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MCG to make rainwater harvesting pits operational, revive ponds
Civic body will also open sewing centres and beautify parlours for widows, poor women
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Monday decided to make all existing rainwater harvesting systems functional and add more such units across the city. The civic body also decided to renew focus on reviving natural ponds.
The decisions were taken at meeting chaired by mayor Madhu Azad in the presence of ward councillors and officials at MCG’s sector 34 office.
“On the one hand, natural ponds will solve the issue of waterlogging by serving as catchment pits and on the other hand, will conserve water. If we do not act now, the city may face a severe water shortage in the future,” mayor Madhu Azad said.
On November 16 last year, the MCG — after the July 2016 mega waterlogging that crippled traffic on the Gurgaon expressway for over 48 hours — had identified five natural ponds at Sukhrali, Basai, Fazilpur, Jharsa and Wazirabad as catchment areas to store rainwater on a priority basis.
Read I MCG clears encroachments during Jharsa bundh drive
The MCG has already started on-ground work at the Sukhrali pond.
A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) last year said Gurgaon had lost 137 water bodies over time.
Reviving green belts and making vertical gardens on pillars of footover bridges were other important decisions taken at Monday’s meeting.
The MCG has been exploring the possibility of introducing the concept in the city since 2016.
In a vertical garden, hydroponic plants are installed. These do not need soil for growth and get water nourishment from an automated dripping system.
Other decisions taken included sewing centres and beauty parlours for widows and women from the economically weaker sections, providing sewage facilities for those living in the restricted area near Indian Air Force’s ammunition depot in sector 14 and meetings between councillors and the engineering wing department.
MCG commissioner V Umashankar assured councillors and mayors that all decisions taken during the meeting would be implemented immediately.
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