New Delhi: "I use half a bucket of water for taking bath during the summer and ask other family members to follow," Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Thursday, exhorting citizens to conserve the scarce natural resource.
The Chief Minister said this while speaking at a seminar on rain water harvesting organised by Delhi Jal Board in association with Environment department.
With Delhi facing the problem of acute water shortage, Dikshit also asked authorities to implement government norms on mandatory installation of rain water harvesting facilities in all new buildings built on plot size of 100 square meters and above.
Highlighting importance of rain water harvesting, Dikshit asked RWAs and principals of the schools and the custodians of parks and gardens in Delhi to take up installation of rain water harvesting system as a "movement".
"The ground water level in Delhi was so high 40 years back that the water had to be pumped out to prevent seepage in buildings in various places in Delhi. Today, it has gone down alarmingly low," Dikshit said.
Asking concerned departments to implement norms and rules in installation of rain water harvesting, she also stressed on the need to simplify the procedures to support those wanting to install rain water harvesting system.
As per norms, if a building is constructed on plot size of more than 200 square meters, then drawing of ground water through tube-well or bore-well is allowed if rain water harvesting system is installed in the complex.
All buildings having a minimum discharge of 10,000 litres and above per day require to install waste water re-cycling systems which can be used for horticultural purposes.
Various stakeholders including representatives of RWAs, NGOs, consumer organisations attended the workshop.
The workshop was organised to discuss the prospects of rain water harvesting in Delhi and to prepare an action plan.
Delhi receives an annual rainfall of 611.8 mm in 27 rainy days during the year which can be easily stored by way of rain water harvesting, said a DJB official.
Debashree Mukherjee, Chief Executive Officer, appealed to the citizens of Delhi to Reduce Recycle and conserve water.
PTI
