When I was a little girl ׂ(ages ago), my mother used to wash my hair with rainwater, as it was considered beneficial to both scalp and hair. I suppose nowadays, mothers wouldn't do this to their girls as rainwater is full of all kinds of pollution particles that cause damage to soil, to humans, to our flora and fauna.
And yet, in spite of its contaminants, we badly need rain, want rain, dream of rain, pray for rain, expect rain, feel miserable without rain. Rain cools the air, and makes the heat of summer more bearable. It prevents famine and thirst .
fountains - as a "cooling" sight.
Despite smart desalination and irrigation water systems, and the bombastic headlines style " Israel helps world fight water shortage" - the sad truth is that water is a never-ending problem in our country, because of rain, more precisely - lack of it.
It rains mainly in winter, and even then, not daily or weekly. Maybe 'Climate Change' will change that, and bring us some more rain, who knows. I wouldn't count on that, though. This Climate thing is quite unpredictable and very, very scary! In the meantime, we have to keep an eye on our water supply and consumption, so that we don't get into deep trouble.
There are things that can be done to prevent water waste without affecting our life too much. Here's one tiny example - replace living (green) fencing with the various other options: wood, metal, stone,wall, bamboo. Living fences (shrubs) need water (quantity depending on the requirement of the plants that make up that particular shrub).
living (green) fence, neatly trimmed
dry fence ; no water - no living (terrible sightֱֱֱֱֱ!)
Most house owners prefer a green fence, it's a favorite, but this is gradually changing, as water is not the only one problem with this type of fence; there's also the regular cutting and trimming process which requires time/patience/money. In addition, there's the growing awareness that home and garden security might be better assured by the other options, especially stone and metal.
overgrown shrub - not trimmed, not nice fence
white wooden fence
wall-type fence
bamboo-type fence behind the bus stop.