Mall owners boil over water cuts

Say they are upset with civic body's ultimatum to look for alternative sources of water and a 30 per cent cut, especially with approaching festive season

Say they are upset with civic body's ultimatum to look for alternative sources of water and a 30 per cent cut, especially with approaching festive season

Mall owners, who were anticipating huge sales during the upcoming festive season, received a jolt when the BMC imposed a 30 per cent water cut for all commercial establishments on Monday.

So far, the malls faced a 15 per cent water cut like residential areas.

Added Woes

"The announcement is a shocker. It is heartbreaking as we get thousands of walk-ins every day.

Winter is holiday season and a 30 per cent water cut will add to our woes," said Shreesh Misra, head (malls) at Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd.

Added Amaan Fakih, CEO, M Square, "It's very unfortunate. As of now, the BMC took care of about 25 per cent of our requirements and we managed the rest.

Paani Chala Jaayega: The BMC says that the water crisis in the city is a matter of concern and expects most malls to dig bore wells or even install sewage water treatment plants by March.

If they reduce water supply further, we will have no choice but to dig up bore wells or even install sewage water treatment plants." But the BMC is adamant.

"We need to act tough as the water crisis is a matter of concern. We expect most malls to develop alternative methods for meeting their water requirements by March," said BMC chief engineer, hydraulic department,
S Korlekar.

Business establishments say the directives to install sewage plants and dig up bore wells are not feasible.

Devang Sampat VP, Marketing & Programming for Cinemax India Ltd, said, "We will meet our experts and decide.

The directives have created insecurity among multiplex owners."

84 Lakh Litres
The amount of water used to shoot a tsunami scene in De Dana Dan

21 Crore
Number of buckets of water required by Mumbai every day, but city gets 17 crore buckets

360 Litres
The amount of water a family of four uses every day

20 Litres
The capacity of an average bucket

Health Worries for Customers

"I hope the malls don't start using sub-standard water that will affect our health," said Andheri resident Rupali Shah. Added Twinkle Singh from Ghatkopar, "There are times when there is no water in the restrooms. It is always better for bigger establishments to install sewage plants. This will also help them to save water."

Hotel Management

Hotels are adopting various measures to save water like Rainwater harvesting Recycling wastewater Appeal cards in rooms that request guests to save water Requesting guests not to get their bedsheets changed if they are not dirty