Make rainwater harvesting plan for flyovers: NGT

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has asked all land-owning agencies in the city to meet on Friday to figure out the gaps in rainwater harvesting implementation

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has asked all land-owning agencies in the city to meet on Friday to figure out the gaps in rainwater harvesting implementation on the city flyovers.

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NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar was hearing a petition filed by Mehrauli resident Vinod Kumar Jain, seeking directions to make it compulsory for all government buildings of 100 sq. m and above to start rainwater harvesting.

“The court has asked all landowning agencies like PWD and DDA to sit together on August 19 and prepare a plan to inspect the different flyovers and report the status of rainwater harvesting in these,” the counsel of the petitioner said.

In his petition, Jain had contended that according to the estimate given by the Delhi Jal Board, 65,000 litres of rainwater can be captured from 100 sq. m roof top which can meet the water requirement of a family of four for 160 days.

He cited a Delhi high court order, in which the Central Ground Water Authority had pointed out that rainwater harvesting could be implemented easily in 13 flyovers in Delhi.

In another similar petition recently filed by Jain, he stated that “Rainwater harvesting on roads can help in recharging underground water level that is depleting due to extraction and also in dealing with the problem of water-logging.”