“The expenses further split into costs that are associated with the construction at time of opening, such as installing efficient toilets which cannot be undertaken after opening and the equipments that are installed afterwards for example the flow regulators. Hence the cost effectiveness and savings vary in each hotel,” adds Tannenbaum.
There is a lot of pressure on hotels to start to show concern for the environment in general and to water in specific. “With more research is throwing up the fact that consumers show preference for a hotel that shows and practices environmental concerns and practices. This trend is developing slowly but surely. There are more industry bodies that are lobbying for these trends today than there were 5 years ago,” says Ramkumar.
The tangible benefits are cost savings. The savings in terms of material costs and water costs can be measured easily. However, looking at the bigger picture, it makes the hotel more environmentally friendly, and ultimately makes for a socially responsible corporate. If every hotel can take such steps towards saving and preserving water, the industry as a whole can reduce its water consumption, reduce its impact on the environment and have a positive effect on the community. At Ista, the saving is 80 kilo litre/day, which means Rs. 2800 @ Rs. 35 per kilo litre.
Adds Thakur, ”the tangible benefits of these exercises are measured on the basis of the amount of money it helps the hotel save at the end of the year. The STP helps the hotel save about Rs. 50 Lakhs per annum and the dual flush and flow restrictors’ helps in saving Rs. 10 - 12 Lakhs per annum.” Explains Chadha, “the cost of the installation of the ETP Plant is a One Time Cost. We re-cycle water to the tune of 1,40,000 Kl per month and therefore save approximately Rs.3.15 lacs per month. Our hotel carried out distribution of “Drip Irrigation Kits” to our customers on the occasion of World Water Day.”
Improved water efficiency reduces water fees, using less heated water can reduce energy costs and reduced discharges help reduce wastewater flows and postpone the need for larger treatment facilities. At Accor Hotels, Water Conservation Awareness Program is being undertaken through posters, presentations and other communication tools across hotels.
The basic requirement then is to really curtail the unnecessary use of water. “We at The Lalit also include our guests to implement our initiatives. In every room we placed an information booklet highlighting water conservation initiatives and how they can pitch in for our guests’ reference and most of them appreciate this exercise,” opines Chatterjee. And as Thakur says, “it is a must for everybody to do their bit to conserve as much water as they can. A few years from now, water is going to be the costliest resource. In time to come there would be fights over water due to its scarcity. The alarming levels of Global Warming and the rate at which the water resource is depleting should be taken very seriously and measures should be taken by each and every one to conserve water for our future generations, we owe it to them.”
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