Water industry regulator Ofwat has been criticised for funding a £270,000 scheme that issued guidance to Asian and Muslim communities on saving water, including advice to wash rice less and use less water before prayer.
The guidance, funded by billpayers' money, suggested Asian families reduce the amount of water used when washing rice, and encouraged Muslim communities to use only a litre of water when performing “wudu” – the ritual washing before prayer.
Scheme details and collaboration
The project was led by South Staffordshire Water in collaboration with water companies. It aimed to develop “water-saving behavioural change campaigns within faith and diverse communities” by targeting what it described as “excessive” washing of food by some cultures.
The scheme also recommended that families reuse rice water to grow plants at home. Another aim was to evaluate water efficiency in the Muslim community, particularly how they could use less water for wudu before praying.
Research findings and trial
People of Muslim faith often perform the ritual washing up to five times a day. The research stated: “Muslims would typically use six to 12 litres of water per wudu session if using water under a full flowing running tap.”
The guidance was trialled on a group of Muslim households based in Cambridge. The study also recommended “mass dissemination” could be achieved by promoting water-saving on Islamic TV channels.
The guidance warned that specific religious and ethnic groups should not be “blamed” as being more wasteful than others when it comes to using water.
Celebrity chef involvement and criticism
Ping Coombes, a celeb chef who won MasterChef in 2014, was brought in to deliver a campaign video released back in 2024 explaining how people could save water in the kitchen. In the clip, Ms Coombes states: “It is common practice to wash your rice five to seven times till the water runs clear. It made me think, is it really necessary to wash rice so many times? I actually wash my rice only twice.”
Critics have slammed the value of the project and have urged water companies to focus more on fixing leaking infrastructure issues. Problems like these can result in more than a billion litres of water being wasted every day.
After a long hot summer with sparse rain, companies have come under fire due to fears they could penalise customers with higher bills in an attempt to fund improvements to the network and limit water usage.
Andy Burnham was reported to be preparing an intervention this week after reports that Ofwat was set to allow firms to build “surge pricing” into bills from April during periods of water scarcity. Downing Street has blasted water companies and stated “customers cannot be treated as a blank cheque”.
Mike Wood, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: “Cutting down on water waste is a noble aim, but the bigger issue here is the waste of taxpayers’ money. Families are already facing huge bill increases; they will not be best pleased that their money is being spent on bizarre schemes centred on trying to change longstanding religious and cultural practices.”
A spokesman for South Staffs Water said: “Water efficiency is an important part of managing water resources and we educate our customers on how they can support with this, as well as the actions South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water are doing. Our engagement reflects the demographic we serve across both regions.”
An Ofwat spokesman added: “This summer’s prolonged dry weather 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 worked in collaboration with water companies, charities and with multiple faith groups to provide different communities with relevant and practical suggestions to save water [...] It did not tell people what they can or can’t do, or impinge on religious worship or custom.”
