30L LITRES OF WATER DOWN THE DRAIN

Forgetting Past Mistakes & Travails, Mumbaikars Waste Enormous Amounts Of Water On Holi

 As countries around the globe gear up to mark World Water Day on Tuesday, Mumbaikars have something to be ashamed of. Throwing conservation to the wind, citizens wasted an additional 30-lakh litres of water this Holi on excesses like rain dances despite widespread appeals for prudent celebrations.
    According to one estimate, about 250 to 300 water tankers, each with a capacity of 10,000 litres, were supplied across Mumbai on Sunday. This was in marked contrast to last year, when the city was suffering its worst water crisis. Crippled by low catchment levels, a helpless Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) refused to supply water tankers and urged citizens to avoid extravagant celebrations. The awareness and restrictions paid off with less than 50 tankers (about 5 lakh litres) of water getting used.
    "This year, it seems, nobody spared a thought for water conservation. While last year was dull, this time, business was brisk and hundreds of tankers were supplied around the city, " said Parminder Singh Hanspal, president of Mumbai Water Tankers' Association.
    Many housing societies, last year, cancelled orders for water tankers after the civic body issued a public appeal for conservation. This year, however, there was no change of heart. A part of the blame, many say, can be apportioned to the authorities, which did not want to hit the panic button on a festival because of sufficient catchment levels.
    "There is a general feeling that the situation in the lakes is comfortable and there is enough water to last us the summer. This has allowed many to escape the feeling of guilt while wasting water on Holi," said Rajesh Thakur, who supplied water tankers to south Mumbai and suburbs.
    Incidentally, the theme of this year's World Water Day is 'Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge'. On this day, the UN wants to "focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialization and uncertainties caused by climate change, conflicts and natural disasters on urban water systems".
    Mumbai has about 3 lakh housing societies and daily receives 3,450 million litres (mld) of water from six lakes. But this is roughly 1,000 mld short of its needs. The shortage and low pressure in the distribution system already forces societies to purchase water from the 1,200-odd tankers in the city.
    "I have been to as many as 180 housing societies during the course of my work over the last decade. By and large, there is a need to change people's mindset since they wake up to water conservation only when the BMC reduces the supply like last year," said water conservationist Janak Daftary.
WATER SITUATION IN CITY Demand: 4,450 million litres per day (mld) Supply: 3,470 mld Lost due to theft and leakages: 680 mld or 20% Per capita use: Between 90 and 240 litres a day in high rises. In slums, 45 litres a day
BMC's budget for water supply: Over Rs 2,000 cr WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
Use a sprinkler for watering the garden instead of a hose. This alone can save 50 litres of water Choose low-flow showerheads that reduce waste by 45% Use dual flush toilets to reduce water consumption by up to 67% Water plants with the washing machine's waste water Avoid keeping the washbasin tap open. It wastes three to five litres a time Take a bucket bath, which consumes an average of 20 litres of water, instead of using a head shower that wastes 80 litres or a bathtub that uses over 120 litres WHAT THE AUTHORITIES SHOULD DO
Expand and strengthen water delivery system Reconstruct old reservoirs Rehabilitate and replace water pipelines Reduce water loss Boost leak detection system Implement GPRS to update underground maps Install effective water meters Implement micro tunnelling to reduce pipe bursts Promote hydroelectricity generation

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