WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES BY VARIOUS HOTELS

LET'S CELEBRATE WORLD WATER DAY!

Vol. 2 ISSUE 3 April 2018

An abundance of water conservation methods and techniques

applicable to the hotel industry are available. Here are a few hotels

who have shared their practices with us...

PRACTICE PERFORMANCE

PRIME MOVERS

With water conservation being the need of hour,

World Water Day celebration was the perfect

way for hoteliers to contribute their bit...04 08

MARINE LIFE IS IMPORTANT!Mumbai felt love from deep within

when 80 Olive Ridley sea turtles

were welcomed after 20 years

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Check out some examples of water

conservation tech from the world of

science fiction...

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SCI-FI MOVIES SHOW THE WAY

THE CHANGE MAKER!1 truckload of silt gave1 tanker worth of

water and we removed almost 50 lakh

trucks; imagine how many tons of water

was saved... 10

www.greenotels.com

Forthcoming - GreenOtels Summit: Gujarat11 May 2018 | 2:30 pm to 8 pm | Pride Plaza Hotel | Ahmedabad

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Our aim has been to make GreenOtels as collaborative as possible, believing that a

diversity of perspectives enriches the work. We have reached out to experts, to

professionals and promoters in hospitality as well as companies engaged in sustainable

development to help make the big shift towards a sustainable future.

KNOWLEDGE ASSOCIATESBharat Malkani, E.C. FHRAI

CB Ramkumar, Our Native VillageGarish Oberoi, President, FHRAI

Niranjan Khatri, iSambhavParam Kanampilly, Concept Hospitality

Sanjay Sethi, ITC HotelsSteve Borgia, President, ESOI

ADVISORY PANELAmitabh Tyagi, The Taj Hotels

Arun Bahadur, The Oberoi HotelsAshish Rakheja, AEON Consultants

HC Vinayaka, ITC HotelsSanjeev Saxena, DLF Home Developers

Shankareswaran Jayaraj, RelianceSunil Relia, JLL Building Operations

Vikram Choubal, Marriott International

CORE COMMITTEEBENGALURU

Ajay Nayak, ITC Gardenia Bhaskar Masineni, The Leela Palace

Jagadish Itagi, The Ritz Carlton Murali Panicker, Taj Bangalore

CHENNAI N Ramamoorthy, ITC Grand Chola Hotel

HYDERABADAshok Hemrajani, Minerva Group

DELHIAnil Kumar, The Imperial

Neeraj Kaushik, The ClaridgesRahul Prabhakar, ITC Maurya

Rothin Banerjee, Taj PalaceSuman Majumder, Hyatt Regency

JAIPUR M Kannan, Oberoi Rajvilas

Siddhesh Khatu, ITC RajputanaVinay Paliwal, Jai Mahal Palace

MUMBAINilesh Mhatre, JW Marriott

Prashant Pawar, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Prashant Vaidya, Hotel Sofitel

Praveen K Sharma, RenaissanceShailesh Kumar, JW Marriott P

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Think climate change and what comes to mind? The Arctic Ocean melting like an ice cube under a June sun? Island paradises swallowed up by rising seas? Beefier hurricanes crashing into coastlines with greater frequency?

There's a ring of truth to all of the above, and it should make all of us think and act greener. Now, the World Bank has come out with a report that sums up one of the gravest of climate change consequences with just one word: WATER. As in, not enough of it.

By 2050, the report projects, water scarcity could cause economic growth in some parts of the world to drop by as much as 6 percent. Regions where water is plentiful will get thirsty, and regions already struggling with scarcity will get thirstier.

Seizing on the opportunity to contribute to the World Water Day, we drove an awareness campaign across Indian hotels asking the hotels to plan and share actions that they would be taking on water.

We received an encouraging response and some of those entries are being shared with you in this edition. In fact we have dedicated this entire issue featuring editorial content, photos, solutions and statistics about global water issues.

But let's face it; we’re spoiled.

