Vellore Corporation is set to enforce installation of rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS) as a public movement in the city.

A meeting was convened by the Town Planning Section of the Corporation on Thursday to discuss methods to ensure that the systems are been properly implemented.

Commissioner P Janaki Raveendran said, during the meeting of commissioners of all Municipalities and Corporations in the State, organised by the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply in Chennai on June 8, the department, based on a study, informed that more rainfall was expected this year and installation of rainwater harvesting systems would help make the most of this situation and would also benefit the area in the coming years.

The Commissioner also said the Corporation would take steps to revive the existing rainwater harvesting structures and also conduct door-to-door checks to ensure that every house has a system in place.

The Corporation will also ensure that government buildings install RWHS, besides concentrating on lakes, temple tanks, ponds and other water bodies in the city, she said further.

Plans are on to conduct awareness programmes, meetings, seminars and rallies involving school and college students, in addition to issuing notices.

Janaki also added that the implementation of the system will be considered for the special award given by the State government for the best performing Corporation for the year 2013-2014.

Mayor P Karthiyayini requested for the full participation of the councillors to convey the importance of the system to their ward residents. She said the local body had already announced activities such as door-to-door checks in Gandhi Nagar, in Katpadi, under wards 9 and 12.

Karthiyayini also said usage of plastics and cutting of trees were the reasons for the depletion of the water table in Vellore, in response to which the Corporation in its budget for the year 2013-2014 has announced that it would plant 65,000 saplings across the city.

Later, Town Planning Officer P Kannan gave a presentation explaining different methods of rainwater harvesting systems and various other ways to use rainwater for drinking.