With the city’s water crisis worsening by the day and water becoming a scarce commodity, Mumbaikars have decided to take rearguard action. Residents of the Pestom Sagar locality from Chembur have decided to form their own brigade to curb water misuse and to spread word on recycling and reuse of water.
Dr Vijay Sangole, joint secretary, Pestom Sagar local area citizens’ group (LACG) refers to the citizens’ team as the Aqua-Guard Brigade. The mandate for the brigade, which comprises of local citizens, is to ensure that all developers save water while undertaking construction activity in the region, Sangole said.
“We will get them to install water conservation and recycling units. If they do not toe the line, members of the brigade will register complaints with the civic body,” Sangole added.
Many of the 110 buildings in the locality have been taken up for redevelopment and letters informing about the formation of the Aqua-Guard Brigade have been shot off to developers.
Sunil Shah, one of the developers from the locality, said that the residents had dug up a ring well in a garden and there was fresh water available at 7 feet. Shah added that he had already decided to use a tube well to meet water requirements at the time of construction.
The citizens had first set up a rain water harvesting unit at the garden five years ago. “We decided to dig a ring well after the BMC announced cuts. The harvesting of water has replenished the ground water aquifers,” Sangole said.
Comments