Police tackle water scarcity with rainwater harvesting plant

It is not only cricketer Sachin Tendulkar or Bollywood celebrities pledging their support to conserve water.

It is not only cricketer Sachin Tendulkar or Bollywood celebrities pledging their support to conserve water.

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In fact, the Mumbai police have taken a major step in this direction by setting up its first rainwater harvesting project at the local armed (LA) police headquarters at Naigaon.

The project which was completed early this month, will make them self sufficient in water supply. The venture was sponsored by the Rotary club.

“The project would make our marriage hall and canteen at the LA self sufficient for water,” additional commissioner of police (local arms) Sandeep Bishnoi told Hindustan Times on Sunday.

The marriage hall remains booked through the year while the canteen needs hundreds of litres of water every day. “By becoming self reliant in water supply, we will be saving precious corporation water,” added Bishnoi.

Explaining the project, Bishnoi said that to begin with the borewell near the marriage hall was further dug up and its perimeter was expanded. A network of pipes was used to channelise the rainwater into the well. A massive overhead tank, with a capacity of over half a million litre, was built to pump and store the collected rainwater.

“The overhead tank would be filled once the pumps are activated with the onset of the monsoon rainfall. However, for the time being, the borewell is capable of sustaining the existing demands,” he added.

Mumbai police commissioner D Sivanandhan said the rainwater harvesting project will help to increase the ground water level. “The water that was earlier drained out to the sea, would now be collected by the ground. This way, the much precious ground water level will also increase,” he added.

He informed that the project might be implemented in the nearby police colony, accommodating thousands of families. “At least the preserved water can meet the washing/bathing demands of the families. A treatment plant can make them potable at a later stage,” he said

“The present project is a small initiative towards an important direction at a time when the entire country is reeling under water scarcity. We want to take it further ahead,” added Sivanandhan.