Hyderabad: The GHMC has not paid the promised amount for digging rainwater harvesting pits across Greater Hyderabad colonies on the occasion of World Water Day on March 22.
Close to 50 pits have been dug in each of the colonies in Greater Hyderabad and the Corporation had promised to bear 70 per cent of the cost for domestic and 50 per cent for commercial enterprises. However, the money has not reached the residents.
Many colleges like St. Francis Degree College, Begumpet, and NIFT have also dug huge water harvesting pits.
With Hyderabad having a rocky granite sub-surface, water does not penetrate easily. Experts say that rainwater harvesting pits should be specific as per the soil condition at the site. For granite soil, a technique called injection wells is used for harvesting pits.
Architect and expert on water harvesting pits Sai Prasad Renugunta said, “In most houses, people collect water through primary filtration (through sand filters and other filters available in the market). In most urban areas, rainwater harvesting pits are not practical because there is no space available. For example, for an individual house of 200 square yards, a 5 feet x 5 feet x 6 feet pit, as per the soil condition, should be dug. However, in most cases this much space is not available and the alternative technique is storing the rainwater and reusing it. This way residents can spend less on electricity and the quality of water is better. The level of Total Dissolved Salts is also better than borewell water.”
