How Mumbai societies and hotels are beating the water crisis with smart conservation measures

While thousands of housing societies and commercial establishments across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region are increasingly relying on tankers and borewells to cope with water cuts a handful of residential and commercial complexes are sailing through the crisis with little disruptionTheir secret is not access to extra water but years of investment in conservation measures such as sewage treatment plants STPs rainwater harvesting aerators flow restrictors and water recycling systemsmidday reached out to three such establishments to understand how longterm planning has helped them remain largely selfsufficient even as the region grapples with shrinking water suppliesMillennium Towers DType CHSLocation Sector 9 SanpadaFlats 156A watersaving aerator fitted on a tap at Millennium Towers in Sanpada The device mixes air with water reducing consumption without compromising pressureWhat they didgtgt Installed a sewage treatment plant STPgtgt Fitted aerators and flow restrictorsgtgt Installed pressurereducing valvesgtgt Introduced water meteringgtgt Compost organic wastegtgt Use treated water for recharge and other purposesResultgtgt No water shortage despite ongoing supply cutsgtgt Generating surplus treated waterResident SpeakRamakrishna Damaraju secretarylsquoOurs is an older building We donrsquot have any green certification or formal obligation We still decided to go green in 2015 We got our own STP installed water aerators flow regulators offset our electricity consumption and turn our garbage into compost We arenrsquot facing any water crisis We are generating excess STP water which we even offer for nearby requirements or groundwater rechargersquoAshoka TowerLocation ParelFlats Around 700Jet pressure waterheads and recycled STP water are used for cleaning and gardening at Ashoka Towers helping cut fresh water consumptionA technician installs an aerator on a faucet at Ashoka towersWhat they didgtgt STP for nonpotable watergtgt Water aeratorsgtgt Pressure washing systemsgtgt Restricted car washinggtgt Watersaving advisory for residentsgtgt Suspended fountain swimming poolResultgtgt Less impact from current water cutsManager speakNeeshant Bhoir property managerlsquoWe havenrsquot faced any severe shortage yet but still we have sent a 14point guideline on saving water to all residents Car washing has been limited have checked for defunct water aerators and reinstalled them We already have an STP which takes care of our nonpotable water needs The water fountain has been haltedrsquoAurika Mumbai by Lemon Tree HotelsLocation Skycity SaharRooms 669Green rating Platinumrated by the Indian Green Building Council IGBCWhat they didgtgt 400 KLD sewage plantgtgt Rainwater harvestinggtgt Water aeratorsgtgt Halfglass water service policygtgt Linen replacement every third day unless requestedgtgt Extensive water recyclingResultgtgt Significant reduction in daily water consumptiongtgt Selfsufficient for most nonpotable requirementsEngineer speakManoranjan Panda director of engineeringlsquoWe arenrsquot experiencing any shortage of water because for nonpotable uses we are selfdependent For potable municipal water as well we have policies in place that are helping Our servers only fill half a glass of water by default and refill if customers request more Guests on long stays get linen changes every third day instead of daily unless requested otherwise Our STP fulfils gardening and AC requirements Adoption of simple water aerators reduced our per occupied room daily water consumption from 650 litres to 500 litresrsquoWhat experts sayTV Shah Retired engineer formerly with BMC hydraulics departmentlsquoHousing societies need to understand that sourcing untreated water from borewells and tankers is not an ideal solution Groundwater in metropolitan areas like Mumbai is often of poor quality The BMC also needs to step up treatment capacity so residents are not expected to create complex treatment systems on their ownrsquoUdaykumar Shirurkarm Retired civic official and former assistant municipal commissionerlsquoWhen I was at AMC I advocated installing aerators on taps and faucets It is one of the simplest ways to reduce water consumption by up to four times without affecting convenience The corporation also needs to crack down on water theft which not only wastes water but can contaminate supply linesrsquoZulfiqar Sajid Varawalla Managing partner SARINlsquoAerators flow restrictors and regulators are available for practically every application including taps showers and kitchen faucets Yet adoption remains low because people do not fully appreciate the value of water If adopted widely these devices alone can reduce water consumption by at least 50 per centrsquoBy the numbers2060Reduction in water use through aerators and flow restrictors2050Reduction in fresh water consumption through STPtreated water100Sewage water that can potentially be treated and reused where adequate STP capacity exists