No rainwater harvesting in NMC’s building
| Date :07-Jul-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
Meanwhile, PWD asks its subordinate officers to make provision for rain/roof water harvesting while preparing proposals for new buildings
The main building of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) in Civil Lines area does not have rainwater harvesting facility! This was revealed by Pradeep Pohane, Chairman of Standing Committee. According to Pohane, NMC’s main building does not have rainwater harvesting facility. “After coming to know of this, I have directed the officials concerned to do necessary work and put the system in place within 15 days,” he told reporters. While asking the people to have rainwater harvesting system in their buildings, NMC must have the same in all its properties.
At some places, he claimed, rainwater harvesting system was in place and pipes were left in tanks or sumps. In Gandhibagh Zone, he added, pipes carried water from terrace of NMC properties to the well below. At some other places, water will be percolated in earth. However, Pohane pointed out, rainwater cannot be let into earth as the soil texture was not good at all places.
“If we open the outlet of the pipes carrying rainwater from terrace of buildings in some areas, the soil texture will make the ground below slippery for people to even walk on it,” he observed. Meanwhile, Public Works Department (PWD) has taken the task of rainwater harvesting seriously. Adopting the green building concept, PWD has asked all of its Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers in the State to incorporate the provision of rain/roof water harvesting while preparing proposals for new buildings. Already, it has made available guidelines and recapitulation sheets to the field-level officers. A sump or tank should be constructed under ground to collect the rain/roof water.
PWD has asked officials to plan for treating such collected water and using it for non-potable purpose. As for the existing buildings, rainwater harvesting work should be done from the funds meant for repairs and maintenance. Wherever it is not possible to get the work done from funds for repairs and maintenance, the officers must submit a proposal seekinng funds for the purpose from District Planning Committee concerned, PWD has stated in a latest circular issued on Friday. The run-off water should be arrested and percolated to improve groundwater level.
For the purpose, the officials should study natural slope of the land, soil texture etc and then create soak-pits or suitable mechanism. For roofwater harvesting also, the type of terrace, geographical condition, quantum of rainfall received etc should be studied. After all these studies, rain/roof water harvesting should be done, PWD has asked its officers. Every three months, Chief Engineer of PWD at Nashik will have to compile reports from across Maharashtra and submit the same to the Government.