When we turn a faucet we expect water to automatically appear. Do know that this is not the case anymore in Cape Town. Take a look at the measure the luxury hotels in Cape Town are taking as a new daily limit of 50 litres per person was brought in on 1 February this year.

Guests are asked to

• Limit showers to 90 seconds.• Use hand sanitizer instead of washing their hands• Brush their teeth using a glass of water rather than running water• Perhaps most extreme, refrain from flushing the toilet after urinating; the advice says, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”• During stays of five nights and under, bedding will not be changed, while wet towels will be dried and returned without washing. • Water-based spa treatments being struck from the menu • The pool being treated with an oil-based, non-toxic liquid called Heatsaver, which reduces natural evaporation.• No longer doing guests’ laundry

I pray that Indian hotels don't have to take such extreme measures but as World Water Day passes, we should take a moment to realise just how precious water it — it is truly the stuff of life. We simply need to turn off our taps, think twice, reduce our usage and recycle it wherever possible.

The Next Action Day for us to create awareness is June 5th - The World Environment Day - so let's get cracking.

Vol. 2 ISSUE 3 April 2018 |

IS BENGALURU ABOUT TO RUN DRY?South African city Cape Town's severe water shortage - which has made it the first city globally to face Day Zero (when government will shut down water connections for homes and businesses) - has turned the spotlight on other big metros which might have to face this reality in the near term.

A water-starved Bengaluru, it is believed, might make this infamous cut as it is seen as edging towards a crisis of epic proportions.

A BBC report listed 11 world cities that were “most likely to run out of drinking water”, and put Bengaluru at number 2, behind only São Paulo, Brazil. The report mentioned the acute shortage of water in Cape Town in South Africa, where people are now being rationed 50 litres daily, and which many fear could become the first major city to run dry in the modern era. Other cities on the list of the most vulnerable were Beijing, Cairo, Jakarta, Moscow, Istanbul, Mexico City, London, Tokyo and Miami.

The report noted that more than half of Bengaluru’s drinking water is wasted due to “antiquated plumbing”, 85% of the city’s lakes “had water that could only be used for irrigation and industrial cooling”, and “not a single lake had suitable water for drinking or bathing”.

The Supreme Court has recently allocated a larger share of Cauvery water for Bengaluru, but there is little doubt that the city’s water resources must be managed more efficiently.

Bengaluru originally had multiple sources of water supply in the form of over 200 lakes, abundant groundwater, and supplies from reservoirs in the Arkavathi river basin — the Hesaraghatta Lake in the north and the Thippagondanahalli Reservoir in the west. These sources are all but dead now due to the depletion of catchment areas in the wake of uncontrolled infrastructure expansion. P

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Taj Krishna And Taj Deccan

The centralized sewage water treatment plant for Taj Krishna and Taj Deccan has been designed by keeping in view of vast landscape and the requirements of more water for horticulture (about 6 acres) for Taj Krishna than Taj Deccan.

By the centralized plant Taj Krishna is benefitted with the utilization of using the waste water generated by Taj Deccan as it has mere usage of the treated sewage water. Hence at Taj Krishna there is more than 100% utilization of treated water from STP for entire horticulture & cooling tower. This helps us for both re-utilization of treated water as well as maintaining the bio-diversity parameters.

Data shown is detail, of average water purchased, sent for STP and received from STP. As per the detail at Taj Krishna we received and utilized 40% more then what we sent out for treating at STP with the help of centralized STP for Krishna and Deccan.

The Fern Hotel, Belagavi

We use aerator to save water.

Unused water from banquet is collected and the same is used by us for floor mopping and gardening.

We use effluent treatment plant, the most cost efficient and technically proven system to remove the unwanted, hazardous chemicals from the waste water.

We have installed sand filtration system with UV filter. So, we can use same water in our swimming pool.

We also have water balancing tank to maintain same water level in the pool and reduce water waste.

We also have installed dual flushing plates for all the toilets.

We have installed rain water harvesting system where we can store 20,000 liters. The same water is used in flushing tank.

