Rainwater to the rescue of residents

WESTEND COLONY: Rain, rain, go away, come again another day... Little Johnny would surely want you to say. But for the hundreds of parched residents of the posh Westend Colony in south Delhi, rainwater has actually come in as a boon.
According to residents, the colony has successfully launched and implemented a major rainwater harvesting project in the area.They claim, the sporadic monsoon so far has already managed to raise the water levels by over 3 feet, thanks to the 19 recharge structures placed at strategic locations around the colony.
And more is yet to come, said Poonam Bisht, convenor of the rainwater harvesting project in the Westend residents'' welfare association (RWA). "This is just the beginning. Our total rainwater harvesting potential is almost 50,000 cubic metres. Annually, about 4,96,00,000 litres of rainwater can be harvested from our colony. These figures have been derived at after a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)," said Bisht.
Westend is a prestigious locality in south Delhi, spread over an area of 31 acres of land. Housing 180 families in 110 plots, it is home to some of the most high-profile names like Arun Shourie and H D Shourie, besides a host of diplomats. It gets its water supply from the MCD.
So, how did it all start? "Two years ago, our RWA seriously started thinking about rainwater harvesting as a viable option to the increasing water crises in the area. Persistent and collective efforts of residents have helped the project get off the ground. With Delhi being almost perpetually in the grip of water crises, especially in summers, I feel this is a major step in the right direction," said Satyendra Maini, a committee member of the project.
According to residents, the project has been solely funded by the local residents, with help from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the CSE. To start with, 19 recharge structures with de-silting chambers have been placed at strategic locations like roadsides, pavements and the green-belt areas. "All the recharge pits have been made by manual boring," added Maini.