HOTELS IN INDIA CELEBRATE WORLD WATER DAY

HIGHLIGHTS OF WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT

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TIPS ON WATER CONSERVATION

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THE DOWNFALL OF MAJOR NATIONAL WATER POLICIES - WHAT IS THE WAY AHEAD?

DR ARYA SHARES HOW TO MAKE WASTELAND FERTILE

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GreenOtels Award 2019 - Watch this space...!

Minakshi Agarwal

A World without Water!

Barring a few hotels most hotels went silent when asked whether they had done any action, however small, towards the World Water Day.

March 22nd has come and gone - and the only thing that is top of mind for most of us is elections and who will be coming to power. The state of water or should I say the crisis that we are in with regards to water is not even felt, talked about or acted upon.

And talking about elections, I wonder if we are cognisant that India's water management has been on an unsustainable path for decades; and that our politicians have managed water mostly for short-term electoral gains and not for long-term benefits of the country. I recall having written to the Prime Minister several years back asking him why women in Cherrapunji, the wettest inhabited place on earth, for six months of the year lift empty oilcans on their backs and trek a kilometer to a stream to fetch water and that does it escape his eyes to see the dichotomy of farmers with too much and too little water just hours apart from one another.

Given that the state and national level policies on water will perhaps continue to hum and haw - businesses and hoteliers in

particular will need to make it a part of their strategic plan at the board level. Water typically has been so undervalued that it has for ages been used inefficiently but today no longer can businesses afford to ignore the cost of water in their scheme of things.

The way forward is to take up the water issues at the board level, dramatically improve efficiency and engage with local communities, governments and others to put in place projects that protect the watershed for all users.

Hoteliers, so focused on saving their energy bills (because it comes up every month on their tables) are blind to the costs that they might be incurring in their supply chain, operations and projects directly because of water and it’s management.

A case in point is Nestle - the chairman of Nestle, Peter Brabeck has introduced an internal “shadow price” of just over $1 per cubic metre for sites where there is abundant water and about $5 in drier spots. Incidentally, Nestle is the 49th-biggest industrial consumer of water in the world, according to Global Water Intelligence.

One brilliant suggestion came from Dr Arya, the man who converted desert and arid land of Rajasthan into a land with multiple lakes, "The Government should only allot waste land to businesses they will by default make that land productive."

Write to me at minakshi@greenotels.com

So, let's wake up and smell the 'Nestle' coffee and let's vote for that person who is committed to and has a clear agenda and action points outlined for a sustainable India.

Our aim has been to make GreenOtels as collaborative as possible, believing that a

diversity of perspectives enriches the work. We have reached out to experts, to

professionals and promoters in hospitality as well as companies engaged in sustainable

development to help make the big shift towards a sustainable future.

Niranjan Khatri, iSambhavParam Kanampilly, Concept Hospitality

Sanjay Sethi, ITC HotelsSteve Borgia, President, ESOI

KNOWLEDGE ASSOCIATESBharat Malkani, E.C. FHRAI

CB Ramkumar, Our Native VillageGarish Oberoi, President, FHRAI

Nilesh Mhatre, JW Marriott Prashant Pawar, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts

Prashant Vaidya, Hotel Sofitel

Bhaskar Masineni, The Leela Palace Jagadish Itagi, The Ritz Carlton Murali Panicker, Taj Bangalore

Ranjeet Yadav, ITC RajputanaAnupam Vivek, Jai Mahal Palace

HC Vinayaka, ITC HotelsSanjeev Saxena, DLF Home Developers

Shankareswaran Jayaraj, RelianceSunil Relia, JLL Building Operations

Vikram Choubal, Marriott International

BENGALURU

ADVISORY PANELAmitabh Tyagi, The Taj Hotels

Arun Bahadur, The Oberoi HotelsAshish Rakheja, AEON Consultants

CORE COMMITTEE

Ajay Nayak, ITC Maratha

Sharique Khurshid, Taj Krishna DELHI

Anil Kumar, The Imperial Rahul Prabhakar, ITC Maurya

Rothin Banerjee, Taj PalaceSuman Majumder, Hyatt Regency

Ravindra Singh, ITC GardeniaCHENNAI

Ashok Hemrajani, Minerva Group

JAIPUR M Kannan, Oberoi Rajvilas

MUMBAI

N Ramamoorthy, ITC Grand Chola Hotel HYDERABAD

Neeraj Kaushik, Renaissance

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, NORA DROP TO DRINK!

