34 july 2019 ACEARCHITECTURECONSTRUCTIONENGINEERINGUPDATE
I
ndia, which depends almost completely on the
annual monsoons, currently faces the most severe
water crisis in the annals of its known history. A
recent report by NITI Aayog predicted that as many as 21
cities in the country will see the total depletion of their
groundwater by as early as 2020.Even today, our cities run dry like clockwork during
summers. Nevertheless, there is still not enough
awareness about the simple solution of rainwater
harvesting in India. Can we really afford to neglect this
straightforward solution any longer?Cities that Rose to the Challenge
In Bangalore, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage
Board (BWSSB) has mandated that every structure built
on 30x40 sq ft and above and old buildings built on
40x60 sq ft above should install rainwater harvesting. In
case anybody fails to do so, he/she must pay a penalty
every month. Interestingly, despite its annual water
woes, Bangalore gets ample rainfall.There even are some notable success stories. A R
Shivakumar, also known as the city’s ‘Rain Man’ has
built a house that is completely dependent on rainwater
harvested during the rains. His house ‘Sourabha’ in
Vijayanagar runs on water collected in underground and
overhead tanks. Shivakumar has spoken widely on the
importance of rainwater harvesting and has played a
big role in the establishment of the ‘Sir M Visvesvaraya
Rainwater Harvesting Theme Park’ in Bangalore’s
Jayanagar area.(Even though Bangalore has taken strong steps to
enforce rainwater harvesting, several studies still number
it - right along with the notorious Cape Town - among
the ‘hot zones’ that may run out of water sooner rather
than later. )Chennai in Tamil Nadu is among the leaders in rainwater
harvesting and boasts of several successful examples of
water conservation.Rainwater harvesting is compulsory in the city, and
fresh designs for rainwater harvesting structures have
been incorporated into the Tamil Nadu Combined
Development and Building Rules, 2019. As a notable
example, residents of 56 apartments of the Sabari Terrace
Complex in Sholinganallur, Chennai planned, designed
and implemented a rainwater harvesting structure to
collect rainwater on their own terraces.In Delhi, the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty
Alleviation has made it mandatory for all new buildings
on plots of 100 sq. meters and above to provide for water
harvesting through storing of water runoff including
rainwater.In rural Maharashtra, Shirpur - once an arid, drought-
stricken area - has literally turned green due to the
adoption of rainwater harvesting. Known as a green
district today, Shirpur has - almost solely through the
efforts of its residents - built rainwater harvesting
systems and small dams to cultivate three to four crops
a year.Getting It Done - State Level
Major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad as
well as tier 2 cities such as Chandigarh, Indore, Surat and
Nagpur do have laws regarding rainwater harvesting.
However, it is not good enough for such rules existing
just on paper. If the concerned authorities fail to check
regularly to ensure their on-ground implementation,
rules for rainwater harvesting are obviously are toothless.State governments can popularise rainwater harvesting
by launching awareness drives, not just in urban areasRainwater
harvesting –
How long can
India afford to
ignore it?
Opinion