RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: With groundwater levels coming under increasing pressure and climate variability affecting water availability, the Rajamahendravaram Municipal Corporation (RMC) has intensified its rainwater harvesting initiative under the Jaladhara programme, promoting the message: “Save Every Drop, Secure the Future.
“The civic body has drawn up an ambitious plan to construct 25,630 rainwater harvesting (recharge) pits across the city this year to improve groundwater recharge and ensure sustainable water resources for future generations. The targets include 212 pits in parks, 146 in schools, 250 in community halls, Urban Primary Health Centres and government offices, 3,024 in apartment complexes, 19,000 in individual houses, and 3,000 in CREDAI-affiliated residential projects.
Most of these works have already been completed, said RMC Commissioner Rahul Meena to the TNIE. The RMC has also made recharge pits mandatory in parks, hospitals, schools and new government and private buildings. Surveys are being conducted to identify waterlogging-prone areas for creating recharge structures.
The initiative builds on last year’s success when 13,298 recharge pits were constructed across the city, which earned the city the prestigious Jal Shakti Jan Bhagidari Award from the Central Government, along with a Rs 2 crore incentive.
Nearly Rs 1 crore from the award has been earmarked this year for constructing recharge pits on government lands, with each structure costing between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000. In addition, groundwater recharge borewells were installed at 10 locations, including parks, schools, and ward secretariats, allowing excess rainwater to percolate deep into the ground rather than flow away.
Rahul Meena urged citizens to actively participate in rainwater conservation by constructing recharge pits on their premises, stating that community participation is essential to safeguarding water resources and ensuring a sustainable environment for future generations.