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All the waste water of the hotel is treated and then further reused in areas like the cooling tower of the air conditioning plant, flushing, gardening and for new constructions within the complex.

Samanvay Boutique Hotel, Udupi

Water and sewage treatment plants installed

Water flow restrictors in all guest rooms, in wash basins. Sensor installed in all urinals.

Maintaining no water leakages on any water taps and pipe line.

The Crown - Goa

The water that we use to mop & clean our floors is not emptied into the drains but instead used in our lawns & gardens.

The drinking water left unconsumed in glasses by our restaurant guests is emptied into a bucket placed in the back area and later put into a small pond for birds to drink.

We also have adopted the process of rain water harvesting.

Lemon Tree Hotels

Aerators/flow restriction maintains water force and reduces outflow, saving water.

Rain water harvesting protects and replenishes water table.

Auto flush for public urinals minimizes water wastage.

Use of recycled water for irrigation.

Use of recycled water for flushing in guest rooms and for cooling towers.

Meluha-The Fern

To effectively conserve water in all departments of the hotel, across all levels we have water efficient and low flow faucets, shower heads, flushes installed.

Groundwater recharge and roof water harvesting is also incorporated in the hotel.

Sewage treatment plant: the water supply in the hotel is augmented by using recycled water.

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WATER - BEST PRACTICES BY HOTELS

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WATER - BEST PRACTICES BY HOTELS

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WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES BY HOTEL PATLIPUTRA CONTINENTAL, PATNAWe Carry out water audit to show where the major water costs are and where savings can be made• We compare total and departmental consumption figures with hotel industry benchmarks to determine the potential for savings.• We calculate the water used per guest per night by dividing the total water consumed in guest rooms by the number of guests for that month. • We invest in new technologies to reduce the water consumption.• Train staff so they understand how to make prudent use of water and how to maintain equipment for optimum energy-efficiency.• We encourage staff to put forward their own suggestions for water reduction• We join forces with other hotels and provide mentoring to help them reduce their water consumption

Bathrooms• Shower flow should be no more than 10 liters / min. This can be very simply measured with a bucket and so we have also kept a bucket in every room of our hotel.• We have installed dual flush toilets so guests can opt for a shorter flush. • Taps have a maximum flow of six liters / min, or four in hand washing sinks in public bathrooms. Flow restrictors or better aerators have been installed to reduce tap flow• We pay attention to the maintenance for saving water consumption – a leaking toilet can lose 750 liters of water a day.

Laundry• We wash small quantities in a 5kg machine and always ensure machines are fully loaded.• We minimize the rinse cycle as much as possible without reducing quality• We consider using “intermediate extraction” between rinse operations

• We consider the reuse of water from previous rinse cycles for the first wash of the next cycle by installing temporary holding tanks• We check regularly for leaking dump valves, ensure that all water inlet valves are closing properly.• We ensure that the water flow rates on tunnel washers and CBWs are adjusted to the manufacturer’s recommended setting• We reuse water in Horticulture, gardening and for cleaning of vehicles.

Swimming pools• We conduct regular maintenance to prevent leaks. Checking for leaks is best done by reading water meters last thing at night and first thing in the morning• We Backwash the swimming pool every two to three days rather than daily. It is also best to opt for a backwash system where water can be recaptured and used for irrigation• We always cover swimming pools when not in use to prevent evaporation and reduce the need to empty and refill

Horticulture• We do not water grounds in the heat of the day but in the evening.• We use rainwater harvesting techniques to divert and capture rainwater from roofs and gutters. Water can be diverted into underground storage tanks or into water butts. Plants actually prefer rainwater to treated water from a tap• We have well-designed and controlled irrigation system that deliver water when and where it is needed• Using our own organic compost that add nutrients and help retain moisture in the soil• Placing wood chips on top of soil helps to reduce evaporation• Native species of plant contd on page ...10

Achievements in water conservation and recycling have been very satisfying, and are further improving. The net water intake of the hotel has come down over the years, thanks to a host of actions taken, which include:

Variable speed pump based hydro booster system instead of conventionalhydro pneumatic system.

