Prayagraj to fight groundwater depletion with rainwater harvesting in public parks
PRAYAGRAJ : To combat the rapid groundwater depletion in the city, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has initiated a project to install rainwater harvesting systems in 100 public parks across the Sangam city area.
In the first phase, rainwater harvesting systems will be installed in 10 public parks, with additional parks following in a phased manner, said PMC officials.
“The groundwater level in Prayagraj city is decreasing rapidly. To address this, rainwater harvesting systems will be installed in major public parks. These systems will not only help conserve rainwater, recharging the groundwater, but also provide irrigation for the parks,” said the Prayagraj municipal commissioner while confirming the move.
He added that this rainwater harvesting initiative could save 10 million liters of water per rainy season. Given the growing pressure from an increasing population and the rising number of multi-storey buildings in Prayagraj, alternative efforts are needed to combat the declining groundwater levels.
The government has mandated that rainwater harvesting systems be installed in residential, non-residential, or commercial constructions with an area of 300 square meters or more. The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) is working to enforce this requirement.
PDA vice-chairman Arvind Kumar Chauhan said that builders must deposit Rs 5 lakh when obtaining building permits for multi-storey structures. After construction is complete, a no-objection certificate is issued upon verification by the Ground Water Department to ensure the rainwater harvesting system has been installed.
In addition to efforts in urban areas, the state government is also focusing on water conservation in rural regions. The construction of Amrit Sarovars for water conservation and rainwater harvesting is part of this initiative.
Prayagraj chief development officer Gaurav Kumar, however, stated that more than 400 Amrit Sarovars have been completed in rural and urban areas across the district. “These have been constructed over 6,000 hectares, allowing for the storage of 175 crore liters of rainwater every season. About ₹82 crore has been spent on the construction of these Amrit Sarovars,” he added. Most of the Amrit Sarovars are located in the trans-Yamuna region of the district, which is heavily affected by water scarcity. These areas include Shankargarh, Koraon, Manda and Meja.