With water crisis worsening in the city, the Delhi Government has been directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to assess possibility of harvesting rain water on some of the flyovers across the city.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar directed the Delhi Government and the Central Ground Water Authority to inspect the 13 flyovers which found mention in a 2004 Delhi High Court order.
“Let inspection be conducted by the NCT Delhi and the Central Ground Authority of all the 13 flyovers and to submit whether it is possible to install rain water harvesting system or not,” the Bench said.
The NGT was hearing a petition filed by Vinod Jain, a resident of Mehrauli.
He was seeking directions to the Delhi Government, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and the Ministry of Urban Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to make it mandatory for all existing government building of 100 sq metres and above to have rain water harvesting through storing of rain water runoff and have recycling facilities too. Mr. Jain said as per the estimate given by Delhi Jal Board, 65,000 litres of rain water can be captured from 100 sq metres sized roof top which can meet water requirement of a family of four for 160 days. The fact, he said, came to be recorded by the Delhi High Court in its 2004 order in a writ petition filed by him.
Mr Jain said that in the same order of the High Court, it was recorded that the CGWA had pointed out that rain water harvesting could be implemented easily in 13 flyovers in Delhi.
The Master Plan assesses annual rain water harvesting potential at 900 billion litres per day.He said government buildings like Sena Bhawan, Krishi Bhawan, Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhawa have a large roof top surface area which can be used for harvesting rain water.
