Nagpur: Even though Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) have failed to ensure
rainwater harvesting in commercial and residential buildings, skating instructor from the city Rohit Deshpande has come up with a proposal that no government project including Metro, flyover or bridges be approved until it is stipulated in the tender documents that rainwater harvesting (RWH) system will also be developed while implementing the project.
“Even RWH can be implemented easily in all government offices,” he said, adding he will be meeting mayor Nanda Jichkar with the proposal shortly. According to Deshpande, National Green Tribunal had directed government of India, Delhi government and all public authorities to ensure rainwater harvesting systems are installed in every project without fail. However, very few authorities have followed the same.
There are about 20 flyovers and railway overbridges in Nagpur city limits and none of them have rainwater harvesting structures.
As per Deshpande’s proposal, city still can harvest a large quantity of rainwater from Metro rail corridors and flyover viaducts and from government office buildings.
On its part, MahaMetro has made a provision for RWH structures, confirmed its spokesperson. “MahaMetro was awarded Platinum rating for energy efficient air-circulation and lighting arrangement, energy savvy glowing signage, on-site renewable energy system, rainwater harvesting for 100 % water conservation, planting 6,500 trees etc,” he added.
On the contrary, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is constructing two flyovers in Pardi and Sadar, has ignored the RWH structures in both the sites. Though NHAI’s regional director Chandrashekhar was not available for comments, a senior officer from his office confirmed no rainwater harvesting measures are in place for these two new flyovers.
Green activist and rainwater harvesting expert Vijay Limay too endorsed Deshpande’s proposal and said water accumulated from flyovers, bridges and Metro corridors can be used for drip irrigation for plantation on road dividers. It will also save water tankers’ cost, he pointed out.
Deshpande also insisted that at least the civic authorities should go for implementing rainwater harvesting in government offices in the city. “There are many offices in the city like district court, high court, collector office, MLA hostel, railway station, NMC buildings etc. Because of sheer size of these premises, a large quantity of rainwater can be collected and diverted into open wells and storage filtration tanks that can be prepared near the buildings,” he said. This will also help increase the groundwater level apart from reducing expenditure on water supply, he said.
Following the government resolution of 2007, the NMC in 2008 had made it mandatory for all new constructions above 1000 sq mtr to install rainwater harvesting system to obtain occupation certificate. The GR had also empowered the civic body to impose a levy of not exceeding Rs1,000 per annum for 100 square metres built up area for failure to comply with the RWH norms. NMC’s town planning department was supposed to enforce the RWH rules but has ignored the government’s directives to ensure provision of rainwater harvesting system while sanctioning the building plans for new constructions in the city.
Till date, only 146 buildings across the city have implemented the rainwater harvesting system.
Of the over 100 central and state government offices situated across the city, none is having rainwater harvesting facility, admitted senior officials from the public works department.
Even the NMC, which owns more than 400 properties in the city, has failed to implement the government order and has rainwater harvesting system at only 3-4 of its zone offices. “If the government starts, citizens will definitely follow,” Deshpande said.
