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Gurgaon is drying and that’s for sure. At a time when it’s an acknowledged fact that the major source of water supply in Gurgaon is underground water, Dr. D. Chakravorty, a senior scientist of Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has said that the city is heading for dry days because of excessive extraction of ground water. Now, that’s a cause for concern. However, what’s a bigger concern is that the rainwater harvesting has remained almost a non-starter in Gurgaon. The residents allege that most of the private developers have ignored the specified norms to compensate for the number of tube wells dug up to supply enough water to residential colonies, and that HUDA has never intensified its drive to promote rainwater harvesting as a must for this drying city.
The CGWB scientist says that the development in terms of concrete construction and increasing occupancy is going to pose serious challenge to meet the water requirements. "People have to go in for rainwater harvesting in the city and it has to be made a major movement to make Gurgaon sustainable," Chakravorty pointed out. But things are not moving as they should be. "We have never been supplied with the details of the quantity of canal water that our colony receives. It seems that the ground water is the main source of water supply to our plots. In our opinion, HUDA needs to start a movement in the city to recharge ground water. People are interested to get it done, as they know that they have to live here the rest of their lives," said Indernath, a resident of Sushant Lok and a citizens’ activist.
Gurgaon Citizens Council and QERWA president R.S. Rathee says that that the digging up of one tube well has to be complied with five recharge structures; nothing has been done towards this end. The CGWB has mandated under the Environment Protection Act that all existing buildings in the ’notified areas’ must do rainwater harvesting. Gurgaon also falls in the list of notified areas. Earlier, the authority had also set a deadline failing which it warned that the tube wells on the premises of residents would be sealed. But many years after the notification was issued, and many meetings later, only a few of buildings in this region have rainwater harvesting structures.
The CGWB has now set the deadline as June 30, but officials say that this might see more extensions in coming months. "HUDA has to make it mandatory, not only for the buildings under construction, but also provisions must be created so that all buildings already
constructed get rainwater harvesting. To make it successful, HUDA should make norms where no completion certificate is issued, as it is done in case of sewerage connection," points out Dr. S K Behera. Yo avoid greater crisis in near future, Gurgaon and its administration have to start the movement for rainwater harvesting in the city. Failing which, there might be no water left for the city. And, that’s not a pleasant thought.
–Dipak Kumar Dash, Gurgaon Plus |
