In a bid to make RWH mandatory and more effective in Bengaluru, BWSSB has written to BBMP for the significant change.
Bengaluru being one of the most water-scarce cities of the nation has decided to add on some strength to its existing rainwater harvesting plan(RWH). Currently, RWH is mandatory for all buildings to build on an area of 60ft x 40ft plot site and more. Now the new recommendation is that it should be made compulsory for buildings standing from 30ft x 40ft plot area and more.
It is expected that Bengaluru will run out of its groundwater resources by 2020 according to the NITI Aayog report presented last year.
In the Interdepartmental committee meeting, the principal secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar issued the order. The order is being implemented with immediate effect for which BWSSB chairman Tushar Girinath has written to BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad to get the nod from the city council and to make necessary amendments in the building bylaws.
Previously RWH was mandatory for sites with an area of 2,325 sqft or more, while now for sites with the area of 1,162.5 it is being made mandatory to implement RWH. This rainwater will be used to partially rejuvenate the groundwater levels. It is also proposed that the storage capacity for RWH should be 60 liters or more per sqm and 30 liters or more per sqm.
“The water board’s proposal to increase the penalty for domestic and non-domestic consumers who have not yet installed the rainwater harvesting systems is still pending with the government,” said a senior BWSSB official.
This comes as there are still 68,000 buildings that have failed to even the previous RWH bylaw. For which BWSSB has imposed 30 Crore penalty in past two years out of which 27 Crore has been collected.
Now that the new plan is on the talks Bengaluru residents are left with no choice but to take up the task of conserving rainwater without complaining.
Click here to Read This Article On RWH in Kannada/ಕನ್ನಡ:
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