Bhubaneswar: The Biju Patnaik Park here became the first park in the city to adopt land-based Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) system on its premises.
Observing the constant water-logging and flooding in state capital, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) had proposed to install RWH system in the park in January this year. Constructed at a cost of Rs 11 lakh, the RWH structure has about nine recharge pits spreading over 22 acres.
“The purpose of putting up rainwater harvesting structures in parks is to recharge the groundwater. Usually, a huge quantity of rainwater goes into drains and wasted. With little planning and expenditure, we can easily stop the waste of this precious resource and use it for recharging the groundwater on a massive scale,” said BDA Chief Engineer Rajendra Kumar Nayak.
As per individual reports, the state capital receives about 1,200 mm rainfall every year. While 25 per cent gets charged into groundwater, the remaining runs off or goes into drains. Observing this, the BDA has planned to introduce this facility in around 32 parks across the city. The facilities are being developed with an aim to create awareness among citizens, especially children, on the need for conserving water.
“If we undertake rainwater harvesting in every park, we can replenish groundwater on a massive scale. For each square metre of area, we can collect about 1,000 litres of water per year. A park of 200 square metres area can conserve 2 lakh litres of water every year,” Nayak added. Welcoming the move, urban planners here said that the initiative should be extended to all small and large parks in the city that occupy large areas of land.