• 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

• 6.A: By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

Sustainable Development Goal 6 is crystal clear: water for all by 2030. By definition - this means leaving no one behind. But today, billions of people are still living without safe water. Acknowledging the fact that the hospitality and tourism industries play a major role in bringing about a difference in healthy usage of water - we dedicate this issue of GreenOtels to theme “Water.” As hoteliers, to ‘leave no one behind’, it is imperative to make sure that every activity conducted at our hotel supports global Sustainable Development Goal 6; that are-

• 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation

• 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all• 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

• 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

• 6.6: By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

THE BIRTH OF FIRST INTERNATIONAL WOMEN AND RIVERS CONGRESS

Attended by one hundred participants from 32 countries representing all the five continents, the Congress is supported by Australia's DfAT, Sweden's SIDA, American Jewish World Service (AJWS), Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA), Oxfam and many of their partner organizations.

A first-of-its-kind International Women and Rivers Congress kicked off at Club Himalaya in Nagarkot, Nepal on 7th March representing almost all the major rivers of the world. It was organized by the Berkeley-based International Rivers and its South Asia office in India with the local host Nepal Water Conservation Foundation.

The three-day congress shared stories of struggles and achievements related to water. It also examined the role of women leaders and the political challenges they face, and also seek to deepen our understanding of development issues from the perspectives of feminist discourse and philosophy. P

RA

ISE

SAUDI ARABIA’S LATEST PLAN TO DRASTICALLY REDUCE WATER USEIn describing the mission statement of Qatrah, the minister outlined how the programme will help reduce the country’s daily per capita consumption rate from 263 litres to 200 by 2020 and then further reduce it to only 150 litres by 2030 – nearly half the current level.

Supporting efficiency gains in water desalination operations through technological innovation.

Rationalising industrial and residential consumption through smarter water management, smart metering, etc.

Promoting greater water sustainability in agriculture – the industry responsible for 82% of all of non-renewable water consumption in Saudi Arabia in 2016.

The key methods and pathways to greater water security for Saudi Arabia through Qatrah include:

Educating the Saudi population on the importance of water conservation.

The announcement makes it abundantly clear that the Saudi Government is acting on two realisations on the future of water security: firstly, that desalination alone is not enough, due to its expense and other environmental concerns, and secondly that achieving sustainable water consumption

Another vital element of Qatrah worthy of further analysis is the education of Saudi citizens on the necessity for water conservation. Despite the huge expense on the supply side, 97% of Saudi Arabia’s population has access to potable water, traditionally at very cheap prices due to a long history of governmental subsidisation, giving them no great incentive to be mindful about their own personal consumption. This represents a welcome step in the right direction, where Saudi Arabians may ultimately be responsible for curbing consumption rates by reducing or eliminating their more wasteful habits.

levels will require deep and sustained cooperation between Saudi Arabia’s citizens, government authorities, businesses and international partners.

Like in India, tackling the agricultural industry’s unsustainable use of water is clearly a critical factor, one which may necessarily involve the kind of innovative agriculture technology approach that we’re currently seeing being taken up in the UAE.

By making water sustainability a more publicised issue that everyone can contribute towards solving, Qatrah may signal a fresh start for water security in Saudi Arabia.

“FERTILE LANDS MUST ONLY BE LEFT FOR FARMERS”- DR. VARUN ARYA

Known for his outstanding accomplishment of establishing an institute on a barren, saline wasteland, Dr. Varun Arya has successfully turned a “useless” land into a green one. With 15 lakes that today serve over 6 crore liters of water, invite migrating birds, hold over 6000 trees, 60 solar lights and a temple on the natural mound surrounded by 1500 plants, Aravali Institute in Jodhpur is the perfect example of how any piece of land can never be bootless.

the fertile land of our country must be handed over to farmers for agriculture.

