Noida: Not harvesting rainwater? Pay a fine

The local authority on Friday said that it has decided to take effective measures to conserve rainwater that goes down the drain every year.

The local authority on Friday said that it has decided to take effective measures to conserve rainwater that goes down the drain every year.

The authority will penalise property owners, including realtors, who violate norms and fail to put a rainwater harvesting system in place in their buildings. It will scrutinise also houses, commercial towers and office buildings to ascertain whether rain water is being conserved or not.

The authority will also prepare a master plan for Noida that will suggest methods for rainwater conservation. It has already directed its horticulture department to clean water harvesting pits built in city parks to conserve rainwater.

"We have decided to rope in a private agency that will investigate through physical inspection whether rainwater harvesting pits are put in place in small houses and big residential or commercial towers or not. The private agency is to be selected in next one month and it will
also submit its report on the basis of which we will initiate action against those who violate building regulation norms," said Manoj Kumar Rai, an officer on special duty (OSD) with the authority.

According to the authority building regulation norms, every building built on 300 sq mtrs or more should have a water harvesting system in place. The authority has made it mandatory because the groundwater level in Noida and adjoining areas is going down.