CHENNAI: In a bid to conserve rainwater in public spaces, residents of Chitlapakkam launched a ‘rainwater harvesting on roads’ programme by setting up an RWH system in one of the streets in Muthulakshmi Nagar on Sunday.
The Chitlapakkam Muthulakshmi Nagar Welfare Association got permission from the town panchayat on Wednesday last week for the project. A rainwater harvesting system costs Rs 5,000. “The residents of each street contributed money to the system and we are planning to extend it to 23 more streets in the area,’’ said L Sundaraman, association president.
Even though the area is flooded whenever it rains, Chitlapakkam is facing water scarcity. “To face no scarcity next summer, the youth wing of the association mooted the idea of setting up RWH systems in public spaces. The system is five feet deep and two feet wide,’’ said Sundaraman.
D R Shivakumar, secretary of the association, said a map had been drawn up to pinpoint the places where the RWH systems could be set up. After the panchayat approved the plans, all materials were purchased. “About 600 houses will benefit from this programme,’’ said Shivakumar.