Acting on the call given by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, government agencies in the temple city have embarked on a mission to set up rainwater harvesting pits in their building premises to ensure a comprehensive conservation of groundwater.
The Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) officials, here on Wednesday, commenced the works for digging up two rainwater harvesting pits at their corporate office and maintained that the same would be followed in all the buildings spread across eight districts under its purview.
“We will be covering about 2,200 sub-stations under this programme along with office buildings in every division. That would roughly amount to 3,000 such locations which would have rainwater harvesting pits,” remarked APSPDCL Chairman and Managing Director H.Y. Dora.
Stressing on the need for water conservation, Mr. Dora asserted that the mission to dig up rainwater harvesting pits was being taken up with fervour and determination. He urged officials across the districts to identify suitable places for setting up the pits and commence the works at the earliest.
“All the material cost would be borne by the Southern Discom for this purpose and request the officials/staff to join hands for this cause. We should be able to complete this within a couple of months,” he added. Mr. Dora also assured that the new upcoming buildings would be built with a separate place for a rainwater harvesting pit, embedded during its design stage.
MCT joins mission
Meanwhile, Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) Commissioner V. Vinay Chand directed officials of the town planning and engineering departments and the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) to identify areas to set up pits. A total of 214 areas, including schools, buildings, commercial complexes and government offices, had been identified in Tirupati. Work had begun in educational institutions, including major universities, and 28 municipal schools, after the launch by Tirupati legislator M. Suguna recently.
Officials are planning to educate people on the benefits of rainwater harvesting in their premises and continue the process.
