Bengaluru to make rain-water harvesting mandatory in buildings

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Karnataka would soon amend the law to make usage of harvested rainwater mandatory for all buildings in this tech city, an official said on Monday.</p>
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"The Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Act will soon be amended to mandate all buildings across the city to compulsorily harvest and use rainwater by installing dual-pipe system," said the official after the cabinet approved the amendment bill earlier in the day.</p>
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As the budget session of the state legislature is underway, there was no official briefing after the cabinet meeting.</p>
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Located over 3,000 feet above sea level, Bengaluru depends heavily on the Cauvery river for water supply to its 1.2-crore denizens.</p>
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Rainwater harvesting has been made mandatory for all new houses and office buildings across the city to meet the need and reduce dependency on river and ground water.</p>
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"The rainwater can be stored and used for gardening, washrooms and the like to judiciously use the river water for drinking and cooking," added the official.</p>
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Meanwhile, marking the 'World Water Day', the state government on Monday signed an agreement with multi-business conglomerate ITC Ltd to develop watershed in 10-lakh acres of land across the southern state in three years.</p>
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"The partnership agreement is part of the state government's 'watershed development for drought-proofing' programme, which aims at covering 1.16-million acres of watershed area in 29 of the 31 districts across the state," said an official statement.</p>
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<em>(IANS)</em></p>