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Capt R.Thomas Paul, Ex-Army Captain, Softskills Trainer, English Coach, published author of two novels; several published articles in The Hindu.
Whenever one sees a high-rise building housing hundreds of apartments over a limited acreage of land, the first thought that runs through one’s mind is whether there would be a regular supply of water to sustain routine use in these hundreds of apartments in the next couple of months. The municipal water supply in Bengaluru has been stretched to the limit in its jurisdiction. As regards areas beyond municipal limits where the real estate expansion is mindlessly fast-paced, the water supply is entirely dependent on borewells from around the villages in the city’s periphery. The supply from these borewells may last this current season of scanty rainfall. It may not last the next consecutive drought. The ratio of water requirement to the water supply sources is where the math doesn’t add up. A moratorium on high-rise buildings in Bengaluru for a year or two is necessary legislation.
The solutions to this looming disaster are few but require urgent attention:
Rainwater harvesting has not been implemented strictly everywhere. Unless non-adherence to the RWH regime is penalised, it won’t take off. Secondly, it presumes regular rainfall which is itself doubtful.
Rainwater harvesting has not been implemented strictly everywhere. Unless non-adherence to the RWH regime is penalised, it won’t take off. Secondly, it presumes regular rainfall which is itself doubtful.
Recycling and reuse of wastewater The norms for implementation of Sewage Treatment Plants should be revised to cover even more habitations.
The filtered-out water discharged by R.O. units can be used to water plants, mop floors, and even wash vessels.
The filtered-out water discharged by R.O. units can be used to water plants, mop floors, and even wash vessels.
Flat Maintenance & Water usage:
The logic behind flat maintenance needs prudent application and has an important role in the use of water. The flat maintenance should comprise two parts: fixed maintenance and water consumption. Fixed maintenance includes the cost of security, maintenance of common areas, common lighting, housekeeping, garden upkeep, generator, gym, swimming pool, and so on. Fixed maintenance cannot be charged on the basis of the carpet area of each apartment, as is the case in most of the buildings now. Occupants of a three-bedroom apartment do not use the common facilities more than the two-bedroom occupants. Therefore there is no logic in charging flat maintenance on the basis of the carpet area of an apartment. The fixed maintenance should be equally divided amongst all apartments irrespective of the carpet area.
The second aspect of flat maintenance is water supply. Again there is no logic in charging for water based on carpet area. You may have five or six members in a two-bedroom flat consuming more water than in a three-bedroom flat occupied by two people who would naturally consume less water. To calculate water charges, separate metered water pipelines should be connected to each apartment. At the end of the month, the building association can furnish the actual consumption of water in each apartment and charge them accordingly. It is a one-time expense to install separately metered pipelines to each flat. The companies installing the pipelines also undertake to read the meters of all the flats every month and furnish the quantity of water consumed. The Association can also introduce graded slabs chargeable for the quantity of water consumed by the occupants. The higher the quantity consumed, the higher should be the per-liter charge. This would automatically make the occupants aware of their water usage and provide incentive to control and reduce their consumption. Every apartment occupant would be accountable for water usage and would take ownership of the same.
At the end of the month, the Association may provide an Excel sheet of the water consumption of all the apartments. This would show everyone the comparative consumption among each apartment. If occupants leave the tap open and go away to the office, or go out of the station, they alone will pay for their carelessness, unlike the current system of common water usage borne by everybody.
Water is a precious resource, and we have been taking its availability for granted for too long. The number of dwellings in Bengaluru is growing astronomically. The water issue has to be tackled on a war footing, else the scenario of mass migration out of Bengaluru is not out of the question.
The logic behind flat maintenance needs prudent application and has an important role in the use of water. The flat maintenance should comprise two parts: fixed maintenance and water consumption. Fixed maintenance includes the cost of security, maintenance of common areas, common lighting, housekeeping, garden upkeep, generator, gym, swimming pool, and so on. Fixed maintenance cannot be charged on the basis of the carpet area of each apartment, as is the case in most of the buildings now. Occupants of a three-bedroom apartment do not use the common facilities more than the two-bedroom occupants. Therefore there is no logic in charging flat maintenance on the basis of the carpet area of an apartment. The fixed maintenance should be equally divided amongst all apartments irrespective of the carpet area.
The second aspect of flat maintenance is water supply. Again there is no logic in charging for water based on carpet area. You may have five or six members in a two-bedroom flat consuming more water than in a three-bedroom flat occupied by two people who would naturally consume less water. To calculate water charges, separate metered water pipelines should be connected to each apartment. At the end of the month, the building association can furnish the actual consumption of water in each apartment and charge them accordingly. It is a one-time expense to install separately metered pipelines to each flat. The companies installing the pipelines also undertake to read the meters of all the flats every month and furnish the quantity of water consumed. The Association can also introduce graded slabs chargeable for the quantity of water consumed by the occupants. The higher the quantity consumed, the higher should be the per-liter charge. This would automatically make the occupants aware of their water usage and provide incentive to control and reduce their consumption. Every apartment occupant would be accountable for water usage and would take ownership of the same.
At the end of the month, the Association may provide an Excel sheet of the water consumption of all the apartments. This would show everyone the comparative consumption among each apartment. If occupants leave the tap open and go away to the office, or go out of the station, they alone will pay for their carelessness, unlike the current system of common water usage borne by everybody.
Water is a precious resource, and we have been taking its availability for granted for too long. The number of dwellings in Bengaluru is growing astronomically. The water issue has to be tackled on a war footing, else the scenario of mass migration out of Bengaluru is not out of the question.
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