The two pie charts below illustrate the proportions of water consumed for five different domestic purposes in 1988 and 2008.
Overall, water consumption for three of the five categories decreased, while the figures for bathrooms and kitchens increased over the period. Additionally, garden use experienced the most substantial decline, whereas kitchen consumption rose sharply to become the largest category in 2008.
Looking first at the categories that saw increases, bathroom use accounted for 22% of water consumption in 1988, exceeding the figure for kitchens, at 15%. After two decades, the proportion allocated to bathrooms rose slightly to 28%, while that for kitchens climbed considerably to 29%, almost doubling its initial share and making it the largest category in the latter year.
Turning to the remaining categories, the proportions of water consumed for washing and toilets stood at 25% and 18%, respectively, in 1988, before declining gradually to 22% and 14%. Meanwhile, the figure for gardens dropped dramatically from 20% in 1988 to just 7% in 2008, falling to nearly a third of its initial level and making it the smallest category in the latter year.