Dr. Arya is of the opinion that the hotel industry can also adopt this idea of setting up a property on a barren land. Rather than investing on a fertile land, hotels can invest in making it green; which is no science. And is doable by anybody who cares! He also suggests that hoteliers must make a one-time investment of building water storage - which could literally be under a playground or the garden area and shall not even block land space. If not completely, this initiative will enable hoteliers to serve at least 70 percent of their water needs.

Concluding his views, Dr. Arya believes

“A law should be made that institutes and houses must be set up only on wastelands. Whereas, fertile and productive land must only be left for farming.”

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WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION AT HOTEL ITC GARDENIA - BENGALURU

The following topics were discussed in the session-a) Safe Operating Procedure of STP

d) Regulatory act of water supply board and Pollution control board of Karnatakac) Uses and benefits of recycled water

e) Rain water harvesting system

1. World water day banners were displayed near staff entrance and associates learning wall2. Power point presentation on "The Necessity of Water Savings" was run on television sets3. A training session by external trainer - Mr. Ajay Kumar Nayak, Chief Engineer of ITC Maratha on STP usage, benefits and usage of recycled water was conducted.

Acknowledging the importance of water, ITC Gardenia - Bengaluru celebrated World Water Day in the following manner-

b) How does the recycling process in STP work?

WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION AT HOTEL iBIS - NAVI MUMBAI AND NASHIK

Dedicating 22nd March to World Water Day, ibis Navi Mumbai and ibis Nashik carried out several activities at the hotels, spreading the message of water preservation- • Poster making competition was conducted amongst all employees• Training session for employees on - Tips to Save Water• Awareness posters encouraging minimum water utilization were pasted in lockers for employees to take notice • Water flow was reduced for the entire day• A water documentary named ‘A world without water was showcased in Cafeteria for guests

WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION ATHOTEL FERN HOTELS AND RESORTS

The waste water of Meluha is treated at the off site sewage treatment plant (Nirvana Park). Post treatment the water is reused in the hotel for flushing, cleaning etc.

To deepen the understanding of Meluha's system, the Green team studied the process of recycling water. The team visited the sewage treatment plant at Nirvana Park located in the Hiranandani township. A shared intention of the event was to also facilitate a deeper connection with the earth through a nature walk.

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WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION AT THE WESTIN CHENNAI VELACHERYOn World Water Day, General Manager - Mr. Lakshmanan Ramanathan initiated a small session on the need for disciplined water usage with the staff and guests present in the hotel. The guests and staff then wrote their pledge on the bonny artwork. They also wrote informative messages on table top card displays, with the aim of evoking the message of safe water practices.

WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION AT HOTEL CROWN PLAZA - GURGAON

An opening speech by General Manager - Mr. Suraj Jha on “Water saving tips” was followed by a “Sand Art Competition” on topic - Save water.

A new concept of "It starts with me” was introduced on this day; wherein all HODs were given table and standees of environment friendly materials - discarded waste.

Being a member of IHG sustainability project “Green Engage,” the team of Crown Plaza in Gurgaon celebrated World Water Day by carrying out following activities-

The event was a huge success with the participation of all staff members who pledged to save water.

A dance performance was prepared and a video was showcased that shared the message of “Say no to plastic" and "Save Water" by team Engineering and Green Engage champions.

WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION AT MADHUBAN RESORTS AND SPAIn 2019, Madhuban resorts has decided to invest an estimated amount of Rs.8 Lakhs for addition of Ultra Filter to the STP Plant for crystal clear water which can be used for WC Flushing System and Cooling Towers, announcing the initiative Madhuban celebrated the precious occasion of World Water Day. Interactive activities like poster making competition and slogan writing competition were also held amongst all employees.

