Chennai: The past few months witnessed Velacheri struggling for water. But the civic body officials are not ones to take things lying low. They are campaigning on a war footing to install more and more rainwater harvesting (RWH) facilities in the localities.
Most houses here have RWH facility and many others revamped the system recently. Now, the civic body wants the same to be done on the streets and main roads to prevent waterlogging and to collect rainwater. For this purpose, the Chennai Corporation recently conducted a campaign to get independent houses and apartment dwellers to build RWH. The officials are urging residents’ associations and shops in the neighbourhood to build the facilities on the streets so that rainwater doesn’t go waste.
Speaking to News Today, Chennai Corporation, Assistant Engineer, Mary said, “We have been rallying for RWH. Now, we have asked associations and volunteers to build RWH at places where water usually gets stagnated. We are asking residents to do it using association funds. So far, a residents’ association at Tansi Nagar and a temple committee at Karunambikai Colony have built it.”
Speaking about the cost factor, she said that it would vary based on the depth of the facility, that is, from Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000. “We are promoting the plan as we want to prevent waterlogging and to collect rainwater.”
M Balakrishnan, secretary of Tansi Nagar Welfare Association, said, “When the civic body spoke to us about the initiative, we got in touch with G K Builders in the locality. We built a 7-feet-deep RWH at a cost of Rs 15,000 at Tansi Nagar, 10th Street. It just took us six hours to complete the work. We are now planning to do the same at Tansi Nagar, 3rd street, and Vardharajapuram, which gets stagnated during rainy season.”