Is Rainwater Harvesting in Assam Just on Paper?

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Is the mandatory rainwater harvesting provision on buildings in Assam only confined to paper? Keeping provision for rainwater harvesting during the construction of buildings is mandatory not only in Guwahati but also in other urban areas and areas under development authorities as well.

The Assam government had issued a gazette notification on October 15, 2022, with the title "Assam Unified Building Construction (Regulation) Bye-laws, 2022." According to the bye-laws, every building shall provide one or more rainwater harvesting structures to collect the rooftop runoff.

The notification says that the bye-laws extend to the Master Plan areas or notified planning areas across the whole of Assam, except for areas under Autonomous Districts, provided that if any District Council desires that all or any of the provisions of these bye-laws shall apply to the Autonomous District concerned, a notification may be issued to that effect, and the bye-laws shall then extend to that Autonomous District subject to such exceptions or modifications as may be specified in the notification.

The state government had earlier notified the "Guwahati Building Construction (Regulation) Bye-laws, 2014," making it mandatory for buildings in Guwahati to have rainwater harvesting systems.

The question now arises that even after notifying two building construction bye-laws, do buildings in Guwahati and other parts of the state really have such provisions for rainwater harvesting? It is the duty of building permission authorities to ensure whether rainwater harvesting systems have been put in place in buildings constructed by individuals, commercial builders, or the government agencies.

After the completion of construction, it is the duty of the individual or commercial builder to inform the building permission authorities and obtain an occupancy certificate. It is at this stage that the authorities need to verify whether the bye-laws, including that on rainwater harvesting, have been complied with or not. Usually, the builder or owner does not approach the authorities concerned to obtain such a certificate. That is why the authorities remain in the dark regarding compliance with the rainwater harvesting rule.

Currently, it is a must for sellers of flats, commercial spaces, etc., to obtain an occupancy certificate from the authorities. Buyers do not purchase flats or commercial spaces without the occupancy certificate. So, the sellers have to approach the building permission authorities for such a certificate, and the authorities are able to verify the premises at this stage. A senior GMC official said that nowadays those constructing commercial buildings usually keep provision for rainwater harvesting. However, most of the general people constructing their houses still do not apply for occupancy certificates. Which is why the authorities are not aware of whether a residential building has such a provision or not.

When asked whether any steps are taken to induce people to apply for occupancy certificates, the official said, "Earlier, the rule regarding occupancy certificates was not strictly enforced. But, for the past four or five months, we have been strictly enforcing the rule on occupancy certificates. We have also started issuing notices to people who have completed construction but not applied for such certificates. When people start applying for the certificates, we will come to know whether the provision for rainwater harvesting has been made or not."

Another question arises as to whether the provision for rainwater harvesting in commercial buildings is kept only to obtain occupancy certificates from the authorities. Sources said that most of the commercial buildings having the provision do not use it for the purpose intended, as laid down in the bye-laws.

The primary purpose behind rainwater harvesting is the use of the collected water for recharge of groundwater, washing vehicles, gardening, etc.

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