Rain water harvesting system, a solution for water scarcity and fast-depleting groundwater of Chandigarh, is yet to fully take off in the city. Though rain water harvesting (RWH) system was made mandatory in Chandigarh in the plots of one Kanal or more in 2008, the UT Administration’s endeavor to promote this initiative for water conservation is yet to become popular.
After issuing notification in 2008, the UT Administration had issued another notification in 2010 directing the houses and commercial complexes of one kanal or above to install the RWH system by December 31, falling which they would be liable for strict action. However, the situation is no different in 2014 and there has been poor compliance rate so far.
As per UT rules, the new or revised building plan of a house spread over an area of more than one kanal is approved only if it includes a rainwater-harvesting system.
While more than 100 notices have been issued in the past by the authority concerned for non-compliance to the residents, they continue to flout the rules in absence of any mechanism to keep a check on them.
On one hand, the compliance rate remains poor in residential areas, on the other; the work is going on at sluggish pace for installation of RWH systems in government buildings. To name a few, the State Judicial Academy Sector 43, UT Guest House Sector 6, Additional Deluxe Building Sector 9, Paryavaran Bhawan Sector 19 has been installed with RWH systems in the past.
Ironically, there has been no annual audit or report on the level of implementation or compliance in Chandigarh so far. Even as RWH has been installed in several government buildings, the Administration has never carried out annual audit to strengthen and streamline the system for water conservation.
At present, the demand for water is growing in direct proportion to Chandigarh’s growth. The city has access to 87 million gallons water per day (MGD), which is quite less from the demand of more than 120 MGD during summer.
Chandigarh is also facing problem of declining deep water table as well as rising water table in shallow aquifers in the southern sectors. The city is pumping out more water from its aquifers than is being recharged.
Talking to The Pioneer, Rajinder Singh Ahluwalia, Executive Engineer, Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) said that the MCC is working to install the RWH system in more government buildings this year and so far, the RWH system has been installed in more than 60 schools, several government colleges, ClTA Sector 10 among other places.
“Every year, a budgetary provision is made for installation of RWH in government buildings. While it is mandatory for the new constructions spread over an area of more than one kanal to include RWH system, the MCC is working for installation of RWH system in old Government buildings,” he added.
About the non-compliance of residential area, Ahluwalia said that the Estate office has the authority to keep a check on the violation of mandatory provision of RWH in buildings. A large number of houses are yet to install RWH system.
The official also confirmed that no survey has been conducted to check the working of installed RWH systems in the city. An official of the Estate office said, “There are a large number of old one Kanal and above one Kanal houses which are flouting the rules. Due to absence of regular checking drive or any other mechanism, the compliance rate of mandatory provision of RWH system has remained poor and this water conservation method is yet to attain good results.”
(The story is written under the aegis of a CSE fellowship)