Coimbatore has joined the select group of cities in the country which have made rainwater harvesting mandatory to reduce groundwater exploitation. Plans for all new structures within the corporation limit would be approved only if they satisfy the newly drafted guidelines of the corporation. The corporation council has approved the resolution, which necessitates residential buildings, commercial and industrial structures to have proper rainwater harvesting systems. Over the years, the groundwater level has been depleting in the city and surroundings following large-scale exploitation. It is estimated that the level could be down to 200 to 350 feet in most of the areas.
Experts point out that the scope of water harvesting is tremendous.
An improvement in water conservation can also provide the foundation for a multitude of other problems. The TERI opinion Over the years, it has been stressed that safe water, being one of the necessities of life, must be freely available to all. Unfortunately, since independence, we have been able to achieve safe water availability only to a limited extent especially in the rural areas. The supply of subsidized electricity has largely benefited the rural affluent and led to over-exploitation of water. This has resulted in severe depletion of groundwater in several parts of the country.