CDA plans to make 'recharge wells' mandatory in houses.

ISLAMABAD -- As the water table in the capital continues to go down at least four feet every year, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), in a bid to replenish groundwater reserves, has planned to make it mandatory for house owners to construct recharge wells to harvest rainwater.

'Proposal [has been] submitted to [CDA's] building control section for implementation at house level construction of recharge wells for longer and good results to recharge groundwater aquifers,' said the water management deputy director general, Sardar Khan Zimri.

Speaking to Dawn, Mr Zimri said he had submitted his proposal to a committee working on bringing amendments to the existing by-laws that would make it mandatory for all house owners to construct recharge wells to harvest rainwater.

He said these wells would be helpful for recharging the underground water table through rainwater. 'Our water recharge wells received a good amount of water after the rain which lashed Islamabad last evening,' he said.

Official says rainwater harvesting alone not solution to 'imminent' water scarcity

It is relevant to note here, as per the existing by-laws, the owners of houses are already bound to have water tanks to store rainwater, but these by-laws are not enforced.

'We will ensure implementation of these by-laws for the construction of water tanks and construction of recharge wells...as groundwater is depleting fast at an annual rate of four feet,' the deputy director general added.

According to the CDA official, at least 70 underground wells which have been constructed in various areas, mostly in parks, have helped increase the underground water table in their respective areas.

For the last many years, the CDA has ignored the problem even though Islamabad is a water-scarce city, mainly because of the...

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