Harvest rainwater or pay fine from May 1

BENGALURU, April 22, 2016: With drought making every drop of water precious, there is a special focus on rainwater harvesting. If you are yet to adopt harvesting in your building, get ready to pay penalty from May 1. You will have to pay 25 per cent of your water bill as penalty for the first three months. The penalty will double after three months and will be collected till you adopt rainwater harvesting system. BWSSB chairperson T.M. Vijay Bhaskar told The Hindu that the board was keen on implementing rainwater harvesting in the city. “The penalty will be calculated along with the monthly water bill. Our meter readers and other field staff have been trained to inspect buildings and implement the rule strictly,” he said. The board made rainwater harvesting compulsory through the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage (Rainwater Harvesting) (Amendment) Regulations 2011. According to the rules, all existing buildings on sites measuring 60 ft by 40 ft and new constructions on sites measuring 30 ft by 40 ft have to adopt the system. BWSSB chief engineer (maintenance) Kemparamaiah said nearly 70 per cent of the 55,000 buildings on sites measuring 60 ft x 40 ft had adopted the system so far. “People applying for new connections are adopting it as they cannot get the connection without installing the unit,” he said. Existing houses on 30 ft x 40 ft sites that came up before 2008 are exempted, he said. -DeccanHerald