Rains have already hit the city, but the Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) project is yet to gain momentum. Many buildings that were identified for RWH are yet to install the system. The BWSSB has taken no steps to disconnect water to these buildings though the deadline for compliance expired a month ago.
The BWSSB has received 8,000 letters from defaulters, some of which have committed to adopting the system in a few months’ time. Those who had missed the January 31 deadline had been told to submit letters by March 31 stating their intention to install the system. When very few citizens submitted the letter, BWSSB officials made door-to-door visits to collect the letters. The BWSSB also threatened to disconnect water and sewage connections to the buildings that do not comply, but has not done so. The reasons many defaulters have given are hard to believe. Most have sought exemption citing financial constraints, others claim their plot size is not exactly 60X40 sq ft but is smaller by a foot or two.
“How can one live on a 60X40 sq ft plot and not have the money to install an RWH system? There might be one or two rare cases and they could be considered on a case to case basis, but by and large, this seems like a lame excuse for not installing the RWH system,” said S. Vishwanath, an expert on RWH.
“Every house that has been identified under the project has to adopt the RWH. We are allowing them enough time to comply. We will disconnect services to non compliant consumers,” warned T. Venkataraju, chief engineer, BWSSB. A total of 39,791 buildings in the city have installed RWH systems. This includes newly-constructed houses built on an area measuring 30X40 sq ft. The BWSSB has identified over 56,000 buildings (private and government) that must install RWH by December 31, 2011. By this date, the rate of compliance was only 57%. To date, over 15,000 identified buildings (including 1,950 government offices) are yet to install RWH.
Out of the 2,553 identified government buildings, only 600 have complied so far. According to a government order, all existing buildings on 60X40 sq ft or bigger sites and new construction on 30X40 and bigger sites have to install RWH systems.