Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting
Various States/Union Territories have made rainwater harvesting mandatory by enacting laws or by formulating rules & regulations or by including provisions in Building byelaws or through suitable Government Orders. Details are given in Annexure. Data on quantum of rainwater being harvested/ saved in the States is not maintained by any single agency.
Four States/UT viz. Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram and Lakshadweep have not made roof top rainwater harvesting mandatory. In Jammu & Kashmir, as the stage of ground water development is very low, the state does not feel it necessary to adopt any such regulation. In Mizoram, rainwater harvesting is already a common practice; hence, the State Government has not imposed any regulation for making it mandatory. In Manipur, demonstrative projects of roof top rainwater harvesting are being taken up by the State Government. In Lakshadweep, due to the hydrogeological conditions, need for rainwater harvesting is not felt. Besides, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under Section 3(3) of The Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Authority has issued directives to the Chief Secretaries of all States and the Administrators of all UTs to take measures to promote/adopt artificial recharge to ground water/rainwater harvesting. CGWA has also taken up the matter with various Central and State government organizations for adopting rainwater harvesting and recharge to the ground water. A Model Bill has also been circulated to all the States/UTs which, inter-alia, has provisions for rainwater harvesting to enable them to enact ground water legislation for its regulation and management.
Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has prepared a conceptual document entitled “Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India” which envisages construction of different types of Artificial Recharge and Rainwater Harvesting structures in the Country by harnessing surplus monsoon runoff to augment ground water resources. The Master Plan has been circulated to all State Governments & is also available in Public Domain.
This information was given by Union Water Resources Minister Shri Harish Rawat in written reply to a written question in the Lok Sabha