Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Tariq Murtaza on Friday announced that rainwater tanks were now a mandatory requirement for all new building constructions in the city, according to news sources. He further stated that the maps of these new buildings, which can include houses, shopping outlets, or any multi-storey structures, will only be approved if they include tanks and drains to channel and store the rainwater.
The chairman went on to remark that rainwater harvesting was a ‘new phenomenon’ for the citizens of Rawalpindi, but one that is extremely useful for saving water for gardening, irrigation, and use in car wash stations and flush tanks. He stated that the rainwater could be put to all sorts of usage (minus human consumption).
He further revealed that the RDA had gotten the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) on board for the pilot rainwater harvesting project; with the latter having generously offered to pay for the project – bearing expenses worth over PKR 50 million as a gift to the Pakistani people.
The chairman expressed hope that this project would initiate a trend to save millions of gallons of clean rainwater to be used for a variety of purposes. For this project, pipes will be laid from the Metro Bus Stations at Liaquat Park and Committee Chowk to channel and divert rainwater towards the collection tanks in Liaquat Park. The stored water will be used for irrigation and gardening through sprinklers.
In the second pilot project, pipelines and tanks will be constructed to store wastewater directed from the ablution facility in the Liaquat Park Jamia Masjid.
In the third pilot project, the rainwater will be conserved in a newly-built conservation tank at the RDA office – flooded through the pipes built on its roof.
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