The Hindu       10.06.2013

Rainwater harvesting norms yet to be enforced

The State government and civic authorities seem to be going slow on enforcing the provisions for rainwater harvesting in the Kerala Municipal Building Rules (KMBR). Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had said that rainwater harvesting would be made mandatory for all buildings and a Cabinet sub-committee comprising Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali; Minister for Panchayats M.K. Muneer and Minister for Water Resources P.J. Joseph; was formed for framing the rules in this regard.

Town and Country Planning Department sources told The Hindu on Sunday that rainwater harvesting was made mandatory for all buildings and provisions were incorporated in the KMBR since December 2004. The rules specified that “workable rooftop rainwater harvesting arrangements shall be provided as an integral part of all new building constructions” unless otherwise specifically stipulated in a town planning scheme. This clause is applicable to buildings constructed for residential, educational, commercial, and other purposes too.

Buildings with thatched roofs have been exempted from the rules. The local bodies concerned should enforce workable artificial groundwater recharging arrangements as an integral part of all new buildings through collection of rooftop rainwater.

Exemptions can be granted in exceptional cases such as water-logging or impermeable subsoil conditions to considerable depths. The Local Administration Department issued the guidelines for enforcing the rule on March 17, 2004. The government had taken a cue from a system in vogue in Tamil Nadu.

Though the State had been witnessing a boom in the construction sector, the civic bodies which issue all mandatory clearances for building construction have not imposed the provisions so far. Almost all areas in the five corporation limits, 53 municipalities and the majority of the panchayats faced acute drinking water shortage. The Kerala Water Authority had initiated punitive measures to prevent pilferage of drinking water during the summer season, but to no avail.

Official sources told The Hindu here that instead of forming a Cabinet sub-committee to frame a new set of regulations, the government could have well enforced the provisions laid in 2004 for conserving the water during the current monsoon season.

The Indian Express                06.06.2013

BMC may expand rainwater harvesting

BMC is considering seven proposals to harvest rain in open spaces across the city. The proposals made by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are along the lines of the rainwater harvesting system being set up at the popular 28-acre Shivaji Park in Dadar.

The civic administration has received proposals to allow rainwater harvesting at playgrounds in Dadar near Siddhivinayak Temple, in Prabhadevi and at five other playgrounds in Sewri.

While the proposals to set up rainwater harvesting cells in Sewri have received civic administration nod, MNS is awaiting approval to harvest rain in playgrounds in Dadar and Prabhadevi.

These projects are expected to be approved under the BMC social responsibility scheme.

"We have approached various corporate houses to fund these projects. This is expected to materialise within a month. This system will help BMC save water and increase supply to locals," said Sandeep Deshpande, MNS corporator and standing committee member.

He said approvals for Dadar and Prabhadevi projects were expected soon. "Unlike in the case of the Shivaji Park rainwater harvesting system, which falls under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) and needs multiple permissions, these playgrounds are not in CRZ," said Deshpande.

"Shivaji Park had borewells and wells to help set up the rainwater harvesting system. But at these seven grounds, one will have to dig wells to set up the system," said a civic official.

Meanwhile, work at Shivaji Park has already begun and is expected to be completed within a month. This would make Shivaji Park the first public open space with its own source of water supply.

"Funding for such projects has been sought from local corporate houses," said a senior civic official.

The Shivaji Park project costing Rs 16 crore has been sponsored by a company run by MNS legislator Nitin Sardesai.

The project involves digging trenches along the boundary of the park through which rainwater will flow to borewells and ring wells.

"If the system at Shivaji Park is installed by June-end, rainwater can be stored rest of the season and used through the year," said Deshpande.

The 28-acre open space had a potential to harvest 20 crore litres, he said.