Don’t fill glasses with water, says hoteliers’ body

AHAR asked its members to place a jug of water with glasses for customers, instead of filling up all the glasses to ensure there is no wastage of water.

Expect the glass to be empty the next time you enter a city hotel.

The Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR), in a recent meeting, asked its members to place a jug of water with glasses for customers, instead of filling up all the glasses to ensure there is no wastage of water.

Niranjan Shetty, chairperson of AHAR, said, “If a customer wants to drink water, he can fill the glass. It is better than filling all glasses and then wasting water if the customer does not finish it.”

Shetty said the association had made an appeal to its members last month and a similar appeal will be made in AHAR’s next meeting on April 19, Shetty said.

There are more than 25,000 hotels in the city, of which 8,500 hotels and restaurants are AHAR members. Shetty said such small steps can help even a small hotel, which uses 1,000 litres of water every day, can save up to 30-40 per cent of its water.

The city has been facing water cuts since August 2015. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has imposed a 20% cut on residential societies, while commercial establishments have been receiving 50 per cent less water.

Experts said the practice can also help create awareness about saving water among customers.

“Although it will not change the city’s water needs, it will act as a good symbolic gesture. By doing this, hotel owners will also indirectly create awareness among customers,” said Gautam Kirtane, a research fellow from the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Mumbai.