Zoning the building into high and low pressure zones and have two sets of hydro boosters catering to these pressures.

Conventional flush system had been changed to dual flushing system with 6 litres and 9 litres option.

Aerators in all taps and showers.

Conventional showers were replaced with low flow showers.

Use of Bio blocks in Urinals to eliminate water consumption.

Plumbing fixture modification (Initiative) for Water Saving.

Sewage Treatment Plant.

BIO AMP – Bio Amp is a biological process which improves the quality of STP outlet water

Awareness & Training towards water conservation by sapling distribution.

WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES BY HOTEL ITC MAURYA, NEW DELHI

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Vol. 2 ISSUE 3 April 2018 |

CELEBRATING WORLD WATER DAY

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The Fern Hotel Belagavi

On the occasion of World Water Day, we had organized Save Water poster making competition. Wherein many of our team member participated, made very beautiful and thoughtful posters.

Mr. Rahul Kanungo,the General Manager of the UK 27 the Fern Belagavi addressed our team members on Water conservation and shared some ideas on how to save water.

The session concluded with the prize distribution of poster making competition. The Winners were awarded with the Pot Tree.

ibis, Navi Mumbai

World Water Day was celebrated in full swing carrying out several activities at our hotel. It was a very motivating day for all of us. A few of the activities organised were:-

Poster Making Activity for Employees with topic of “Saving Water”.

Posters were taken on the road at traffic signals to create awareness.

Water Conservation Pledge was taken by all at the Employee Gathering.

Awareness Posters for employees were pasted in Lockers/Heart of the House for minimum utilization of water.

Water Flow was reduced for the entire day.

Water Conservation documentaries were shown in Cafeteria.

Public area TV & Guest Room TV – Water Conservation PPT were showcased.

Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson, Gurugram

We celebrated World Water Day on 22nd

March 2018 in our hotel by organizing an awareness session for our employees.

Moreover, videos and posters on water conservation were put to display to increase awareness amongst all visitors.

Meluha

The green team of Meluha organized a Creative Collage competition on theme “water.’

Participating employees made beautiful collages to depict damaged ecosystems, disparity in water supply and most importantly solutions to the crises.

A sense of saving water was created in the minds of all hotel staff.

Somerset Greenways Chennai

Our properties Somerset Greenways, Chennai and citadines OMR, Chennai observed ‘world water day’ on 22nd march, 2018 by inaugurating the water saving pledge tree.

We took this opportunity to celebrate the event with the in-house guests and the staff members and made them pledge to do their part of protecting the environment, saving water and working towards a healthier earth for future generations to highlight the importance and necessity of water conservation.

An in-house guest, Dr. Shaker Abdul Husain Abdulla Khamdan, who is also a scientist from Bahrain, grabbed this occasion to address the gathering and shared his valuable message about water saving awareness which enlightened the people gathered for the event.

All the guests and the staff members took active participation in the activity and pledged their support to conserve water and in-return all of them were give presents (recycled cloth bag) showcasing the importance to minimize the usage of plastic.

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INDIANS ARE SHOWER ADDICTS!

Racold, one of the leading manufacturers of water heating solutions in India recently conducted a nationwide survey that revealed interesting insights on behavioral patterns of Indians. The survey highlights that Indians are shower addicts and almost 88 percent of them don't like their shower time to be cut short by any interruption which suggests a sense of exclusive privacy they demand during this period. Around 50 percent of the shower-preferring Indians use bath time to think of various things about work and other activities " like going over their to-do list for the day, working through mental blocks, seeking solutions to problems related to work. The study further reveals that most Indians consider shower time as 'Me Time' and are firm believer of the fact that a hot shower translates into a productive and creative mind.

