The UK water regulator has provided recommendations for Muslims in the country to use less water for religious ablutions—the process of cleansing the body—as well as advising Asian communities to reduce water consumption when rinsing rice.
These tips are part of the 'water efficiency in faith and diverse communities' program, which is funded by Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority.
A recent initiative under this project involved collaboration between South Staffordshire Water, the Faculty of Theology at Cambridge University, and the Central Mosque of Cambridge, which is Britain's first eco-friendly mosque, alongside other organizations and water companies.
The pilot project in Cambridge encouraged local Muslims to use only one liter of water to perform their 'wudu' (ablution) before prayer.
According to Ofwat, the non-ministerial government department, the pilot showed that using a one-liter bottle could save up to 55 liters per person daily, as many people use up to 12 liters of running water when performing ablutions five times a day.
It is estimated that the 'wudu' pilot in Cambridge saved up to 5,900 liters per day.
The initiative recommended the 'mass dissemination' of these guidelines through Islamic television channels but cautioned that water companies should not give the impression that they are blaming Muslims for excessive water use.
It is generally believed that the Prophet Muhammad used no more than a liter of water for his ablutions.
Another initiative, which received £270,000 of taxpayer money, involved Ping Kombs, a renowned chef who won the MasterChef award in 2014, who taught Asians how to save water when cooking and washing rice, according to The Telegraph.
In a YouTube video, Kombs noted: 'The usual practice is to wash rice five to seven times until the water runs clear. This made me think: do I really need to wash rice that many times? I actually only wash my rice twice.'
Critics argue that water companies should focus more on fixing infrastructure leaks rather than lecturing ordinary citizens.
In July, a Greenpeace UK study found that 2.87 billion liters of water, enough to fill 1,150 Olympic-sized pools, are lost daily in England and Wales due to leaking pipes.
The study indicated that water companies waste five times more water through leaking pipes than would be saved by banning the use of hoses.
Mike Wood, Shadow Minister of State, told The Telegraph: 'Reducing water loss is a noble goal, but a more serious problem here is the waste of taxpayers' money.
Families are already facing huge increases in bills; they will not like having their money spent on quirky schemes aimed at changing long-standing religious and cultural practices.'
An Ofwat representative told Middle East Eye: 'The prolonged dry weather this summer reminds us of the need for all of us to use water more efficiently and to be stewards of this finite, precious resource.'
This pilot was implemented in collaboration with water companies, charities, and various religious groups to provide tailored and practical water-saving advice to different communities, and it concluded in April 2025.
It did not dictate what people could or could not do, nor did it interfere with religious worship or customs.'
In June, the UK government launched an advertising campaign called 'Let's Save Water' worth £75 million, urging the public to reduce daily water consumption through small, everyday changes.