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Rain water harvesting: Do or dry: BWSSB

Monday, 06 September 2010 11:34 administrator
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The New Indian Express  06.09.2010

Rain water harvesting: Do or dry: BWSSB

BANGALORE: Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) may soon get the authority to act against building owners who have not installed rain water harvesting (RWH) system in their buildings.

A recent amendment to section 109 of the BWSSB Act empowers the utility to file cases against those who do not comply with its notices.

“We have requested the government to grant us permission to cut off the water and sanitary connections of the buildings that are in the area of 2,400 sq ft or more if they do not have RWH system. It might be approved in the forthcoming cabinet meeting,” said BWSSB chairman P B Ramamurthy.

“We will first cut off the connections and if the building owners do not comply even after that, we will think of suing them,” he added. If found guilty, the building owners can be sentenced to six months imprisonment. The BWSSB has till now issued three notices to more than 54,000 building owners.

The utility has collected acknowledgements of the notice from the building owners. Therefore, it can sue the building owners whenever it wants to. Though the last date to install the RWH system was May 27, only 20,000 building owners have installed it. The BWSSB has started collecting data about the buildings that have installed the RWH systems and is feeding it in its geographical information system.

The utility has conducted awareness programmes and written letters to 700 government offices, 3,000 schools and 2,300 BWSSB employees, asking them to install the system in their buildings. Very few government offices have approached the BWSSB, seeking assistance regarding RWH. Around 400 BWSSB employees have already installed RWH systems in their buildings and some of them have installed them even though their buildings are situated in an area of less than 2,400 sq ft. The RWH park that is being constructed at Jayanagar is nearing completion.

Last Updated on Monday, 06 September 2010 11:40
 

Programme to showcase best practices in disaster management

Monday, 06 September 2010 11:33 administrator
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The Times of India   06.09.2010

 Programme to showcase best practices in disaster management

AHMEDABAD: A number of villages in Maliya, Junagadh district have big Geographic Information System ( GIS) maps put up in the main area of the village where there are specific routes marked for people to take in case there are floods or any other disaster to reach the safe spot. The map also has houses marked where vulnerable people like the physically and visually challenged, widows with children and ailing people live who should be evacuated first in the wake of a natural disaster.

This and more initiatives by numerous agencies will be discussed at an advocacy programme on disaster risk management and disaster preparedness to be organised in the city on Wednesday. The advocacy meet will be attended by representatives of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) along with a number of voluntary agencies working in the sector of disaster management and disaster preparedness.

Sameer Karia of Focus India said they will share with the representatives, their project in Maliya and Talala talukas of Junagadh district where schoolchildren have been trained in emergency exits in case of natural calamities.

Moreover, community response preparedness teams have also been formed at village level. These teams have been trained in rescue and evacuation, first aid and other emergency management programmes. Karia said they have formed a special software which sends SMS alerts to the village folks about any impending disaster. "Recently, when cyclone Phet had formed, we sent messages in Gujarati to villages that were likely to get high speed winds or rainfall in the wake of the cyclone," he said.

Here, a special software has also been developed and it will be installed in the office of the district disaster management officer where voice alerts can be sent to a specific group of people.

"We realised that though majority village folks have mobile phones, not all are literate. So we created a software to send voice alerts," said Karia. He added that the new software will enable the administration to form an extensive database and send SMSes to concerned group of people in a jiffy in case of disasters.
 

BMC to use geo-tube technology to reduce erosion at Dadar beach

Saturday, 04 September 2010 09:49 administrator
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Hindustan Times  04.09.2010

BMC to use geo-tube technology to reduce erosion at Dadar beach

After facing flak from Shivaji Park residents for using boulders under the beach nourishment plan, the municipal corporation will now use the geo-tube technology. This technology, which was implemented at INS Hamla in Malad, uses thick synthetic permeable geotex tiles with uniquely designed retention properties to reduce soil erosion. The 500-metre Dadar beach,  from Chaityabhoomi to the Mayor’s Bungalow, is being beautified and maintained by the corporation and the Public Works Department (PWD).

Last May, the civic body and PWD decided to merge the latter’s anti-erosion bund scheme with the corporation’s beach nourishment plan.

The PWD’s scheme of placing boulders aimed at reducing the impact of waves that lash the compound wall of buildings along Dadar beach. The project involves dredging silt sand from the Mithi river, washing it and then laying it on the beach with sand imported from other parts of the state.

“We want to use this technique because it has given positive results across the world,” said civic Standing Committee Chairman Rahul Shewale, who had arranged the presentation along with PWD officials. The total cost of the geo-tube project is Rs 5 crore, but the municipal corporation will first conduct soil testing to see whether it is compatible to the new technique. The cost of conducting these tests is Rs 25 lakh.

 

 

Last Updated on Saturday, 04 September 2010 09:55
 
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