Following orders of the Uttarakhand High Court and notices issued by Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) to 14 industries in different industrial areas of Haridwar district recently, some of the industrial units have risen up to the need of rain water harvesting, sewage treatment plant and effluent treatment plant. Industries where water consumption and discharge of effluent is more are supposed to incorporate rain water harvesting areas. With ground water table sinking low, it has become a matter of concern for the regulatory authorities.
Before the onset of the rainy season, the construction of rain water harvesting ponds has begun in the SIIDCUL industrial area by various industrial enterprises. The rain water collected during the rains is used for watering the greens, car washing and any other non-drinking purposes. As there are hundreds of pharmaceutical units in the industrial area of SIIDCUL, Bhagwanpur, water consumption by these units is huge and so is the discharge of effluent.
Speaking to The Pioneer, UEPPCB environment engineer Ankur Kansal said, “In order to improve groundwater situation, it is essential to adopt rain water harvesting technique for groundwater recharge. In urban areas, rain water available from roof tops of buildings and other open areas can be utilised for groundwater recharge. For this, harvesting structures feasible in urban areas include recharge pits, trenches and existing wells, if any.”
One rain water harvesting system costs about Rs 2.5 lakh depending upon the rain fall in the region and how much water the user wishes to collect. Sometimes recharging is done through artificial borewells. Water audits are a must before installing any system.
Managing director of R B Concrete company, Ramesh Bhateja said, “We have geologists working with us who assess the ground water conditions of particular unit and the rainfall assessment of the region. Based on their findings, we suggest construction of rain water harvesting ponds. Micro filtration screens which filter the sand particles need to be put in the rain water harvesting systems to keep the water clean.”
Akshat Bhateja who has trained people on the rain water harvesting techniques said that before it becomes mandatory for one and all, as a social responsibility, one must take up the technique so that future generations do not face water crisis.