Apropos to Nilesh Mankar’s article (Guest Column, Nagpur CityLine, October 15) that rightly highlighted the urgent need for micro-water management to tackle water scarcity. While conventional UV/UF purifiers are sufficient, the rising usage of RO purifiers causes substantial water wastage and high electricity consumption. Water-intensive activities like construction, commercial kitchens, vehicle-washing, large-scale air cooling, and maintaining lavish fountains/pools deserve strict scrutiny for wastage. Ill-educated citizens wasting gallons of water daily across personal hygiene, cooking, and housekeeping is no less damaging.

 

Even fire-safety norms should be amended for demand-based pumping from sump over unnecessarily large overhead storage. Meanwhile, poorly planned redevelopment and unbridled expansion continue to strain Nagpur’s finite resources. With a population nearing 40 lakh, we cannot afford crisis-driven stopgap measures. Conservation cannot be a one-sided demand; Government establishments must demonstrate judicious use of water themselves before expecting citizens to change. Authorities must conduct transparent water audits, plug distribution leakages, swiftly curb theft, and publicly disclose compliance by public and commercial institutions. The coming summer must serve as a stern warning, rather than another excuse for administrative firefighting. Water security demands sound planning, responsible governance, and incorruptible enforcement before scarcity becomes an irreversible civic emergency.