Hyderabad: Around 50 per cent of water which can be reused after treatment is being wasted daily basis, said water management experts.
The GHMC sanctioned Rs 4,933 crore for construction of sewage treatment plants, storm water drains and sewage lines in January 2019, but millions of litres of untreated sewage is dumped in water bodies every day.
Experts attribute the water crisis to the use of old toilet models, inefficient faucets, showerheads, outdoor water waste and traditional kitchen techniques. A cheap rupees 70 aerator can cut down water wastage by several litres.
“When it comes to water, it is relatively cheaper than other daily necessities like electricity and people don’t think about saving it. People buy star rated electronic devices but not good quality plumbing equipment which leads to severe wastage of water,” said Mr Srinivas V. of the Indian Plumbing Association.
A report issued by Niti Aayog last year said that India was facing the worst water crisis in history. The report says that more than 600 million people are facing “acute” water shortages and 21 cities of India including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Delhi are expected to run out of groundwater by 2020.
Chennai is making headlines with water in its reservoirs all but gone and the citizenry and its vaunted IT and car industries facing a severe water cruch.
Mr Aabid Surti, an environmentalist and founder of Drop Dead Foundation, said, “I started connecting water conservation with religion. I pasted a verse from the Quran which can be translated to, ‘Even if you are sitting near a flowing stream, you have no right to waste water.’ It started giving results. In Mumbai 35-45 per cent water gets wasted because of leakage in pipelines.”
Efforts of Aabid Surti have helped save 20 million litres of water in Mumbai.
