HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
In a tourism function organized by The Uttrakhand Tourism Development Board, Aahana -The Corbett Wilderness Resort was facilitated for Excellence in Waste Management Awards, in the hotels and guest house category. The tourism board conducted Swacchata Pakhwada, to promote better ways to dispose of waste and increase the awareness around waste management.
The award ceremony was conducted at CM’s residence and was attended by politicians, bureaucrats, entrepreneurs, hoteliers, etc. Hon’ble Chief Minister Uttarakhand Shri Pushkar Singh Dhami was the chief guest and the guest of honor was Tourism Minister – Shri Satpal Maharaj. The awards were divided into three categories, where category one was for NGOs, Individuals, or Start-ups, category two was for hotels and guesthouses, and the last category was for urban local bodies. Aahana The Corbett Wilderness was the only resort to be facilitated in category two.
As per the report of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 55% of the waste generated in the Himalayan region is biodegradable and mainly comes from homes, restaurants, staycations, hotels, resorts, etc. 21% is inert such as construction material and rest comes from various other sources. Tourism and Hotels are responsible for 30% of waste from an estimated 62 million tonnes generated by the country annually. It is high time when changes need to be implemented at the policy level to address the waste menace, threatening the Himalayan ecological system. In light of the above numbers, awards like these play an important role in creating awareness around the handling of waste management.
Aahana – The Corbett Wilderness an eco-friendly luxury resort has not only a waste management policy in place, but they ensure its strict implementation.
They have Asia’s biggest and unique organic Sewage Treatment Plant, a brainchild of the founder Mr. Kamal Tripathi. They recycle 100% of their water through an eco- STP which requires no energy or chemicals. This water which is extremely rich in minerals and nutrients is then used for gardening.
Ayu Tripathi, Director – Aahana The Corbett Wilderness shares, “We are happy and proud to receive this award. Each one of us needs to mitigate the impact of our business towards the environment and as a resort, we have taken a pledge to reduce our carbon footprints and make sustainability the heart of all decision making. But all this eco-friendliness does not come in the way of a luxurious stay at the resort. I firmly believe what makes Aahana unique is the beautiful blend of Luxury and Sustainability.”
The resort also has a no-waste policy and manages 100% of its waste in-house. The bio-degradable waste goes for composting and the rest is reused or recycled. The resort also makes uses of solar energy for heating and lighting thereby saving our precious resources.
The extensive use of reusable glass bottles at every table at the restaurant immediately cuts down the use of plastic pet bottles. With plastic use reduced to just 6 percent, Aahana is a success story of sustainability.
In addition to this Ms Ayu Tripathi, Director Aahana The Corbett Wilderness has been running a Clean-up program in the village with government school children and other kids for over 6 years now. Not only do they clean the village but these children are also taught about the hazards of plastic and other harmful waste.
