| The rampant overusing and wasting of water – mainly
due to its consistent under-pricing in many parts o f the
world - has led to a water-scarcity challenge that has serious
implications for the world economy. Global freshwater withdrawals
(for agriculture, industry and other uses) grew nine-fold
from 1990 to 2000 against a four-fold growth in population,
highlights the World Economic Forum Water Initiative, a forecast
report prepared for discussion at the World Economic Forum’s
annual meeting in 2009. The document further states that with
business-as-usual practices, by 2025 water scarcity could
affect annual crop yield to the equivalent of losing the entire
grain crops of India and the USA combined (30% of global cereal
production). |
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| Currently, 2.8 billion people, or 44% of the world’s
population live in areas of high water stress. This figure
is expected to rise to 3.9 billion by 2030. India, together
with Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South
America and China, will be the most severely affected: In
India, water availability per person is projected to fall
by half by 2050. Already, the water table is falling more
than one metre per year in parts of India, and over-abstraction
of freshwater has led to a groundwater overdraft of as much
as 56%. Moreover, the agriculture sector will continue to
be squeezed to meet the rapidly-rising demand for water from
the industrial and energy sectors. |
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| In many parts of the world, the industrial sector is stepping
up efforts towards a more judicious use of water. Several
international hotel chains, and many large and small independently-managed
properties, are also making significant strides in implementing
water conservation practices. Their efforts range from towel
and sheet reuse programs to water-efficient bathroom fixtures
(such as low-flow toilet flushes and showerheads and sensor-controlled
sink faucets), to the collection of rainwater and run-off
water for landscape irrigation. Other initiatives include
the installing of recycling plants for the treatment of grey
water, which is subsequently reused — for irrigation,
in cooling circuits, and even as toilet water and for floor
washing. Xeriscape landscaping (landscaping using cacti, rock
garden formations and plants that need little water) is gaining
popularity, and some hotels have adopted the more efficient
method of water sprinklers to irrigate their green areas as
opposed to the traditional method of watering. |
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| ECOTEL aims to assist hotels in optimising their water availability
by the following hierarchy of tasks: |
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Reduce water wastage |
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Increase water reservoir storage |
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Encourage prudent use of reservoir storage |
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Augment conjunctive surface-water and ground-water
management |
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Recycle water |
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| For the property in question, ECOTEL will perform a comprehensive
audit of its water distribution system. ECOTEL will work with
the property to frame guidelines and set in place systems
for efficient water management, and the same will be monitored
and reviewed periodically. Staff training programmes will
be conducted as part of the overall ECOTEL training schedule. |
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The Orchid
Mumbai |
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Rodas
Mumbai |
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Lagoona
Lonavala |
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Hotel Gautam
Mahabaleshwar |
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The Uppal’s Orchid
Delhi |
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Cabbana Orchid
Phagwara |
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The Fern
Jaipur |
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The Beach Orchid
Kollam |
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