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Writer's pictureSamdarsh Jalali

Sustainability: Can you Bathe with Just Three Mugs of Water?

Have you heard of Ecowaternomics? We'll be hearing more such terms coined in the coming future with the increasing urgency for us to act on undoing or preventing the effects of climate change.


Our current status quo of an impending global climate crisis is the result of a majority of people turning a blind eye to these subjects, despite awareness, because we don't have the time for it. However, there are heartening stories like that of Odette Katrak who take bold efforts, no matter how small the contribution towards the larger goal of a sustainable future.


Most of us like to start our days with a nice long warm shower, at times even end it with one. The incredible Odette, on the other hand, has been bathing herself perfectly clean with just three mugs of water for over 15 years, way before the water crisis in her city of Bengaluru began. Surely this sounds absurd and would have to anyone who heard about it even 15 years ago. While it may seem like an extreme that we cannot envision ourselves adopt, it’s challenges like these that will push us in the right direction. Odette has also created a framework “Ecowaternomics” for water conservation that breaks down water needs classified by purity level of water matched with sources. She also spreads awareness about sustainability through Beautiful Bharat (originally started as Beautiful Bengaluru).



Odette Katrak's Ecowaternomics Framework which conains a diagrammatic representationi of water needs classsified by purity level of water matching the relevant water source.
Odette Katrak's Ecowaternomics Framework


But why do we need to do this? Aren’t global organizations like the UN, WMO and their IPCC working with scientists around the world taking measures that will have a much larger impact on climate change? How much water can I possibly save alone and what difference would it make in the larger scheme of things?

You’re right, you alone cannot reverse climate change or save all the water on the planet for it to be sustainable. But you can influence 10 other people, who can influence 100 other people, who can effectively influence the whole world. We often underestimate our power to influence others.


Look at it another way, as explained wonderfully in the article featuring Odette Katrak by The Better India. If we had to walk for kilometres to collect water in buckets and carry them home, would we use water the way we do now? Then why wait for that day to come before adopting better water consumption practices?


 

 

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