Summer drive fails: Less than 25k new RWH structures built ahead of monsoon

Data collated by the Corporation revealed that 24,710 houses have recently set up RWH structures, as on October 18. But, the civic body has identified 1.99 lakh existing rainwater harvesting structures that are in good condition in residential buildings.

Hit by the severe water shortage this year, the civic body and water managers had constituted special teams for each of the 200 divisions in the city. The teams were instructed to conduct inspections at residential buildings in their respective divisions.

“The ward-level teams will increase the number of such structures by 2 lakh before monsoon,” SP Velumani, Municipal Administration And Water Supply Minister had said, while explaining the government’s measures to tackle water crisis in June.

As per the order, the ward-level teams should have found 1,000 buildings without RWH structures in their allocated division and implore the owners to construct one such structure in their premises.

From the date of formation of the ward-level teams, the officials had inspected around 2.96 lakh buildings in the city till September 14. “Additionally, the teams have inspected more than 1 lakh buildings in the past 25 days. We have identified around 37,000 buildings in which the RWH structures need improvements. Building owners have been advised to renovate those structures,” a Corporation official said.

Apart from increasing the number of RWH structures, the ward-level teams have identified 216 neglected community wells. They are undergoing an overhaul as the civic body is providing artistic touch to the wells that would be used to store rainwater.

An official said that this measure has contributed to the increase in the groundwater level. “We will continue our drive and action will be taken to create new RWH structures,” he added.