Punjab to launch rain water harvesting systems in new residences

CM said that no new electricity and water supply connections would be released without approved RWH system

In a bid to prevent water wastage, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today directed state administration to launch campaigns for ensuring its conservation by installing Rain Water Harvesting systems in all new residential houses constructed in the state.

Badal said that no new electricity and water supply connections for houses of 250 square yards and above would be released without the construction of a standard and approved RWH system.

He also asked the officers to work out a plan to build-up such RWH system for all the state government institutional buildings.

Badal also reviewed a a high-level committee report prepared by Punjab Pollution Control Board as part of a river cleaning project in the state.

The committee was constituted by the Chief Minister to identify all sources which are polluting rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ghaggar in the state, an official spokesman said.

Badal approved up-gradation of all the three existing Sewage Treatment Plants at Jamalpur of 48 MLD capacity, Bhattian of 161 MLD and Balloke STP of 257 MLD capacity by introducing modern technology.

The Chief Minister also asked the Managing Director of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board to prepare a comprehensive plan to upgrade all the existing STPs in the state besides, expediting the ongoing construction work of various STPs in the areas of Nangal, Ropar, Chamkour Sahib, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur Jalandhar and Phagwara.

Referring to the dairies polluting Buddha Nallah in Ludhiana, Badal advised the authorities to take strict action against the owners of the dairy farms across the banks, who discharge the dairy waste into the Nallah.

To carry out beautification of the Buddha Nallah banks, the Chief Minister approved to work out a plan for allotting land or houses to already identified slum dwellers settled there.

He also directed his officers to explore the possibilities of capacity enhancement of the Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) in Ludhiana, besides chalking the modalities to introduce super suction machines for cleaning sewerages in various cities.

Badal directed Secretary Science and Technology to closely monitor the entire river cleaning programme on regular basis and also to hold meetings with the Chandigarh administration to monitor the factors polluting Sukhna lake.

According to the spokesman, in another decision, Badal asked the Ludhiana district administration to initiate a process to include all the villages around the city in the Municipal Corporation limits to ensure the provision of all types of civic amenities in the suburbs of the city.