On World Water Day, Taj Krishna launched a new program called Re-Trenching through which to hotel aims at achieving 13% reduction in total water consumption. The program is based on intensive methodology on optimizing grey water usage and reducing the existing consumption by user end.

DOES YOUR RESTAURANT SERVE#GLASSHALFFULLYET?The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) announced that it is extending support to #GlassHalfFull initiative led by the non-governmental organisation 'Why Waste' to stop the unnecessary wastage of water at restaurants.

The initiative after years of struggle, requests restaurants to fill the glass of water half full only unless otherwise requested by the

customer. Through this partnership, both Why Waste and NRAI aim to reduce wastage of water served at restaurants.

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WORLD WATER DAY CELEBRATION AT HOTEL TAJ KRISHNA - HYDERABAD

HOW CAN HOTELS SAVE WATER?TIPS BY - NIRANJAN KHATRI

Deforestation, rampant extraction of resources, overuse of fossil fuels and many other reasons have led to climate change; resulting into conditions like poor rainfall, heat waves, severe cold waves and most importantly, leading to longer dry spells which are causing forest fires on a scale not witnessed in the history of mankind, thus impacting the availability of water.

Responsible hoteliers action plan on water

Aerators in the tap to reduce outflow.

Install water frugal devices in taps and showers and encourage guests to start using water mindfully for bathing, avoiding long showers.

With a brief above backdrop - there is planetary urgency to use every nano drop of water carefully

Here are some tips on how hoteliers can save water-

Install:

Install a dual flushing system which discharges 6 and 1 and a half litres of water, as per appropriate need for discharging solid and liquid human waste

Water less urinals in public rest rooms.

Embed from design stage sprinklers and drip irrigation system, or retrofit with such devices if not installed earlier .

Plant trees and shrubs which are not water thirsty.

Use reprocessed water from sewage plant for flushing, horticulture and for a/c cooling tower unit .

Avoid paving parking area, install interlocking tiles with grass in between to allow rainwater to percolate in the aquifer.

Install soil moisture sensors for irrigation purpose and water only on the basis of low moisture content, and not every day.

Do not judge the cost of water when it is available, look at the cost of water when it is not available

Use gunny bags for curing walls during construction to reduce the speed of water from flowing down the walls. This will help to reduce water consumption.

Recycle curing water during construction, for curing again, after basic filtration of sand .

If the above tips are difficult to implement, the hotels can at least start service design - offering water in small/ large peg. This can be followed not just at a hotel, but also by all of us at home. This will avoid wasting of 25 crore litres of drinking water per day, per family.

To conclude, bring water modesty in all aspects of life by reassessing actual need as opposed to our current practice.

Install water inlet and outlet meters even in multi-story buildings to gauge consumption and levy charge on the basis of outflow

HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2019

It demonstrates how improvements in water resources management and access to water supply and sanitation services are essential to addressing various social and economic inequities, such that ‘no one is left behind’ when it comes to enjoying the multiple benefits and opportunities that water provides. Here are some highlights from the report-

The United Nations World Water Development Report 2019 Leaving no one behind, launched on 19th March 2019 during the 40th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), is in conjunction to the World Water Day.

Three out of ten people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water, and six out of ten do not have access to safely managed sanitation services – issues reflected in SDG targets 6.1 and 6.2, respectively.

The report calls for addressing inequities in

Proposed Solution-

The report argues for prioritizing focus on equitable access to water for farmers in agricultural production, for refugees and internally displaced people who face barriers in accessing services, and for slum dwellers who lack water pipe and sewage connections.

The report notes that by the end of 2017, more people than ever have been forcibly displaced through conflict, persecution or human rights violations, while another 18.8 million people were displaced by sudden-onset disasters.

To successfully bring water and sanitation to populations in need, they propose targeting areas where people have least access to services, collecting disaggregated data to determine which groups are at the highest risk of being left behind, introducing technology that is the “best fit” for local needs, rather than “best practice,” and tracking and monitoring services. They note that subsidies will be needed for achieving universal coverage of services.

costs and services, and shows that the poor often do not benefit from government investment in pipe and sewage infrastructure as they lack access to connections. Hence, the poor may pay much higher prices for water that they buy directly from vendors.

