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Water harvesting, recycling and installation of Sewage Treatment Plants are the latest conservation methods being adopted by hotels. Bindu Gopal Rao looks at the bottom line
Paradoxical as it may sound, of all the water present on the planet, only about .008% is available for human consumption. As such, the importance of conserving water can hardly be over-emphasised.
Increased water consumption is causing an alarming increase in gas emission by plants throughout the world, which is contributing substantially to the environmental pollution. Water conservation is more important in the hotel industry since enormous quantities of water are wasted everyday in hotels throughout the world.
C.B Ramkumar, founder and managing director, Our Native Village - a 100% eco resort at Hessarghatta near Bangalore says: “Water conservation is a core priority, because our very existence is based on this concept.” From the perspective of the hospitality industry, it is imperative that they take up the green cause with great commitment as this is a high natural resource usage industry and hence the heightened need to act responsibly. In order to conserve water in the hotel industry, it is important to identify key areas where water is used and could be wasted, for instance, in areas like the bathroom.
Vishal Kamat, Executive Direct, Kamat Hotels India Ltd: “There are several reasons for this wastage. From the guest’s point of view, when they pay for a night’s stay in the hotel, there is an implicit understanding that the water (and electricity) consumed by the guest has already been paid for since their room tariff includes these costs.
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Therefore a guest is more likely to waste water (and electricity) in a hotel than their own home since the amount of water they consume is independent of their room tariff. At The Orchid, water saving devices are installed in the shower, flush and faucet to reduce water flow. For example, low flow showerheads and aerators in faucets are used which restrict water flow but increase water pressure.
Therefore these shower heads and faucets use less water than conventional ones and perform the same job. The flushes used are also designed to use less water than conventional ones. These flushes use five to six liters of water per flush whereas conventional ones use 10-15 liters.” Certain hotels also have automatic (touch-free) faucets. This type of faucet not only saves water but it is far more hygienic than manual taps.
Hotel chains are taking water conservation as a serious issue and have launched concerted programs towards this end. ITC Windsor thus operates in harmony with nature, and maintains a continuous balance with the eco system.
“Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” is the environmental message sent out by every ITC Hotel. In 2006, Accor Hospitality launched the Earth Guest program with the mantra: “as guest of the earth, we welcome the world.” This program is divided into two projects EGO (linked to the human being) and ECO (linked to the environment). Under ECO, Water conservation is amongst the top eight priorities in environment conservation.
To limit the impact of its activities on the environment, globally Accor has committed itself to reduce of 10 percent of the water consumption of its establishments before 2010. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the management has undertaken a host of measures to reduce its water consumption in the properties, apart from measures undertaken to minimise its use of energy and other natural resources.
These measures have solved some water problems not just for the property, but also for the surrounding areas. Accor has also laid down set objectives for limiting consumption by sensitising employees and making the guests aware of the environmental issues. “Internal water audits are carried out to highlight high consumption areas and an action plan is formed to restrict the same. The key to our strategy is sensitisation and conservation,” explains Daniel Tannenbaum, regional director sales and marketing - India, Accor Hospitality.
Welcomenviron, by ITC Welcomgroup’s is another program by a hotel chain that defines its commitment to the environment.
At the Taj West End in Bangalore, STP water of capacity 210 Kl is used for gardening. All the renovated rooms are fitted with dual speed flush tank and taps are fitted with aerators to reduce flow of water. A regular preventive maintenance schedule is in place to detect the leakage of water and sprinklers are use for gardening before sunrise and after sunset.
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