Indian Express 3.11.2009
Now, BMC wants garden on water recycling tank
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to modify the proposal of setting up of grey water recycling facility to treat household non-toxic waste water, by asking the builders to develop the space above the treatment plant as garden.
A 300-sq ft area must be compulsorily designated for the recycling tank on top of which the space will have to be utilised for garden.
According to the new water by-laws being prepared by the BMC, recycling plant will have to be set up on all the premises with plot area of more than 2,000 sq metre or complexes with more than 80 dwellings or where water requirement is more than 60,000 litres per day.
“We are modifying the development control rules in such a way that the grey water recycling plant will have to be developed beneath the reservation of garden or open space,” said a senior civic official. Since most of the developers do away with the reservation of open space and use it for parking or other purposes, the civic administration has modified the DC rules so that the land above the water recycling plant has to be developed in green.
The proposal will soon be tabled with the law, revenue and general purposes committee and accordingly the development control rules will be amended.
With the city already struggling with water shortage and reeling under 15 per cent cut in supply, BMC hopes to meet the non-potable requirements through recycled grey water in coming years.
Grey water is non- industrial waste water generated from domestic usage — bath and kitchen water and comprises 50 per cent to 80 per cent residential wastewater and is less polluted than sewerage water.
Developers who do not follow the rule or fail to operate the plant will face penalty up to Rs 5,000 with penalty of Rs 500 per day till the recycling facility is started.
There will be also 25 per cent tax rebate to buildings which follow the rule. Around 60 per cent of water supplied to households that accounts to 2,700 mld is used as grey water. A little less than 45 per cent of water is used per capita per day for drinking and cooking .
