A £270,000 water-saving campaign has sparked a backlash after urging South Asian households to wash rice fewer times and Muslims to use less water during wudu.
Critics have questioned why water-bill and public money is being spent on campaigns targeting everyday cultural and religious practices, particularly when millions of litres of water are lost through leaking infrastructure.
The initiative, funded through Ofwat’s Innovation Fund and led by South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water, is designed to encourage water-saving habits among different ethnic and faith communities as England faces severe drought conditions.
One of its most eye-catching recommendations is aimed at rice preparation. The campaign says some South Asian families wash raw rice five to seven times under running water until the water runs clear. It suggests reducing this to just two rinses, potentially saving up to five litres of water every time rice is cooked.
Celebrity chef Ping Coombes features in campaign videos demonstrating the approach, while households are also encouraged to reuse rice-washing water to water plants.
“Rice is life in South Asian cooking,” Coombes said, highlighting the potential for small changes to reduce household water use.
The campaign also tackles wudu, the ritual washing Muslims perform before prayers. Working with Cambridge Central Mosque, it recommends using a one-litre jug rather than leaving a tap running. It estimates that running water can use between six and 12 litres during a single session of wudu.
But the advice has drawn sharp criticism.
Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood questioned the spending, arguing that households struggling with rising water bills may object to their money being used on what he called “bizarre schemes”.
Critics have also pointed to England’s ageing water infrastructure, with water companies estimated to lose around three billion litres of water every day through leaks.
There have also been questions over the rice-washing advice, with some culinary and health experts arguing that rinsing rice can have purposes beyond removing starch, including affecting texture and potentially reducing contaminants from processing.
Water officials, however, say the project is about finding practical and inclusive ways to reduce consumption, particularly as drought and water shortages put increasing pressure on supplies.
The campaign ultimately raises a wider question: should water conservation focus on changing household habits, fixing leaking infrastructure —or both?