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INDIA AND WATER - POSITIVE STORIES FROM STATES!Delhi

In Pithoragarh district, a joint action undertaken in 312 villages have successfully implemented springshed management project. They adopted catchment area approach by identifying sources of springs, understanding their history and doing a diagnosis of the issues due to which they are

Haryana The central government university in Mahendragarh Haryana is using treated water for gardening purposes and thus saving about 1 lakh litres of water daily.

In July 2018 the government announced to treat and use 150 MGD waste water to increase the 900 MGD capacity of Delhi. In its 2018-19 budget announcement, the government has set deadlines and fund allocation for installation of bulk water meters and decentralized STPs. After positive results of a natural STP in Bawana which treats about 10 lakh liters sewage water daily through natural processes, the government plans to build 16 more such plants. The STP comprises of a sedimentation tank where the sewage is allowed to stand for the total suspended solids to settle down. Water is then passed through four chambers and multiple compartments, which have beds of pebbles of various sizes. This stage filters the sewage. At least four species of fast growing aquatic plants feed on the organic matter in the water. Engineers are now planning to add another section to the STP - activated charcoal.

Uttrakhand

drying up, before identifying areas that need to be rejuvenated. Another inspiring tale is from Pouri district where three villages in Thalisain tehsil have been putting in sustained efforts in creating water recharge pits for years including the plantation and forest protection ultimately leading to the revival of water sources and Gadganga a small stream part of East Nayaar River basin.

Jammu & Kashmir

The Women’s Alliance of Ladakh, while making efforts to protect Ladakh’s environment are persuading farmers of the cold desert to practice organic farming and traditional water harvesting as farmers have faced water scarcity because of low snowfall in recent years.

Sikkim

In Sikkim - the Dhara Vikas group involves villagers in reviving springs and streams that provide drinking water to over 80 per cent of the state’s rural households. As part of the Sikkim government’s Dhara Vikas programme, launched in 2008-’09, the Rural Management and Development department

has so far mapped 704 springs for rejuvenation.

The Paani Foundation has been running Water Cup an inter-village competition for water conservation work in drought prone areas of Maharashtra annually. In 2016, about 116 villages from 3 talukas participated in the competition. In 2017 over 1300 villages from 30 talukas took part in the competition in which no loses out says Amir Khan. In 2018 over 4000 villages from 75 talukas took part in the competition. The program also tries to involve Urban people through Chala Gaavi (almost 25000 people came) and on May 1, 2018, Jal Mitra Maha Shramdaan, with about 1.3 lakh volunteering. However, if this program is having a sustainable, equitable impact on water security is a question that still remains unanswered for lack of independent assessment.

Gujarat

Maharashtra

The people of Methda village in Bhavnagar district crowdfunded to build the low head dam to stop salinity ingress. In 1992, the state government had approved the proposal to build a weir across Baghad river to curb sea water from entering inland. However, despite repeated memorandums, successive governments failed to build the weir. So

There is one more example of how village people in Mandavi block of Surat district, possibly close to Bharuch border collectively manage a local dam and its waters.

farmers in Methda decided to build a 12-km-long weir on their own.

Madhya PradeshIn Jhabua district to address the inadequate supply of water, an integrated watershed project has built 23 new check dams and revamped six existing dams in the region.

Odisha Women of Mangarajpur panchayat under Kujang block in Jagatsinghpur district, have ushered in a revolution by renovating water bodies in their locality. The women have undertaken tasks such as digging of ponds and erection of embankment on the river for creating pools of water to overcome the problem of acute water scarcity.

Karnataka

Shazar Robinson, the 70 years old educator from Australia, spends six months a year in Hubballi in Dharwad district, to create awareness about borewell recharging among farmers. She is an adviser-consultant with Hubballi-based Sankalpa Rural Development Society, which is involved in borewell recharging through rain water harvesting for a decade. She doesn’t get paid by SRDS and stays here on her own cost.

