Rainwater harvesting to be must for houses on outskirts

The state government is preparing to make rainwater harvesting compulsory for houses and commercial buildings in gram panchayats on the fringes of Bengaluru.

The move is inspired by the BWSSB’s decision to make rainwater harvesting compulsory for new buildings within the city limits.

Officials at the Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat said the move was a precaution before things go out of control outside the city in terms of groundwater situation. “Many gram panchayat limits in Bengaluru Urban are growing faster,” a senior official in the zilla panchayat told DH.

He continued: “Commercial establishments and apartments are coming up in many areas. Though there’s no order, a few establishments are voluntarily practising RWH. So, this is the right time to bring up the issue and create awareness on water usage. “Compared to the city, the groundwater on the fringes is not adulterated. We should, therefore, focus on recharging the water source.”

There are 96 grama panchayats under the Bengaluru Urban district. Since most gram panchayat presidents are sceptical about making RWH compulsory, zilla panchayat officials have decided to instal RWH on government buildings.

“To begin with, RWH will be practised in government schools, gram panchayat offices and other government buildings. This will create awareness and later it’ll be made compulsory. We’ll take up the project under the Jalashakthi-Jalamrutha campaign and create awareness on the importance of RWH,” the official added.

This apart, gram panchayats will also work on afforestation, water conservation, water reuse, borewell recharge, watershed development among other things.