At the height of water scarcity, the city’s civic administration has woken up to the need for rainwater harvesting.
On Sunday, Chennai Corporation officials started the inspection of buildings to assess the condition of rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures. In the first phase, two lakh buildings will be checked.
Corporation officials in each of the 200 wards have been directed to visit 1,000 buildings to check the condition of RWH structures and suggest improvements.
Restoring structures
“The city has 12.5 lakh properties. All buildings will be screened to check the RWH facilities. Residents will get guidance on how to restore the structures. We are determined to achieve 100% rainwater harvesting in buildings,” said G. Prakash, Corporation Commissioner, who launched the project on Sunday.
According to Metrowater data, 8.9 lakh RWH structures have been developed in buildings in the city. The Corporation has compiled data on 12.5 lakh properties in the city. Both agencies are yet to compile a list of buildings that do not have RWH structures.
The objective is to develop RWH structures before the onset of northeast monsoon. As over five lakh properties in the city have not been assessed for property tax so far, officials have been asked to find buildings without rainwater harvesting structures at the time of tax assessment.
The civic machinery is also targeting RWH structures along roads and parks.
Meanwhile, a total of 10 lakh pamphlets on rainwater harvesting and water conservation have been printed for distribution to residents.