Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: A Boost for Water-Saving Toilets

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BUENOS AIRES, Dec 2 2006 (IPS) - The Foundation for the Defense of the Environment (FUNAM) has called for requiring new construction in Argentina to install double-discharge toilets and plumbing systems that make the most efficient use of water. Raúl Montenegro, president of FUNAM, explained to Tierramérica that a traditional toilet consumes 10 to 16 liters with each flush. But the double-discharge toilets have two positions: one for urination, which uses two to four liters, and another for bowel movements, which uses three to eight liters.

The foundation presented the initiative to the Secretariat of Public Works of the central Argentine city of Córdoba, but suggested that the measure apply to the entire country.

According to FUNAM, each of the 1.1 million residents of Córdoba consumes 353 liters of water a day, more than twice the per capita use in cities in Spain like Barcelona, Madrid or Seville.