The Coimbatore Corporation has started serving notices on buildings in the city that do not have rainwater harvesting structures.
According to a local body official, about 250 commercial buildings (with a built-up area of over 10,000 sq.ft each) have been surveyed by the town planning section and over 1,000 residential buildings have been surveyed by the water meter readers and water supply engineers during the last 10 days. If the building does not have rainwater harvesting structure, notice is served, asking the building owner to install the structure within a specific period. All buildings (approved and unapproved) will be covered under the survey.
Corporation Commissioner G. Latha told The Hindu that a helpline number will be announced next week. A panel of experts will be available to give technical guidance to the public on rainwater harvesting structures. Thus, the entire system will be in place. Indian Institute of Architects, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers and Builders’ Association of India have jointly (AEB Forum) organised an exhibition on rainwater harvesting at VOC Park Grounds here.
The exhibition has over a dozen stalls displaying models of rainwater harvesting structures.
Members of the forum will guide the public to set up the structure at home or commercial buildings. The exhibition will be open on June 28 and 29 from 10 a.m.
K. Viswanathan, former vice-president of Builders’ Association of India, said the forum has constituted a panel of 25 members. When Coimbatore Corporation approves the panel, the members will guide the public. They will also inspect the rain water harvesting structures and certify them. The forum has appealed to the Corporation to give one month time to buildings to install the rainwater harvesting structures. It has also said that the local body should be flexible as it might not be possible to set up the structures in row houses or congested parts of the city. It has also said that the Corporation should also encourage reuse of water, especially in hospitals, institutions, industries, etc.
