Summer has become synonymous with water and power scarcity in the Capital. Even after repeated assurances by the government to supply adequate amounts of power and water to all, issues related to these basic necessities still crop up during the sizzling months.
While the common man gets the shorter end of the stick, there are others who take advantage. According to a recent report, 35 five-star hotels in the City have been sent notices to stop wasting water and power. These hotels have been asked to cut down on wastage and pollution and save resources or face action that could even include cancellation of land lease agreements. Some hotels also don’t have a dedicated sewage and solid waste treatment plant.
According to the report, 35 five-star hotels consume 15 million litres of water every day. Five million litres which can otherwise be supplied to an area as big as Delhi Cantonment is wasted every day, said the report. Talking to Metrolife Tripat Parmar, director NGO Deeksha who works in sectors of water conservation, natural resource conservation, water harvesting and waste management said, “This is really alarming and they way these hotels waste all the resources is just not done. There should be strict enforcement, law, penalty to stop this. The mindset is that when people have something in surplus, they don’t understand the value of it and same is the case with these hotels. This mindless attitude is costing us big time.”
Little or zero concern to save power is also in evidence. Even a smaller hotels use as much electricity as required by 600 households. “One cannot resources just because they can afford it. Many hotels don’t have solar heating systems. These hotels are violating most norms. Worse, these notices are not taken seriously. Making matters worse, are the investigating agencies which give a clean chit to these hotels after audit. Hotels use ground water which is banned totally and even their boring machines are not registered. All these in turn affect the residents of the localities nearby as they have to face water and power shortages every year. It is high time that cognizance of the matter was taken. The government officials also need to pull up their socks and take stringent action as soon as possible,” says Atul Goel, convenor of URJA, a group which encompasses a large number of RWAs’ under its aegis.
Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on the other hand makes it clear that action will be initiated once a mandate or law is passed. “We always work and encourage people to cut down water and wastage. But to take any concrete action we need a law in place,” said Sanjam
Chima, DJB.
