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RWH... soon a reality
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With the Government's ordinance making rainwater harvesting mandatory in buildings, old or new, before August 31, Chennai-ites can approach several agencies who are involved in installing the structures. T. RAMAKRISHNAN writes...
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A DECADE ago, Gadhadhar was going through tense moments that any middle class citizen would while buying a flat. He had booked one in T. Nagar, a busy shopping centre but also known for its water scarcity. Having spent numerous sleepless nights and encountered "water battles",
Gadhadhar was determined not to suffer for want of water. It was at that time that he read press reports on rainwater harvesting (RWH). Immediately, he went to his builder, who brushed the suggestion aside. The builder's reaction was, "I will provide two borewells, and a Metrowater connection. So why worry?" But, a couple of months later, the builder came back to Gadhadhar, asking him whether he had any literature on RWH. Just then, the Government had announced that to get water connections, new buildings and residential apartments should have RWH structures. However, at that time, existing buildings were exempted.
Now, RWH has been made mandatory for all buildings, old or new. And, it should be installed before August 31. This is what the State Government ordinance on RWH of July 19 says.
In the case of those who do not instal the facility before the deadline, Metrowater, the agency designated for the city, will set up the structures in such buildings and recover the cost from the property owners. As the number of such buildings is too big to be covered in a short time, the ordinance also states that water connections will be cut, if the structures are not installed by October 10. "Yet, I am confident that with your (people's) active participation, such an eventuality will not arise," the Chief Minister Jayalalithaa noted in her statement, announcing the promulgation of the ordinance.
"It is all only in the mind. You have to make up your mind to go in for it. Installation of RWH can be done in three to four days," says K.R.Gopinath, who, even in 1983, established a RWH system in his Anna Nagar residence, thanks to guidance from P.V.Indiresan, former Director, IIT-Madras. It is another story that Mr. Gopinath is today running an organisation, KRG Rainwater Harvesting Foundation, helping institutions and individuals to set up RWH structures.
There is nearly five weeks time left for the deadline. Of total of nearly 3.4 lakh buildings in the city, about 48,000 have been covered by RWH structures till now. Still, why should one have RWH ? Is it just to satisfy the legal requirements? The answers are many. RWH helps recharge groundwater. Where the quality of groundwater is brackish, it can reduce salinity or gradually improve quality. "Flooding can be lessened to some extent," an expert says.
To cope with new demands for providing technical expertise, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB or Metrowater) is well equipped, says K. Dheendayalan, Managing Director. "Our field offices have not only the required information but also lists of resource persons," he says.
As for the suburbs, Alandur or Ambattur, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board along with the respective local bodies is responsible to take the RWH cause further. "Advocacy materials and lists of resources persons are available at the block, municipality and the town panchayat levels, apart from the Collectorates and offices of the Board's executive engineers," says a top official of the TWAD Board.
The RWH technologies differ from place to place, depending on the site and soil. Broadly, two methods are recommended by the Government agencies and independent experts alike, though it is also left to the imagination of the people to devise their own methods to suit local conditions. One method is aimed at recharging the water table by carrying rooftop water through pipes and leading it to an open well or a borewell after it passes through a filter. Another method is for storage of rainwater in sumps by directing the pipes into the storage points through a filter.
Mandavelipakkam's III Trust Link Street is distinct from others with its model house on RWH called Rain Centre. This `home', featuring poster panels and providing the venue for screening of RWH films, has a sump, a loft tank for immediate use and an open well for recharging. The Rain Centre became a reality thanks to the combined efforts of the Akash Ganga Trust, Centre for Science and Environment, Chennai Corporation, CMWSSB and the TWAD Board.
Now, there are many organisations, government and voluntary, which are engaged in making RWH a reality in every nook and corner of the city. The CMWSSB (ph: 28516080) and TWAD Board (ph:28588179) have their RWH cells at their head offices. The Central Ground Water Board (ph: 24914494 - extn: 234 or 242) and the State Groundwater Department's Chennai division (ph: 22541460, 22541373) too are available with their men and expertise to help the public. The Anna University's Centre for Water Resources (ph: 22351075, 22203275) is ready to render its services to community organisations. "In Santhome's Kuil Thottam, where the Slum Clearance Board constructed a number of tenements, a RWH system is being installed by our clubs," says SV. RM. Ramanathan, Rotary District-3230 Governor.
A day after the announcement on the RWH ordinance came, Gadhadhar, who still resides in T. Nagar and has realised the benefits of RWH, received a phone call from his "old builder", who is now one of the important players in the construction industry. The caller asked him, "Are you interested in seeing the different RWH systems that I have installed in different flats ?"
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