50,000 rain water harvesting structures to come up in Chennai

Stepping up efforts for water conservation, Tamil Nadu government will set up 50,000 Rain Water Harvesting structures at various places in the city.
"It has been decided to set up 50,000 RWH structures near the Storm Water Drains (SWD)in city roads at an estimated cost of Rs 25 Crore besides linking SWDs to water bodies including temple tanks," Mayor Saidai Duraisamy told the Corporation Council today.
The work will be taken up and completed on a war footing before the onset of monsoon. It will also help improve the ground water level in the city, he said.
Work to set up RWH structures in 4700 places like office and school buildings owned by the Chennai Corporation is underway. Already, 5000 RWH structures have been built at a cost of Rs 3 Crore by the civic body here.

The AIADMK government won accolades for implementing RWH measures in Tamil Nadu in its previous tenure. The government is taking steps to ensure that new buildings have RWH amenities while sanctioning the plan approval.
Work to identify suitable locations for setting up more "Amma canteens" that sell food varieties at subsidised prices is underway, the Mayor said in reply to a query from a councillor.
Also, a new online system to get approval for building plans will be launched soon, he said.