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July 2025 | Gazette Life | 13WATER SAVING TIPS It makes perfect sense to save water on Lanzarote. Of course, we can%u2019t live without it, but we should be aware that a five-minute shower can use up to 100 litres of water and every flush of the chain uses up to 9 litres. Every minute you use your washing machine or dishwasher uses another litre.Here are some more water saving tips: Don%u2019t wash dishes under a running tap. Fill a container and use it instead, rinsing rapidly at the end. Use the resulting %u201cgrey%u201d water to irrigate plants. Fill kettles with only as much water as you need (this will save electricity, too).Shower, don%u2019t bathe. Make sure dishwashers and washing machines are well-loaded before starting a cycle. Keep water running as little as possible while brushing teeth, shaving, washing hair etc with running water. Keep plumbing well-maintained, eliminating drips and buildup of limescale.Wash car only when needed. Clean windscreen regularly with a damp cloth. Tourists should try not to change towels or bedsheets too often.WATER MANAGEMENTWater management is not just a matter for politicians and businesses. We all have our part to play.Earlier this year, Canal Gesti%u00f3n stated that the average daily consumption of water by each Lanzarote resident in 2024 was 194 litres a day. This is more than twice the daily limit of 80 litres recommended by the United Nations, and also far higher than the average consumption in Spain (128 litres per day) and the Canaries (115 litres).The press release claimed that %u201cwater use continues to be intensive, which is unsustainable on an island without natural water resources depending entirely on desalination, a process with high energy and economic costs.%u201dSome decide to blame this on tourism, which uses large amounts of water in laundry, kitchens, pools and golf courses, but even the figures for 2020, when tourism was almost entirely paralysed by the Covid pandemic, showed a high average use of 159 litres per person. Another hot summer is likely to bring more water shortages, and although the Cabildo has assured residents that the island%u2019s water supply is %u201cguaranteed%u201d, the current sullen stand-off between the island%u2019s water supplier and the authorities is unlikely to improve matters in the short term.