The Hindu 28.12.2011
‘Rainwater harvesting certificates' for sale
Some plumbers authorised by BWSSB duping people
Even as the December 31 deadline to install rainwater harvesting units on the premises of buildings on 60 ft x 40 ft sites is nearing, people are resorting to last-minute attempts to avoid disconnection of water and sanitary lines.
Taking advantage of this, some plumbers and technicians authorised by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to install the units or provide assistance to people are now going around selling ‘rainwater harvesting certificates' for a fee ranging between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 5,000.
Sources in the BWSSB told The Hindu on Tuesday that the plumbers and technicians were convincing people that they had been authorised to certify the installation of rainwater harvesting units in buildings.
“They are making people believe that they can avoid disconnection by submitting the certificates to the BWSSB. Such instances are being reported from Old Bangalore areas such as Malleswaram and Gandhinagar,” a source said.
Empowered with a rule that will enable the BWSSB to cut off water and sanitary connections to the houses that do not adopt rainwater harvesting by December 31, BWSSB officials are again appealing to citizens to adopt the system.
Of the 55,000 buildings on sites measuring 60 ft x 40 ft that have to compulsorily install the units, 32,000 buildings have adopted the system so far. Of these, only around 200 are government buildings. Existing houses on 30 ft x 40 ft sites are exempted.
Confirming the “sale of certificates,” BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief T. Venkataraju said the board had received some complaints in this regard.
Caution
Cautioning people not to fall prey to such illegal measures, Mr. Venkataraju clarified that the board would not go by such certificates.
“We do not need any certificate. It is enough if the person installs the unit and informs us with his water meter's RR number. We will certify the installation only after our engineers visit the spot and inspect whether the units have been installed as per the specifications,” he added.
BWSSB has set December 31 as deadline to install rainwater harvesting systems
We will not go by such certificates, says BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief