Chennai: No recycling units? High-rises will not get water conection

Chennai: In a bid to reduce the city’s growing water requirement and save 15 per cent of drinking water supplied to Chennaiites, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) took a major decision on Friday, under which the government body will not provide new water and sewerage connections to buildings without recycling units.

“The rule will be applicable to special and multi-storied buildings which do not have the facility to separate black water (toilet waste water) from gray water (other waste water generated from bathing, cooking and washing). Despite mandating the rule in 2002, many buildings are not complying with the rule, hence the decision,” the Chennai metro water spokesperson said.

“People and building owners need not panic as the new restriction will not apply to ordinary buildings. The CMWSSB also requests all existing special and multi-storied buildings which received building permission after 2002 to instal appropriate water recycling mechanism by December 2017,” the spokesperson said. The recycled sullage (grey water) could be used for gardening and toilet flushing and this would reduce the use of fresh water, metro water sources said.

“It is important that the Chennai metro water board specify the methodology for the recycling procedure. They should coordinate with the Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority to insist on a dual piping system for black and grey water. Only then will the recycling procedure get easy,” said Sekhar Raghavan, who has been advocating rainwater conservation since a few decades. The expert in rainwater harvesting also demanded that the existing storm water network in the city be strengthened for improving the ground aquifer.

“While rainwater is harvested from roof tops and terrace, the setback area (like parking lots and gardens) are usually ignored, wasting a lot of water,” he added.

Know your water management
Chennai requires 830 MLD of water every day. Due to the depletion of water in all four reservoirs, the supply has been reduced to 550 MLD. This will continue till the onset of the monsoon. CMWSSB Rather than using potable water for gardening and flushing, recycled water using separate pipes could conserve a lot of water. People should clean the rainwater harvesting structure and maintain it properly for ground water recharge.