Indore launches drive to conserve rain water

INDORE: Indore Municipal Corporation on Saturday, April 23, launched a drive to increase ground water level of the city by conserving rainwater. The urban local body has set a target of at least one lakh structures for setting up of rooftop rain water harvesting systems before this monsoon. Various religious leaders, local public representatives and senior officials of various departments pledged to conserve water and take all required steps in this regard at the launch ceremony.

Currently in Indore, around 16,000 residential, commercial and other structures have rainwater harvesting systems. The IMC aims to install such systems in at least one lakh buildings in the city before the monsoon. Pratibha Pal, Commissioner, IMC, informed during the launch that the residents of Indore would be able to apply for installing water harvesting systems on their residential or commercial structures through civic body’s 311 application. She added that the systems would be geotagged.

Pratibha Pal commented that the corporation will ensure that all the residential structures covering over 1500 square foot area and all commercial and government buildings in the city will have rainwater harvesting systems. Moreover, IMC has shortlisted five wards to ensure 100% implementation of the project on priority.

During the launch of the drive, Pratibha announced that at least 15 big grounds in the city that used to witness waterlogging would be developed as small ponds. She said that IMC aims to ensure restoration of wells and stepwells and use them to irrigate nearby farmlands.

A gazette notification of the Government of Madhya Pradesh – Indore Municipal Corporation (Rainwater Harvesting) Bylaws, 2022 – has now made water conservation system mandatory in all the non-residential and government structures along with all the residential buildings – existing and upcoming – with an area of 1500 square feet – in Indore.