Set up task force to ensure rainwater harvesting: CM

Himachal Chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal caught Shimla’s Mayor Narinder Kataria and Municipal Commissioner A N Sharma almost by surprise on Sunday when he asked them about the implementation of legal provisions to make rainwater harvesting mandatory in all new buildings in the hill capital. It is now legally binding for all new buildings to have an integral plan on rainwater harvesting. The municipal corporation has powers to deny approval to new buildings if their plans do not include this feature. Kataria was sharing the dais with the CM at a meeting on Community-led Assessment,Awareness,Advocacy and Action Programme (CLAP) when Dhumal referred to the law. “It has been years since the law was passed. Let Shimla’s mayor,MC commissioner and additional commissioner sitting here take note of this issue and set up a task force to know how many people are adhering to the rule,” said Dhumal. The CM mentioned a remote village at Hamirpur,which after an initiative taken by a former deputy commissioner had become the best example of rainwater harvesting in the entire district. “Every household there has rainwater harvesting structure and more than 10,000 litres of water is always available for non-consumable usage,” he added. Sharma later told The Indian Express that he would soon set up a task force and get a status report on rainwater harvesting structures.