The Hindu 13.11.2009
Major rain water harvesting programme for city
Special Correspondent
| It will be carried out with the participation of people |
COIMBATORE: Rain water harvesting structures will be put up at Rs.1 crore at 215 places prone to stagnation across the city. The project will be funded by the Central Ground Water Board of the Union Ministry of Water Resources, District Collector P. Umanath announced here on Thursday.
The programme would be carried out with the participation of the people, whose role would be that of informing the implementing agency of the places prone to water-logging, the Collector told presspersons.
Siruthuli, a people’s initiative to conserve water resources, had been chosen as the implementing agency by the board. The organisation would carry out the programme under the guidance of the Collector and officials of the board.
The project had been proposed by Siruthuli that had already put up 150 structures along roads and on open spaces with funding by the Coimbatore Corporation.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources had studied the impact of these structures in terms of elimination of stagnation and raising ground water level. From 200 ft, ground water level had risen to 30 ft because rain water harvesting. And stagnation was eliminated during rain.
Finding both purposes being served by the earlier project, the Ministry said it could serve as a model for the rest of the country. Towards that end, it first wanted more such structures put up in Coimbatore city. A District Level Technical Committee had been formed, with the Collector as its Chairman, to implement the project.
Siruthuli Chairman S.V. Balasubramaniam said the earlier project had even led to ground water becoming potable around eight harvesting structures. However, the water level rose in the areas near the structures only during rain and dipped after that.
The Collector said that the objective of the new programme was to sustain the ground water level.
Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said that a recent flood control meeting in the civic body had decided to establish water harvesting structures wherever storm water drains did not have a disposal point.
The civic body would hold a workshop on rain water harvesting on November 18 and rally with the theme “Save Water” was also being planned. Mr. Mishra said putting up rain water harvesting structures in every building was mandatory and that the Corporation would take this up with the Builders Association of India. “They also can attend the workshop.”
Mayor R. Venkatachalam said all multi-storeyed buildings should have these structures. There was no point in putting up anything haphazard in an attempt to meet the conditions for building plan approval. Good harvesting structures would actually help in recharging the bore wells on the apartment premises, he pointed out.
People can inform Siruthuli at:
No.44, Bharathi Park 2nd Cross Road, Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore- 641011. Phone: (0422) 4333301, 4333302 or 98946-31551.