In a bid to achieve the goal of ensuring water security in the city, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is planning to conduct a detailed audit of rainwater harvesting system across Chennai by involving NGOs.
A CMDA source told City Express that a tender had been floated in this regard and the process would be finalised in the next 15 days.
Sources said that as per the development regulations of CMDA, rainwater harvesting was mandatory on every premises.
“We are likely to engage two NGOs, who will be carrying out the audit across the Chennai Metropolitan Authority Area,” the sources added.
The plan was to carry out RWH audit though a network of NGOs pioneered in this field, sources added.
The rainwater harvesting structures installed during the AIADMK regime in 2003 had helped increase the ground water level in the city. According to a recent report, the ground water level and quality before July 2003 and after June 2011 had increased in the sandy, clay and rocky areas of the city.
Sources also said that after implementation of the RWH scheme, not only has the quality of water improved but also a large part of the fluoride content was diluted. Sources said the audit was expected to strengthen and streamline the system.
Rainwater harvesting is the process of augmenting the natural filtration of rainwater in to the underground formation by some artificial methods.
CMDA sources said that rainwater harvesting was a prerequisite for obtaining plan approvals when new buildings are constructed. Even older existing structures have been mandated to build the structures.
There are various ways of rainwater harvesting, including collecting it from the roof of the house or building. It can either be stored in a tank or diverted to artificial recharge system. This method is less expensive and very effective.