Rainwater management plan required for housing society approval: RDA

RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) would only approve a commercial or residential project when it has submitted a proper rainwater management plan.

RDA spokesperson said, “Rawalpindi is the second city in Punjab which has launched the project to collect rainwater,”. The rainwater harvesting initiative is aimed to introduce environment-friendly initiatives in Rawalpindi.

In this regard, Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) collaborated with Turkish cooperation which gifted Rs50mn for the project implementation. RDA would focus on the project’s further expansion to use gallons of rainwater.

The spokesperson further commented that rainwater harvesting is very crucial to counter the increased depletion of freshwater resources.

He further briefed that mosques utilize more water thus it is important to introduce a more thorough model for rainwater harvesting for them.

He further added that the outflowing water from mosques is chemical-free and therefore suitable for irrigation purposes. The harvested water can be utilized for ablution and that in turn, can be reused for irrigation.

RDA launched such a project last year whereby a local mosque followed the above-mentioned sustainable model that helped save water by millions of gallons instead of it wasting into a nearby Nullah.

The initiative is quite novel for Rawalpindi residents however it has great potential to be used for septic tanks, car washing, gardening, and irrigation. For human consumption, a proper filtering system would be required, he added.

Earlier, RDA conducted a meeting with three mosque representatives and UNDP to discuss the rainwater harvesting project. UNDP Research Officer, Waqas Khan, promised to extend technical and financial assistance to RDA for this project.

RDA representative further informed that they will collaborate with PHA to expand the project and explore new areas for rainwater harvesting projects.