State set to pour cold water on NMC’s rainwater harvesting plan

Nagpur: To tackle the ever-increasing water scarcity issue, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has proposed to make rainwater harvesting system mandatory for plots of 125 sq mt (1,345 sq.ft) and above. In what could undo this effort, the state government has proposed to make the system mandatory for plots of 500 sq mt (5,380 sq.ft) and above, that too only in non-congested areas.
As per existing norms which came into effect from August 28, 2009, rainwater harvesting system is mandatory for plots of 300 sq mt (3,228 sq ft) and above in non-gaothan areas. The NMC’s town planning department sanctioned building plans on such plots with the condition of rainwater harvesting system in the last nine years.
The problems related to fetching raw water are increasing with every passing year. The NMC, which lacks own water source, is totally depended on irrigation reservoirs but they too have reached dead stock now due to below normal rains last year. Utilization of groundwater for non-potable purposes has become necessary. However, groundwater is also decreasing.
Considering these aspects, the NMC’s water works consultative committee in August last year had passed a resolution to make rainwater harvesting system mandatory for plots of 125 sq mt and above. The resolution was sent to the town planning department to prepare a detailed proposal for tabling it before the general body which was supposed to send it to the government for implementation.
Had it been implemented, rainwater harvesting would have become compulsory for all new or buildings under reconstruction in the city. The department, however, did nothing in this regard.
In the unified development control rules (DCR), government proposes to make rainwater harvesting system mandatory for plots of 500 sq mt or above in non-congested areas. The NMC town planning department did not suggest the revised NMC norm to the government in the submission made about unified DCR.
If implemented, the new government norm will replace the existing one in the NMC. Also, the NMC’s proposed revision will be sidelined.
Chairman of NMC water works consultative committee Vijay Zalke said the revised norm would have come into effect had the town planning department completed its process immediately after our committee’s decision. “It should still complete the process so that the government can make changes in unified DCR,” he said.
Vijay Limaye of NGO Ecofriendly Living Foundation, who has installed rainwater harvesting system in over 650 existing and new buildings in Nagpur, Pune and Mumbai, termed the government’s proposal as unfortunate for the city. “Need is to apply the norm for plots of 92 sq mt (1,000 sq ft) and above. Extending the area to 500 sq mt will cover less than 10% of the buildings in the city. Also, the system should be made compulsory even for existing buildings. The government should rethink its decision,” he said.
“Installing the system requires very less investment. People should take it up voluntarily for the future of coming generations,” added Limaye.