However, while "Me time" is an indispensable requirement of the generation of raging workaholics, there is no denying the fact that an average 10-minute shower uses anywhere from 25 to 70 gallons of water. Despite being the fastest growing economy in the world, ensuring water security for the growing population is one of the main challenges India is facing today. A similar situation is observed in hotels where consumers spend "relaxing time" and tend to consume a lot of water in showers. Thus, it is the need of an hour for hotels to pay extra emphasis on creating water conservation awareness amongst visitors in order to tackle the problem.

SIX STEPS FOR HOTEL SECTOR TO PROTECT WATERIn some countries, guests at hotel use ten times or more water than is typical for local people. Hotels can embed certain practices to reduce their water footprint. A World Water Day report from the International Tourism Partnership outlines six steps that the hotel sector can take to protect water and become stewards of the vital resource for future generations.

1. Quantifying current and future water use, identify the hotel’s water sources, impact, and dependencies, and share that information through reporting and engagement with local stakeholders.

2. Prioritize areas where the best impact can be made and define long-term targets based on science and local contexts. Set indicators with trackable metrics and transparent performance indicators that each property can report against.

3. Identify water efficiencies at the property level, ensure adequate wastewater treatment, reduce the hotel’s pressure on freshwater resources by recycling water, and involve staff and guests in water stewardship measures.

4. Analyze products and services of highest spending and engage with suppliers regarding their water stewardship to better identify and address the property’s indirect impacts on water in basins where they are operating.

5. Build resilience to extreme events and water shortages. A water stewardship strategy should include procedures and provisions to provide immediate relief effort, address recovery needs, and help mitigate against future occurrences of extreme weather events.

6. Collaborate on sustainable water management. Hotels need to understand the local water risks and opportunities, engage with existing water initiatives, share information with the public sector.

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“India is fortunate to receive a rainfall of 4000 Bn cms every year. Out of which, about 3000 Bn cm runs into the sea and only 1000 Bn cm is conserved. 500 Bn cm of this remains below the earth’s crust and may not be usable. Eventually, we’re left with just 500 Bn cm of water effectively available to be used. In reality, the current requirement rate of India is 750 Bn cm.

So how do we make this difference available to us?” says Colonel Suresh Patil.

Colonel Suresh Patil has dedicated two decades of his life helping people fight the

battle against water crisis. He brought a solution to the major problem of tackling huge amounts of silt gathered at the floor of a dam. A revolutionary idea of cleaning up the shoulders of lake was implemented, digging out silt, which is as good as brown gold for farmers who enjoy cascading benefits of it. One truckload of silt gives you 1 tanker worth of water and the community has removed almost 50 lakh trucks of silt in the past 10 years; saving million litres of water. The silt gets distributed to farmers of surrounding areas for free of cost.

To avoid further siltation into the dam, approximately 5 lakh trees were planted, benefiting the over all growth into the ‘Green Cover’ for the country. The amount spent for this area de-silting is 400 lakh which means a rate per cubic meters of Rs. 15/- (including tree plantation). This is lower than the irrigation department rate of approximately Rs. 100/- per cubic meters, District schedule Rate. This desilting has helped to increase water capacity of Khadakvasla dam by 0.20 TMC.

The project was made possible with the help of NGO, citizen donations, CSR, peoples participating, retired army personal, NCC, NSS, Ganapati festival mandals, religious institutions, local army establishment for limited engineering effort and supervision/monitoring by irrigation Department; with absolutely no government funds being raised.

COLONEL PATIL-THE PROBLEM SOLVER

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WATER CONSERVATION PRACTICES BY HOTEL PATLIPUTRA CONTINENTAL, PATNA...Contd from page 6 often need less water so design and landscape your grounds in keeping with the existing environmentThe Hotel Patliputra Continental has a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) on its roof to treat all waste water

Kitchens• Taps in kitchens should have a maximum flow of 10 litres per minute

• Only use dishwashers on full load• Pre-soaking utensils and dishes saves using running water. Similarly, wash vegetables and fruits in a sink of water rather than a running water rinse• Avoid thawing food under running water and avoid using running water to melt ice in sink strainers• Minimize the use of ice machines and adjust settings to dispense less ice.P

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LIFE OF PI

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8 OUTRAGEOUS EXAMPLES OF WATER CONSERVATION FROM SCI-FI MOVIES

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Will we survive an apocalypse? Will humans have successfully terraformed another planet by then? What will life look like 376 million years in the future?

