Only 1.9 Lakh Buildings In City Have Rainwater Harvesting Method

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has taken a significant step towards sustainable water management by passing an amendment bill that mandates rainwater harvesting (RWH) for buildings constructed on plots measuring 60×40 feet and above.
Despite the importance of rainwater harvesting, the adoption rate has been relatively low in the city. Currently, only 1,93,186 residential and commercial buildings in Bengaluru have installed RWH systems. The main reasons for this low adoption rate are the additional cost associated with installation and the lack of government subsidies.
As a result, 39,146 units have failed to comply with the law and, consequently, have been fined by the authorities. However, some building owners and housing societies opt for basic and unscientific RWH systems to avoid substantial fines, according to experts involved in the installation of these systems. Anoop Wyatt, the owner of Terragreen, expressed his concern about the low conversion rate. He emphasized that people tend to invest in rainwater harvesting only when they perceive it as essential or when the situation becomes dire. One major obstacle is that housing societies are often unwilling to invest substantial amounts, ranging from Rs 5-10 lakh for larger buildings to Rs 30,000 for smaller houses, in such arrangements. Wyatt believes that the lack of a long-term investment perspective hampers widespread adoption. Since the implementation of the amendment, a total of Rs 1,95,31,000 in fines has been collected in the city. The authorities have focused more attention on older buildings, as new constructions are now required to incorporate RWH systems. Srinivas Ravindran, an official from the BWSSB, noted that many installations have been found to be non-functional or ineffective due to improper design and lack of scientific implementation.