Serve half a glass of water to reduce wastage; reuse veg-washing water for plants
The next time you are served only half a glass of water at a restaurant, don't complain of poor service. The eatery is trying to be part of a larger initiative by select restaurants in the city to save water.
In a meeting last week to discuss the issue, members of Pune Hoteliers Association have decided to cut short their water usage. The members were unanimous about reusing the water used for washing vegetables in watering plants or cleaning verandah floors. They also agreed to serve only half a glass of water and refill only on demand.
Ganesh Shetty, president of Pune Hoteliers Association, said, "All hoteliers across the city are aware of the water problem faced by the city. Being in a business where water is the basic requirement, we have decided to use it very carefully. In our committee meeting last week, members shared their experiences on how to do it. Like most of them said, patrons waste served for drinking by taking only a few sips and wasting rest. So, initially, we decided to serve only half a glass or three quarters to customers and offering refills only on request. Though it is not mandatory on members, we sent out reminder messages today to ensure that they comply."
So, are the restaurants following the lead? At many places, reuse of water is being done diligently.
Sachindra Shetty, owner of hotel Roopali, said, "Our restaurant is not only following but we are also trying our best to save water by other means too. Though owing to cleanliness and health-related reasons, we cannot usually cut short our water usage in a drastic manner when it comes to washing and cleaning vegetables, we are making up by washing the outside premises around our restaurant with the same water used for cleaning vegetables."
Many restaurants said that they had set up recycling plants for this purpose, like at Hyatt Pune, general manager Vishal Singh said that plants are watered only with such water. Similarly, at High Spirits Cafe, owner Khodu Irani said that the place is designed in such a way that all used water slides down to be used for the plants around the venue. "For cooking and drinking purpose, we get packaged water. But we are trying to minimise wastage of water and have issued a 'need only' instruction to staff."
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