CHENNAI: Aafter reeling under a six-month dry spell, thunderstorms and showers recently brought respite to a parched Chennai. Since then, the city has been receiving intermittent showers across different neighbourhoods, paving way for both the Corporation and residents to harvest rainwater.
Tapping this, several Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) structures are being installed across the city. In the wake of this initiative, the city Commissioner G Prakash instructed Corporation officials on Saturday, “Installing Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) structures in the 45,000 streets under the city Corporation must take place without disturbance to traffic in those areas.”
According to the most recent data available with the city Corporation, a total of 2,12,468 properties were inspected in all the zones to check the condition and availability of RWH structures. Of these, 1,15,779 properties were found to have harvesting structures in good condition whereas 34,538 needed improvement and 62,151 properties did not have a structure in place for rainwater harvesting.
A team of Corporation and Metro Water staff, each comprising a sanitary inspector, tax collector, metro water depot manager, Corporation and Metro Water assistant engineers and a junior engineer had started inspection of rainwater harvesting structures across all 15 zones in the city in July.
Two hundred such teams - one for each ward - have been deployed with the target of ensuring at least two lakh properties have a functioning rainwater harvesting system before the onset of monsoons this year. In addition, the team also inspected 188 community wells that are currently unused. Renovation of these wells is to be carried out jointly by the city Corporation and the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).
Residents who are looking to construct RWH structures in their houses may contact Corporation’s toll-free 1913 helpline for guidance. The Corporation will also connect residents to contractors in their respective localities, if necessary. Apartments may look at a system that drains the rainwater to a sump which is in turn connected to a recharge well. In informal settlements, where space may often be a constraint, community wells are to be set up wherever there may be space, including on roads.
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