33 states, UTs adopt rainwater harvesting, MoHUA says more needs to be done

NEW DELHI: The rainwater harvesting feature mentioned under the Model Building Bye-Laws (2016) has been adopted by 33 states and union territories, said the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) of the Government of India on Thursday, August 5. In the official statement, the Ministry said that the Unified Building Bye-Laws of Delhi 2016, Model Building Bye-Laws 2016, and Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation Guidelines 2014, stress on the need for the adoption of water conservation measures, especially rainwater harvesting.

The Ministry also clarified that the Model Building Bye-Laws mandate all buildings of the plot size of 100 sqm or above to include a proposal of rainwater harvesting while submitting the building plan to the sanctioning authority. Since urban development is a state subject, the responsibility of undertaking activities related to rainwater harvesting falls on them.

Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) launched the campaign ‘Catch the Rain’ on March 22 this year, to educate people on the principles of rainwater harvesting. With the help of locals, MoJS, is conducting drives tocheck dams, constructing pits for water harvesting, de-silting tanks to increase their storage capacity, etc.

The Ministry has also participated in Education and Communication activities to raise awareness on water conversation in cities across the country which have scarcity of water. They have also advised the urban local bodies to lead campaigns related to water conservation and tree plantation.