RWH systems in all four condominiums of Gurugram found defective during random inspection

According to a drainage report submitted by a GMDA consultant in late July, nearly 50% of condominiums have faulty RWH systems that need to be restored to curb waterlogging.

A random inspection of rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in four residential condominiums in Gurugram last week found all of them to be defective and non-functional, officials of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) said.

The inspection was carried out by the GMDA planning wing.

The inspection was carried out by the GMDA planning wing along with teams from the district hydrology department, Ground Water Authority and state irrigation department. The exercise followed directions from DS Dhesi, principal advisor, urban development, Haryana, to ensure that RWH systems are made functional across the city.

According to a drainage report submitted by a GMDA consultant in late July, nearly 50% of condominiums have faulty RWH systems that need to be restored to curb waterlogging. The report also noted that around 85% of houses in the city have dysfunctional RWH structures, despite state regulations mandating them.

RS Bhath, district town planner, GMDA, who has been tasked with randomly inspecting about 2,000 condominiums in sectors 1 to 67, said four societies were checked last week—one in Sector 54, two in Sector 56, and one in Sector 48. “The RWH systems were not working and were found to be faulty in these condominiums. The RWAs have been given directions to carry out maintenance and repair work to ensure these are working. A lot of water from these condominiums, which could have been conserved, is getting wasted as it gets accumulated in drains and roads and causes waterlogging,” he said.

Bhath added that 25 residential societies will be randomly inspected in September. “We have the RWH structures, and these can be repaired and made operational with the cooperation and support of all stakeholders. We will first motivate the property owners to voluntarily take steps for making these systems functional, and if this does not happen, then violators will be penalised,” he said.

As per HSVP rules, rainwater harvesting systems are mandatory in houses built on plots of more than 100 square yards. Possession certificates issued by HSVP and the Town and Country Planning Department require verification of such systems before approval, officials said.