Andhra Pradesh JR Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) of Visakhapatnam has set an example by adopting various water conservation measures. They complied with municipality instructions making recharge pits compulsory. Over the years, RWA has created 8 RWH pit and now reaping the benefits. Some residents

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The proposed RWH park was to be developed with rainwater instead of tap water jointly by GHMC and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMW&SB). This was India’s second such park, the first RWH park was established in Bengaluru by ‘Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage’ (BWSSB) in March 2011 on 1.5 acre open plot.

Tamil Nadu

Telangana In February 2018, to create awareness among people about saving rainwater and utilizing harvested water, the government proposed to construct a theme park as part of ‘Jalam-Jeevam’ programme to promote construction of RWH pits. Large areas at Kamalapuri Colony and Butterfly Park at Jubilee Hills road no. 26 had been identified to develop the theme park.

also have second recharge pit to collect the roof-top water. In the recognition of its efforts to recharge the water table, the association has won the National Water Award instituted by the Union Ministry of Water Resources for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

The construction of 600 RWH structures

Over 1500 farm ponds have been created in the district under the Jalasree project aimed at finding a sustainable solution to drinking water scarcity. Also, the wells in the premises of around 900 schools were being recharged.

Kerala

Chennai is one of the few urbanized zones where the groundwater table has gone up on a number of occasions over the past decade, including last year. The city managed to implement the simplest possible solution of installing RWH structures in a large proportion of homes and buildings.

since 2005 by Siruthuli NGO has helped in improving the groundwater table in Coimbatore city. With successful initiative which has reportedly seen significant increase in water table and high reduction in average drilling cost of borewells, the group is recommending construction of about 2000 such RWH structures across the city.

Mazhapolima (Bounty of Rain), a roof top RWH scheme (started in 2008) to recharge dug wells has benefited residents of Thrissur-Kerala. Since 2008, Mazhapolima has been able to install close to 30,000 units, with over 100,000 beneficiaries.

THE FALL OF NATIONAL WATER POLICIES India was a pioneer in developing National W P in 1987, when such a ater olicies (NWP)policy was rather uncommon. Since then Indian NWP has been revised twice, in 2002 and in 2012. However, more than 30 years after the first NWP, far from helping India in modifying her water management practices to achieve the desired social, economic and environmental outcomes, successive NWPs have had no impact whatsoever on water management.

This lack of commitment is seen even in the style of prose of all the three versions. Clause 5.1 of NWP 2012 says, “The availability of water resources and its use by various sectors in various basin and States in the country needs to be assessed scientifically.”

Water resources assessment is entirely within the jurisdiction of ministry of water resources (MoWR); an assessment does not need enactment of any legislation, nor any approval from Parliament, or from the states; and mere assessment will not lead to any political fallout. Then who is the intended recipient of the advice that the water resources need to be assessed scientifically? Instead of giving

Driven by a compulsion to be politically correct, while also being influenced by fashionable ideas paraded in international water seminars, all the versions of NWPs have promoted ideas that are unimplementable in the Indian context. For example all the NWPs have endorsed basin -as a unit for all planning, and have recommended establishment of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) as the platform where all the stakeholders in a basin are represented, and where such basin planning can be done. NWP 2012 went a step further and stated that comprehensive legislation needs to be enacted to establish RBOs. However, after three decades of espousing basin as a unit for all planning, no basin is being planned or developed thus, and there isn’t even one inter-state RBO.

Civil society organisations had raised some valid concerns, such as how the interests of the poor will be protected; how the private sector operator will be prevented from gaining undue control of water at source; will it become a case of private profits and public risks; who will decide the tariffs, and on what basis. The water bureaucracy had no answers, and the NWP 2012 quietly removed this emphatic support for PPPs. Despite having a written NWP for more than 30 years all the problems, be it water scarcity, deteriorating quality, aquifers being sucked dry, inter-state disputes and now even intra-state disputes, are only increasing.

Words of Chetan Pandit - former member of

Chief Executive, Third World Centre

homilies, why doesn’t the MoWR just go ahead and do it?

