Water-Positive Approach

While the world is faced with water scarcity, reasons of which are poor rainwater harvesting tools, inefficient wastewater treatment and reluctant management of potable water, ironically, the hospitality industry in India is striving to not only be self-sufficient but also water-positive i.e. to give back water to the environment.

- Akshay Nayak

Recent headlines in leading dailies, painted in red of how Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, was faced with the devastating dry spell with all of its four reservoirs remaining without water for a dramatically prolonged period of time. The residents of the city were seen swarming out of their houses with water utensils in search of potable water, and many restaurants were seen shelling an extra buck for the water tanker that awaited outside of their entrances during the wee hours. Such was the havoc which led the neigbouring states to act diligently and keep ferrying trailers of water attached to a train making daily trips.

A UN report has predicted that as many as 3.4 billion people will be living in “water-scarce” countries by 2025. Furthermore, to believe the data released by Verisk Maplecroft - a London-based risk analytics firm in the sub-national Water Stress Index, India is the 46th highest risk country in the world. Indicating an even much worse situation sitting at the tip of the iceberg, the study said that 11 of 20 largest cities in the country are designated in the ‘extreme risk’ category of water stress while seven are in the ‘high risk’ category. The index read that Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nashik, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Indore are the cities facing ‘extreme risk’. The index measures the water consumption rates of households, industries and farm sectors and the available resources in rivers, lakes, and streams.

Awater guzzler

In the wake of such a scenario, the impeding effects come down hard on industries associated with the production of steel, automotive and the water-guzzling hospitality industry. Water accounts for more than 20 per cent of utility bills in many hotels. Hotels pay for the water they consume twice –first by purchasing fresh water and second - the treatment costs for its disposal.