Many who have contemplated these big questions have found themselves looking to science fiction for answers. Sci-fi evokes images of space travel, interplanetary colonisation and AI gone rogue. But occasionally, a speculative technology born in fiction finds itself with a real world parallel, proving that futuristic gadgets do not always live in the realm of fantasy, that they do shape real world inventions.

Water - a resource most of us take for granted - is a recurrent sci-fi theme with fictional habitants of water-scarce planets

Here, Maya Kilpadi has picked some of her favourite examples of water conservation tech from the world of science fiction - solutions that might appear outrageous and offensive because they challenge established norms of culture and morality, but that force us to look beyond the present and imagine how, at a (not so) distant time in the future, human beings might live and interact with their environments.

Dune's moisture-reclaiming StillsuitsStillsuits were full body suits manufactured by Fremen, inhabitants of the desert planet Arrakis where no natural precipitation or water sources existed, and where water was the most precious commodity. The suits were designed to collect and recycle body moisture lost through sweat, urine, water vapour from breath, even faeces! The collected moisture is filtered and the resultant potable water is stored in catchpockets to be drunk by an individual from a tube attached to the neck. The water collected by stillsuits was enough to help the wearer survive weeks in the desert without any other source of water. Inspired by the Stillsuit, a British company developed The Sweat Machine - a

device that extracts water from sweat-soaked clothes and purifies it using a technique known as membrane distillation.

Sonic showers of Star TrekSonic showers were a technology aboard Federation Starships that emitted high frequency sound waves to dissolve dirt and grime from the bodies of spacefaring humanoids, completely eliminating the need for water. Sonic showers are a knight's move away from the real world, but showers that recycle their own used water maybe the breakthrough in water-saving technology we need given that a typical 10-minute shower consumes upwards of 100 litres of water.

Turning rocket fuel into water in The MartianIn the horrifying event that we run out of water before we deplete our fossil fuel reserves, we could use some space-y survival techniques. Presumed dead and stranded on Mars, when astronaut Mark Watney learned he would only be rescued in 4 years, he is forced to take matters into his own hands. Faced with the possibility of running out of food supplies, he drew on his training as a botanist, and improvised a farm to grow potatoes. He fertilised the soil with his own waste and irrigated it with water produced by breaking down the rocket fuel Hydrazine to produce H2, then combined it with the O2 from his habitation module to produce water. It's good that liquid water has been discovered in Martian soil because this procedure is so dangerous, it comes with a 'don't try this at home' warning.

Moisture-farming in Star WarsOn the sun-scorched terrain of Tatooine where surface water and vegetation were hard to come by, most desert settlers like Luke Skywalker's aunt and uncle were 'moisture farmers' who harvested humidity from the atmosphere via moisture farms to survive the hot, dry landscape. They used devices called 'moisture vaporators' which were mounted on the ground and drew

whatever little moisture they could from the planet's dry air. Researchers are now working on adapting this technology - turning fiction to fact to address the water woes of the real world.

Waterworld's Urine RecyclerIn what's been called an eco-parable ahead of its time, The Mariner (as Costner's character is known) has a device that turns his urine into potable water. Gross as it may sound, it's what keeps him alive in a post-apocalyptic world where the polar ice caps have melted and the seas have risen to claim all of the land. So, why didn't The Mariner just filter the sea water around him? Turns out it's far easier to remove the small number of contaminants in urine than filter out the large number of varying pollutants - from drowned cities, industries and other remnants of anthropogenic activity - in ocean water. Drinking recycled pee does not require a quantum leap of imagination; astronauts do it all the time! They recycle water from urine, showers as well as from moisture collected from the breath and sweat of crew members. In the urine filter may also lie the inspiration for modern day inventions such as the Slingshot - a device that can purify any water source - sewage, seawater, poisoned well water, chemical waste - no matter how polluted, and transform it into safe drinking water without using chemicals or filters. Israel, which recycles upwards of 80 percent of its wastewater for use in agriculture, has demonstrated the immense potential of technology to reclaim sewage for domestic and industrial use.

