HYDERABAD: The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) has urged the Telangana government to offer property tax concessions to green-certified residential buildings, mandate annual cleaning of rainwater harvesting pits and require borewell users to adopt groundwater recharge measures.
Speaking at a round table meeting on ‘Building a Greener Hyderabad’ on Friday, IGBC National Chairman C Shekar Reddy said the government was considering its proposal to incentivise green buildings. Currently, incentives are available only to certain categories of industrial green buildings.
Shekar Reddy said 541 of Telangana’s 1,283 registered IGBC buildings save 6.56 billion litres of water annually. Another 157 pre-certified buildings are expected to save 10.28 billion litres annually upon completion. Across India, IGBC-certified buildings save around 208 billion litres annually.
Amid concerns over water scarcity under prevailing El Nino conditions, he called for public awareness campaigns to promote water conservation. He said silt accumulation often obstructed rainwater harvesting pits, reducing groundwater recharge, and stressed regular maintenance of these structures in residential complexes and commercial establishments.
IGBC also proposed annual awards for environmentally responsible residential colonies and resident welfare associations, besides recognising volunteers, including students, for planting saplings and supporting water conservation.
On costs, Shekar Reddy said green buildings could initially cost around 3% more than conventional structures, but wider adoption and competition could reduce the difference.
IGBC executive director M Anand said around 20,000 buildings nationwide had adopted IGBC ratings.
