RAIPUR: Alarmed by fast depletion of ground water level in Chhattisgarh capital, the Raipur Municipal Corporation (RMC) has directed all the real estate developers to construct at least 50 rainwater harvesting pits using innovative technologies each in their respective townships help improve the groundwater level of the city.
The RMC has set a target of constructing 50,000 rainwater harvesting pits including 20,000 pits in the current monsoon season. A single pit can conserve 2 lakh litres of rainwater.
The RMC Commissioner, Abinash Mishra, held a crucial meeting of the builders and members of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) from Raipur to discuss the issue of continuously falling groundwater levels and ask them to ensure at least 50 harvesting pits in their respective townships.
“This will help maintain and increase the groundwater level, addressing the city’s water crisis. This is the first time that all CREDAI officials and member builders have come forward to solve the city’s deepening water crisis. With the innovative technology, it is possible to recharge up to 200,000 liters of rainwater in one rainwater harvesting pit in a year,” said the Commissioner.
All builders and CREDAI officials agreed to immediately construct 50 rainwater harvesting pits each using innovative technology in their respective townships. The Commissioner said that this would help in bore recharging during the summer, increasing the groundwater level and solving the water crisis. It was agreed in the meeting that builders and CREDAI officials would first install rainwater harvesting pits using innovative technology in areas like Saddu, Mowa, Daldal Seoni, and other places where the groundwater level is continuously falling. This will help in increasing the groundwater level in those areas soon.
CREDAI members assured that they would also discuss with and persuade builders who are not members of CREDAI to construct rainwater harvesting pits in their townships in maximum numbers and join them in the campaign for the benefit of the city. It was agreed that 2000 rainwater harvesting pits would be constructed in Raipur city using the innovative technology method in the interest of the city. In this regard, under the Commissioner’s instructions, Geo Hydrologist Dr K Panigrahi informed CREDAI officials about the new method of innovative technology.
Meanwhile, Dr Panigrahi told TOI that one can get proper water at 80-ft depth in Sundarnagar and Bhatagaon area while it is hard to get at a 1000-ft depth in certain localities from Mandi Gate to Vidhan Sabha. One water harvesting pit can recharge 2 to 2.5 lakh litres of water in a year, he said.
While the ground water level in area like Abhanpur, Arang, and Tilda development blocks remains secure, Dharsiwa block, encompassing 70 wards of the RMC and key industrial zones, faces imminent risk with current state of groundwater extraction standing at 97.04%, according to Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, following the directives of the RMC, several builders, including Raheja Homes, Raheja Nirman, Wall Fort City, WallFort Heights have begun construction of 25 rainwater harvesting pits each using innovative technology.
Indira Smriti Van, Daldal Seoni has collected over 50 lakh liters of rainwater in 3 pits so far.