Life of Pi's Solar StillsIf you're a Bear Grylls fan, chances are you'd have seen how survivalists use solar stills. They're also what kept Piscine Molitor Patel and Richard Parker alive during the 227 days they were stranded in middle of the Pacific Ocean. With the solar stills aboard his life raft, Pi used the heat of the sun to evaporate seawater, cool it, then collect freshwater to drink. Solar stills are used in many small distillation plants, but the large scale feasibility of solar-powered desalination is being tested in Africa and the Middle East.P

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INTENSIFIED WATER CRISIS ACROSS INDIA BY 2050!UNESCO's report ahead of World Water Day on 22 March 2018 should serve as a wake-up call for every Indian. It highlights how India is staring at a deepening water crisis with few steps being taken to ameliorate this bleak situation. It predicts an intensified water crisis across the nation by 2050, with many parts of central India battling a withdrawal of 40 percent of the renewable surface water resources.

More than half of our rivers are heavily polluted. Contamination is no longer a problem with surface water alone but also with groundwater resources which have been found to contain both metallic contamination and also contamination from improper disposal of human excreta.

The Central Pollution Control Board has doubled the number of 'polluted' rivers from 121 to 275 in the last five years, blaming the huge quantities of untreated sewage being dumped into our rivers for this state of affairs. The CPCB collated monthly water quality analysis figures submitted by all state pollution control boards between 2015 and 2016. The State Pollution Control Boards evaluated 275 rivers across 29 states through 1,275 monitoring stations on the basis of their biochemical oxygen demand – the concentration of oxygen required for sustaining aquatic life – under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme.

The report found that while Maharashtra had 49 polluted river stretches, including Mithi, Godavari, Bhima, Krishna, Ulhas, Tapi, Kundalika, Panchganga, Mula-Mutha, Pelhar, Penganga and Vaitarna, among others, Assam ranked second at 28, Madhya Pradesh third with 21, Gujarat 20, and West Bengal 17.

The situation is no better in the south where the quantum of water in the main rivers including the Godavari, the Cauvery and the Krishna is much reduced.

VERSOVA BEACH WELCOMES 80 OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLES AFTER 20 YEARS

Nearly three years ago, Afroz Shah, a lawyer and an environmentalist, took it upon himself to clean the Versova beach in Mumbai. He almost single-handedly spearheaded the task of cleaning the beach. Over the time, several volunteers joined hands with him on this mission.

On a regular day of clean drive, a group of volunteers engaged in a clean-up of the Versova beach stumbled upon Olive Ridley hatchlings on the wet sand. They called the forest officials and made sure that the turtles walked into the sea without any trouble. More than 80 hatchlings made their way to the Arabian Sea. The officials mentioned that the last such sighting of Olive Ridley turtles on the beach was 20 years ago and added that the constant cleaning of the beach has helped in having the lives of marine species. From environmentalists to politicians, the turtles grabbed the attention of Mumbaikars. Sanjay Nirupam, former Congress Member of Indian Parliament and president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee tweeted a welcome address for the turtles! Later, the efforts of Mr. Shah and volunteers were appreciated by Mumbaikars and around 1,200 volunteers joined him. P

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LET'S HEAR IT FROM THE EXPERT!Dr Rajender Singh, a well known water conservationist and a Magasasy awardee agonises on the unprecedented drought conditions that are increasing every year causing further distress to millions of farmers and that neither the central nor state governments have come up with any long-term plan to tackle this situation. He says, “It is ironic and tragic that over the centuries, our traditional, community-driven, time-tested models on how to handle drought as also our water resources helped ensure that our rivers, lakes, wetlands and other water bodies remained intact but are being totally ignored today. It is these areas of expertise that we should have promoted within India and across the globe.

