In Dwarka, you cover the rainwater harvesting pits and park cars there!

Yesterday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal extended the dateline for providing RWH (rainwater harvesting certificates) till 30 September in a meeting with the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). However, residents are not sure if the extension will be of any benefit, since the concept of rainwater harvesting has completely failed to take off in Dwarka.

DJB has a penalty provision for societies (Cooperative Group Housing Societies), independent flats and institutions that either don’t have RWH systems or have faulty ones. But despite the penalty clause things have not improved much.

One of the DJB officials said on condition of anonymity, “There are many societies that are yet to provide the certificate. Those societies will have to pay half the amount of the total water bill as penalty. But they are not bothered even then!”

RK Sahrma, a resident of Sector 12, said, “I can understand about CGHS society providing certificates or maintaining the RWH system. But what about the DDA pockets, or the markets? I don’t think the RWAs in those pockets are even aware about the issue or that markets have provisions for RWH systems.”

Here are questions that need to be answered... For DDA pockets, on whom are the penalties to be imposed; who is responsible for the maintenance of the RWH systems. There are more than 50 DDA pockets across all the sectors that have been largely left unnoticed by the authority as far as RWH systems are concerned. According to DDA officials, RWH systems in DDA pockets are under the supervision of the SDMC, while the SDMC officials seem largely unaware. Even the RWAs don’t know much.

City Spidey visited the DDA pockets and spoke to residents and RWAs about what they felt about the issue. Most of them seemed clueless!

In one of the pockets — Sector 19 Pocket 2, Green View Apartments — the RWH pits have run into disrepair, and now, the pits have been filled up. At Dwarkadheesh Apartments, cars have been parked on covered RWH pits! In OM Apartments, the covered RWH pit has been usurped by a vegetable vendor.

SK Singh, a resident of Sector 14, Radhika Apartments, said, “In all the DDA pockets, the storm water drains that are connected to RWH systems are damaged. Either they are blocked or encroached upon. The agencies, too, can’t do anything. This concept is a failure in DDA pockets.”

For markets, the story is different. Market associations say there’s no provision for RWH in the areas. Confirming the same, DJB officials say RWH systems were ignored during the development of the area, especially in the markets.

So, complete chaos reigns.