2024-07-26 21:46:05
Lithuania’s wealth
According to the United Nations Organization, about 2 billion people – about a quarter of all humanity – do not have access to safe drinking water. Specialists note that we do not face a water shortage in Lithuania, and the water is of good quality, as it is supplied from underground water wells.
“We are truly unique – Lithuania is one of the few countries where most of the water supplied centrally to the population is underground, extracted deep – at a depth of 40-245 meters. Other Baltic countries do not have this luxury: residents of Riga are supplied with purified water from the Dauguva River, while Tallinn uses water from an artificial lake.
Of all the countries of the European Union, only Lithuania and Denmark are self-sufficient in underground water,” says Viktoras Matonis, director of the Production Department of the largest water management company in Lithuania, Vilniaus vandenys.
A survey conducted in April by the research company “Spinter” on behalf of “Vilniaus vandenų” showed that only a fifth (22%) of Lithuanian residents drink water from the tap.
Another 4 in 10 said they do it more often than buying bottled water.
The rest – about a third (35%) of the population – did not give priority to tap water and chose between it or the main alternative of such water – bottled water. Some of them (6%) gave priority to bottled water.
Price for the environment
Environmental experts note that the entire path of water bottle production and delivery to the consumer creates a plastic footprint, as over time the plastic breaks down into plastic particles smaller than five millimeters, which have a harmful effect on nature.
“The industry is trying to produce those bottles as sustainably as possible – some manufacturers are thinning the plastic to minimize plastic waste. But plastic pollution, broadly speaking, is the 21st century on our planet. whip We have very large amounts of plastic that does not degrade. Microplastics enter other ecosystems as well: wastewater, rivers, the sea, other organisms, which we again consume through food,” observes Žymantas Morkvėnas, director of the Baltic Environment Forum.
In his opinion, bottles should be forgotten in normal, everyday use.
“Using water from plastic bottles is one of the most non-ecological habits that a person can have in the household, because this is how we generate plastic waste, even though the best water is flowing from the tap nearby. It should be remembered that the water in our country is of the highest quality. We can really boast both that we have our own water from deep wells and that it is healthy and of high quality”, Ž assesses. Carrot.
Overpays from 500 to 2000 times more
According to the expert of “Vilniaus vandenų”, when choosing bottled water, one should not forget to evaluate its impact on the wallet.
“In Lithuania, the price of 1 liter of water in a bottle ranges from 0.50 to 2 euros, depending on the brand and type of water. Tap water supplied to residents together with sewage treatment in Vilnius costs 2.06 euros per cubic meter – which is as much as 1000 liters. Therefore, for a liter of water in a bottle, an ordinary resident has to pay up to 1000 times more than for the same amount of water from the tap”, V. Matonis assessed.
According to him, laboratory tests show that tap water is naturally saturated with various useful minerals: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium.
“Using tap water is more economically beneficial for both consumers and society. Let’s take advantage of our country’s wealth, because today we have a great luxury: for a very low price, consumers get safe and clean water, and less plastic waste in turn contributes to the protection of the environment. So let’s always evaluate what the price of our choice is for our planet”, said V. Matonis.
2024-07-26 21:46:05