How Much Water Do You Consume?

Each UK resident consumes 4,645 litres of water a day, according to a new report.

The study by WWF takes into account embedded – or virtual – water, which is used in the production of food and textiles as well as visible water which is used to drink, wash, flush and water plants. On average, people in the UK use 150 litres a day on washing and drinking – but their food and clothes have about 30 times as much in embedded water. As a result, the UK is the world's sixth largest net importer of water, meaning it is reliant on water systems overseas for 62 per cent of its total water consumption.

The report highlights that it takes 140 litres of water to make one cup of coffee, and global coffee demand uses 120,000 billion litres. It also notes the difference in the water footprint between different diets. A diet based on meat and dairy uses 5,000 litres of water a day, compared to the 2,000 litres a vegetarian diet consumes.

"Only 38% of the UK's total water use comes from its own rivers, lakes and groundwater reserves. The rest is taken from water bodies in many countries across the world to irrigate and process food and fibre crops that people in Britain subsequently consume. What is particularly worrying is that huge amounts of these products are grown in drier areas of the world where water resources are either already stressed or very likely to become so in the near future"
Stuart Orr, Water Footprint Expert, WWF

At the World Water Week forum in Stockholm, where the report was presented, delegates have also heard that wastewater is used to irrigate fruit and vegetables on 20 million hectares around the globe.


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