Despite rebate,govt reluctant to take water harvesting plunge

A senior DJB official said: “Maulana Azad Medical College gets a monthly water bill close to Rs 1 lakh. If they harvest rainwater,they can cut it down by Rs 15,000.”

The increased tariff was announced after the DJB’s last Board meeting in November last year. Various government departments had approached Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit before the announcement,requesting a rebate in the water bill. It was then decided that a special category under the commercial segment would be formed for government offices,institutions,government-run and government-aided schools. “This special category would be eligible for 15 per cent remission on their total monthly bills,provided they adopt water harvesting and wastewater recycling (measures),” the new tariff order read.

DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said: “It is true our 15 per cent rebate to government institutions has failed to take off,as no one has come forward. It also makes it mandatory for government buildings to adopt rainwater harvesting,which clearly none has adopted,despite the High Court’s orders.”

According to environmentalist V K Jain,rooftop rainwater harvesting covers only a small portion of the total surface runoff during monsoons. “It is clear we are not catching every precious drop. If the system was implemented on rooftops,flyovers and roads,it would not just help recharge groundwater,but also save the city from getting water-logged every time it rains. Rainwater harvesting is scientifically possible on all roads and flyovers,and the government accepts this. There is a major lack of institutional mechanism to implement the scheme,” Jain told Newsline.

Six years since high court order,no follow-up
2000,after a PIL was filed by environmentalist V K Jain,urging protection and augmentation of Delhi’s fast depleting groundwater resources,the High Court had directed the Delhi government to amend its building bye-laws and make rooftop rainwater harvesting mandatory.

On July 28,2001,the Ministry of Urban Development notified the amendments,making rooftop rainwater harvesting mandatory for all new buildings constructed on plots measuring 100 sq m and above. Government buildings were,however,excluded.

In 2003,the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) confirmed in the Delhi High Court that rainwater harvesting was possible on Delhi roads. Contended in court by Jain,it was unanimously accepted by all agencies,including DJB,MCD,NDMC,DDA,PWD and CPWD,that rainwater harvesting would not only raise Delhi’s groundwater levels,but also remove the problem of water-logging during monsoons,and help save crores spent on recarpeting and repairing of roads every year.

On August 25 2004,the Delhi High Court had ordered: “It (rooftop rainwater harvesting) is a simple,economical and eco-friendly method and an ideal solution to recharge groundwater … One can capture and recharge about 65,000 litres of rainwater from a 100 sq m-sized rooftop and meet the drinking and domestic water requirements of a family of four for 160 days.”

CGWA was then made nodal agency,which suffers from a massive lack of manpower to implement the works till date.