Even those whose sites are not so large as to require the mandatory instalment of the rainwater harvesting units are now getting such devices installed.
O ne year after the state legislative assembly passed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage (Amendment) Bill, making it mandatory for all new buildings constructed in sites over 1,200 sq ft to have rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems, civic agencies are surprised.
Even those who might have been exempted from the new law on RWH systems—which came into effect nine months after the passage of the bill— are queuing up to get the system installed. Under the law, all existing structures that are located on sites larger than 2,400 sq ft are required to have RWH facilities; but many house owners with smaller site areas are also installing the facility.
It is estimated that not less than 200 rain water harvesting systems have been installed each day, over the past month. Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) authorities, struck by the tremendous response, plan to relax the deadline for the implementation of the system.
“We have had a tremendous response to the implementation of rain water harvesting systems. Over the past two months, more than 20,000-25,000 rain water harvesting units have been installed; we had had only about 25,000 such units installed over the past two years,” a senior BWSSB official said.
Buildings are currently being identified in different divisions, and all those above 40 ft X60 ft must have the RWH systems installed. Across the city, nearly four lakh buildings have been identified for mandatory installation of RWH systems.
“People are opting for RWH not only because it is now mandatory under law, but also because they have witnessed severe crises. Core areas like Sanjaynagar, Rajajinagar, Vijayanagar, Jayanagar and other areas have the highest concentration of buildings requiring the RWH system. To avoid water problems, many residents of these areas are taking to RWH voluntarily, even if their sites are not as large,” said one BWSSB official.
“I got the rain water harvesting system installed a month ago. I have been able to water plants using water collected from the rain. This has reduced my dependence on BWSSB-supplied water by about 40%. My water bill this month was almost 25% less than usual,” a resident of HSR Layout, Soumya Govindaraju, said.
“It is only about a fortnight since I got the RWH system installed at home. We were reliant on borewell water, and it seemed just the right time to take up such work, just before the monsoon,” Vani Shivaprasad, a resident of Begur, said.
Firms that offer the services of installing RWH systems attest that people are voluntarily choosing to install such systems, even when their sites are not so large as to attract penalties.
“We get nearly 40 enquiries each day. Middle class families that have smaller plots too now seek out RWH systems. There was a severe crisis in water supply one month ago, and families look to
RWH to prevent the recurrence of such shortage,” said Michael Baptist, who works with Farmland Systems, Jayanagar, a firm that installs RWH units.
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