We were gurus in protecting wildlife and nature. Other countries could have learnt this knowledge from us. But in all these international meets, the only green P

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technology being promoted are technology related to energy efficiency, whereas our traditional water management systems are not showcased at all. The only people assisting our official delegations are corporate consultants. How do they represent the viewpoint of millions of Indians?"

On being approached by Prince Charles to help provide solutions for the flooding of the Thames river in the United Kingdom he suggested a traditional Indian solution where the flow of the river was slowed down by the construction of small barrages at the places where the river meandered. Now he is invited there (periodically) to monitor the river flow.

“There are hundreds of Indians who possess similar expertise. Why is the government not using their skills and knowledge?" asks a bewildered Rajender Singh

INDIA ON WORLD WATER DAY

Disclaimer : Although we have taken every care to make the information in this publication as accurate as possible, we accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies or changes since going to press. All information here in is gathered from primary, secondary and tertiary sources.

All rights reservedAll rights of this publication are with GreenOtels and Root Cause Mediaa.This publication may not be copied,stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publishers. This publication is for private circulation only and not for sale purposes.

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Editor: Minakshi Agarwal. Editorial Contribution: Pooja AkulaPublished by Root Cause Mediaa, Bungalow 36, Block W, Opp LS Raheja College, Relief Road Santa Cruz (West), Mumbai 400 054E: info@greenotels.com P: 022 60660151 W: www.greenotels.com

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• L&T Construction, Chennai The company religiously celebrated World Water Day for the 9th consecutive year. A mega awareness campaign covering 110 schools in India, Sri Lanka and Tanzania was initiated to make more than 40,000 school students aware of the importance of sustainability and water conservation. The grand finale of the campaign was an ‘Environmental Sustainability Lesson’ conducted for 2000+ students at an Engineering College in Chennai, which was recognized as the largest such exercise and thus entered the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS. Every year, L&Tites engage themselves in various illuminating fun events with E-posters, Slogan Slingers, Just A Minute, Boond, Water League, Dare to Hunt, to name a few and pledge to save water.

• Punjab Agricultural University, Ferozepur Road Ludhiana, PunjabDepartment of Soil and Water Engineering in collaboration with Punjab Chapter of Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers organized World Water Day where Egyptian Scientists delivered a lecture on water conservation. The guest speaker of the day was Dr. Mohamed Abdrabou, Professor, Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate, Egypt and the guest of honour was Dr. Ahmed Awny, Director, Central Laboratory for Agricultural Climate, Egypt.

• Pithoragah, UttarakhandMore than 145 springs were augmented in a project undertaken by Himmotthan, resulting in sustained water supply. The WaSH programme followed an integrated approach between water supply development, sanitation and catchment area protection to improve water resource sustainability. At present Himmotthan Society is working in 500+ villages of Uttarakhand for Water Security through the support of Tata Trusts, HT Parekh Foundation, Arghyam and Hans Foundation.

• Nehru Science Centre, Mumbai A two day event was organised with Rotary District 3141. On 21st March they did a drawing contest where 112 students from 10 schools participated and showed their creativity on theme Nature for Water. On 22nd, a seminar was held on the same theme. Experts from Mumbai municipality and Maharashtra state government shared government plans and actions on providing safe drinking water to its people and the challenges faced by them in implementing the plans. In the last session, various rotary clubs in Mumbai showcased their social work in providing potable water to rural populace, making their life easier under Jal Rakshak programme.

• National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil NaduAn event titled “Nature for Water” to explore, the various nature-based solutions to face the challenges created by water scarcity, so as to observe world water day was organised. The Scenario of freshwater availability in India and ways to incorporate the latest technology in water purification were discussed. The current status of many cities including Bengaluru was put forward and the factors which led to the current situation were also highlighted.