to try and use greywater to water gardens. However,hoses and sprinklers should bechecked on a regular basis andany leakages should be removedas quickly as possible. Furthermore,over-watering the lawn isnot just a matter of water-wastage,but the lawn doesn’t like itmuch either. In our climate in thesummer, gardening specialistsbelieve that lawns need to bewatered only once every 5–7days. A heavy rainfall will eliminatethe need for extra wateringfor even 2 weeks. It’s suggestedthat lawns should be wateredin the early morning when bothtemperature and wind is at aminimum. This reduces waterwastageresulting from evaporationas well as lowering the costof up-keeping luscious greenfoliage. And one more idea forcar-users: check if your local carwashrecycles water.It’s incredibly easy to applythese few simple rules for watermanagement.They don’t requireanything but your own good will.It’s worth noting too, that payingattention to water conservationand management on a ‘drop bydrop’ basis will not only help theenvironment, but will also seehousehold budgets increase.Year by year, the cost of water ishigher and higher. It’s worth it.In terms of water managementissues in the Silesian Voivodeship,institutions and local councilscan count on the support of theRegional Environmental Protectionand Water ManagementFund in Katowice. This annualFund provides loans and subsidisesmany investments resultingin an improvement in water qualityand the optimal, environmentally-friendlywater usage. TheFund also organises educationalcampaigns aimed towards fosteringpro-ecological behaviour.Piotr AdamczykBartłomiej GrzędzińskiThe ‘Eco Airport’ series of articles in „Silesia Airport” magazine was partially sponsored by the Wojewódzki Fundusz OchronyŚrodowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej w Katowicach (Regional Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management – eng)www.wfosigw.katowice.plsilesia airport 31