Here are a few practical suggestions for the next revision of NWP, whenever it is taken up.NWP needs to accept that policies are a set of guidelines for decision making, to steer outcomes towards some stipulated objectives. Therefore policies have to be realistic, and not merely a lofty statement of how a nation wishes things to be. The next NWP must be based on policy research. The language should be more assertive. It should clearly stipulate what is necessary, how it will be achieved, who exactly will do what, within what time frame, and what preceding actions are a prerequisite to do it.

A policy statement has to emerge out of, and has to be backed by, sound policy research. But the NWPs have consistently contained ideas that were clearly not based on policy research. A glaring example is the support to Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the water sector. Clause 13 of the NWP of 2002 made a very emphatic statement for PPP, suggesting all models of PPP, for example management, BOT, BOOT. But after 10 years, there wasn’t a single irrigation project in PPP mode.

Sadly, there are no signs that our politicians have realised the severity of the situation the country is facing and are willing to take some hard decisions. If the current trends continue, India’s water crisis will only worsen with time.

Central Water Commission and Asit Biswas -

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TIMELINE OF WORLD VISION’S WATER WORK - INSPIRATION FOR ORGANISATIONS

Disclaimer : Although we have taken every care to make the information in this publication as accurate as possible, we accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies or changes since going to press. All information here in is gathered from primary, secondary and tertiary sources.

All rights reservedAll rights of this publication are with GreenOtels and Root Cause Mediaa.This publication may not be copied,stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publishers. This publication is for private circulation only and not for sale purposes.

Knowledge Partners Global Media Partners

Editor: Minakshi Agarwal. Editorial Contribution: Pooja AkulaPublished by Root Cause Mediaa, Bungalow 36, Block W, Opp LS Raheja College, Relief Road Santa Cruz (West), Mumbai 400 054E: info@greenotels.com P: 022 60660151 W: www.greenotels.com

1985: World Vision begins water drilling projects in Ghana.

2013: World Vision and Procter & Gamble celebrate a partnership that has provided 1 billion liters of purified water in Rwanda.

2015: Driven by a $40 million gift to its water programs by Dana and Dave Dornsife, World Vision announces in September plans to reach one new person with clean water every 10 seconds by 2020 — eventually achieving universal water access everywhere it works by 2030.

1960s: World Vision begins small water projects.

2006: Large-scale water work begins in Ethiopia.

2017: World Vision now reaches one new person every 10 seconds with clean water.

2013: Drilling begins in India.

2016: Expands in Latin America, Caribbean, and Middle East reaching 4.6 million new people.

2009: Large-scale water work beings in Zambia, including sanitation and hygiene practices.2011: World Vision begins intentional scale-up of water and sanitation activities in 10 countries in Africa. Numbers of clean water beneficiaries increase 20-fold when comparing 2010 to 2016.

Early 1980s: Severe droughts in Africa focus the world’s attention on the urgent need for clean water.

2003: West Africa Water Initiative extends drilling into Mali and Niger.

World Vision is a leading humanitarian provider of clean drinking water that focuses on bringing water to the extremely poor - including those with disabilities - in rural areas with the greatest disease burden. In lines with Water Water Day 2019 theme - Leaving No One Behind, the below timeline marks their initiatives to make water accessible to all across globe -

1990: The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation partners in the Ghana water effort.

2005: West Africa’s 2,000th well is drilled in Ghana.

2012: Drilling begins in Honduras.

2014: University of North Carolina independent study reveals nearly 80 percent of World Vision wells in Ghana still function at high levels, even after 20 years. The 1,000th productive well is drilled in Mali. 2014: In December, the U.S. Congress passes Water for the World Act and World Vision starts reaching one person every 30 seconds with clean water.

2030: 50 million people - everyone, everywhere we work have access to clean water and sanitation.

2020: 20 million new people served with clean water

In June, World Vision drills its 1,500th borehole well since 2003 in Mali.

2022: Clean water made available for everyone, everywhere we work in Rwanda.

2018 to 2030: World Vision sets ambitious goals for global water work