Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday asked the GHMC to explore the possibility of making a rule that occupancy certificates would not be given to residences that did not have rainwater harvesting structures.
The court asked the GHMC to inform by Thursday what action it had taken to create awareness among people about the importance of having rainwater harvesting structures in every house and apartment in the city.
A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Dilip B. Bhosale and Justice P. Naveen Rao was dealing with a PIL by city resident S. Vaidehi Reddy.
HC to GHMC counsel: Need to publicise rainwater pits
City resident S. Vaidehi Reddy, sought a direction to the Telangana state government, GHMC and other respondents to ens-ure strict enforcement of GO Ms No 350 dated June 9, 2009, adopted in the AP Building Rules 2012, pertaining to rainwater harvesting structures for all buildings, wherever applicable in the city.
The bench felt that th-ere was a dire need to take up awareness campa-igns by using social, electronic and print media, informing the public ab-out the importance of rainwater harvesting structures to increase the groundwater table.
The petitioner contended that despite a constitutional mandate on autho-rities to undertake steps and enforce measures for conservation of water th-rough means like rainw-ater harvesting, they had been lackadaisical in en-suring enforcement and penalties for contraventions. The bench also told counsel for GHMC to take steps for constructing water harvesting structures.
The petitioner submitted that 85 per cent of people depended on groundwater resources for their drinking needs and it was the first time that in 30 years that the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, which were prime drinking water sources for the city, were dry.
