BBMP Decided To Declare This Financial Year as ‘Water Year’
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to declare this financial year ‘Water Year‘, giving more thrust to rainwater harvesting and planting of saplings. In addition to the already existing rules on harvesting rain water in all buildings, the BBMP has now taken the initiative to rejuvenate the city’s rapidly depleting water table. Spearheading this movement is BBMP commissioner H Siddaiah, who has taken a keen interest to conserve water.
“Every tree is a catchment area where water must be arrested not only for the tree but also for infiltration into the ground. Considering the present water crisis that we are facing, it is high time citizens and government agencies join hands on a war footing and make the conservation of water top priority,” he says.
The acute shortage of water and depleting ground water table is a cause for concern. “In some areas of the city, ground water cannot be struck even at 1,000 feet. This clearly calls for concerted efforts to harvest the bountiful rainfall that the city receives each year,” he says.
The model rain water harvesting project was inaugurated recently in Jayanagar by the BBMP with a capacity to harvest 12 lakh litres of water. “Every vacant site should be used and every playground, park or open space needs to be used to harvest rainwater. In the next 2-3 years if there is continued and sustained effort in this direction, the water table will definitely improve,” asserts Siddaiah.
Ayyappa Masagi, an expert in this field and founder of the Water Literacy Foundation in the city is cautious. “This is definitely a good move but it has to be implemented on the field,” says this water conservationist who will be constructing the water harvesting facility at the BBMP head office. “In the State of Gujarat, there are many incentives given to land owners who implement this technology in the form of subsidies on the cost of constructing it as well as rebates in property tax. If this is offered here too, there will be a lot of interest by the public,” he says.
As of now, the BBMP has made it mandatory for all homes and commercial establishments above 2,400 sqft dimension to implement rainwater harvesting on their premises.
Average use per person per day is 50 litres (18,000 litres per year) 1.20 lakh litres (can be collected from the roof-top of a house constructed on a 30×40 feet plot in a year) caters to the needs of a household of four for around three months. Water conservationists have assessed that approximately 27 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water flows out of the city every year City receives 800-1,000 mm of rainfall every year on an average On a one km stretch of road, with houses along it, provision can be made for infiltration wells to harvest the rain water from the road as well as the grey water (from bathrooms and kitchen sinks) of the homes. This alone will fetch three crores litres of water in a single year At least 1.20 lakh litres can be collected from the roof-top of a house constructed on a 30×40 feet plot in a year.
As of now, the BBMP has made it mandatory to implement rainwater harvesting on their premises. “Only if it is followed strictly and the enforcing agency has the will to make it work, will conservation actually take off in a big way,” says Masagi.
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