Now, water fixtures to be rated by efficiency

Your water tap or bathroom tubs are likely to have star rating hereafter, as the Centre is planning to create a Bureau of Water Efficiency on the line of Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti is in the process of creating a new body to work on conserving water, framing guidelines for rating water fixtures and appliances including bathtubs, sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, and faucets.

The appliances which use the least water may get the highest rating.

The proposed body will also prepare a framework for encouraging water efficiency in different sectors including domestic, municipal, industry and agriculture. It will set standards for certification of institutions based on their water conservation methods.

"If a municipal body took initiative in conserving water by adopting various methods, then such body may get additional grants from the Centre for its effective work," said the official.

As per the National Water Mission's plan, the government had set the target to improve the efficiency of water usage by 20%. To achieve this, the mission documents call for an increase in water efficiency in all sectors including agriculture and industry and domestic sector.

The documents also emphasise on recycling water, developing eco-friendly system efficiency labelling of water appliances and fixtures and promote water-efficient techniques and technologies.

As per a 2018 Niti Ayog report, the country may face the worst water crisis as demand for potable water will outstrip supply by 2030 unless steps are not taken.

The report also said that nearly 600 million Indian faced high to extreme water stress. Total 21 cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi will run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people.

This will lead to a 6% loss in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050, said the report.