Will adopt cost-effective Dungarpur model of rainwater harvesting: Satyendar Jain

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will adopt the cost-effective model of rainwater harvesting currently being implemented in the tribal-dominated Dungarpur district of Rajasthan, city Water Minister Satyendar Jain has said.

A seven-member delegation, led by Jain, is on an official visit to Dungarpur to witness the rainwater-harvesting system that costs just Rs 16,000 as compared to the conventional one, which costs between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh per household.

Jain said the Dungarpur model was an innovative idea that was centred on routing the rainwater to a bore well, instead of a regular rainwater-harvesting pit.

“It is a closed-loop system. The rainwater collected on the rooftop is being routed to the casing of already existing bore wells in households. They have created sand filters in the conduit pipe itself and included a way of backwash,” he said.

Jain said he wanted to witness the system himself as he was sceptical of the model when K K Gupta, the chairman of the Dungar Municipal Council, first told him about it.

“I am satisfied now. It is an excellent system. We are going to implement it in Delhi, others should follow it too,” Jain said.

“Normally, the construction of a rainwater harvesting system costs between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh, but 
the one being implemented in Dungarpur costs just Rs 16,000,” he added.

Gupta claimed that there will be no shortage of water in Delhi if the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government implements the Dungarpur model of water harvesting in the city.

(With PTI inputs)