BENGALURU: With only about 2 lakh of the 10.8 lakh homes in Bengaluru having installed rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) believes the water situation wouldn’t have been as dismal as it is now if everyone had opted for RWH.
On its part, BWSSB has imposed penalties totalling nearly Rs 2 crore on 40,000 households for not installing RWH systems, hoping that might push people into embracing the sustainable solution. West zone, including areas such as Nagarbhavi, RPC Layout, Vijayanagar, and Rajarajeshwari Nagar, tops the list with 12,796 homes not compliant with the RWH mandate; the zone has seen penalties running up to Rs 51.7 lakh being levied. East zone follows closely with 11,475 violations but has seen higher penalties at Rs 59.6 lakh.
While there are 17,591 apartments with less than 20 houses implementing RWH, there are 3,034 apartments with over 20 households in an apartment complex that have adopted the practice.
Suresh B, engineer-in-chief of BWSSB, said that since Dec 2011, RWH has been mandatory for houses built on plots larger than 60x40ft. In 2020, it was also made mandatory for houses on plots measuring 30x40ft, with penalties for violations.
For domestic connections, BWSSB imposes a 50% penalty on water consumption bill for the first three months and 100% thereafter. For commercial connections, it is 100% for three months and 200% afterwards.
Arun Bala Rao, a resident of Jayanagar, said his house has benefited from RWH and is experiencing reduced water shortage. Sheela Nagarajun from Rajarajeshwari Nagar also said they use harvested rainwater for various household purposes.
However, despite the advantages, many residents view RWH as an expense rather than a long-term investment. This perception contributes to lower adoption rates, especially among households with smaller dimensions that face acute water shortage.
