Friday, June 23 2006 11:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jaipur: Beset with recurring drought and scanty rainfall, the desert state of Rajasthan is planning to bring in legislation making water harvesting mandatory in urban households.

"House owners in urban areas will now have to compulsorily construct water harvesting structures in their houses," Urban Development Minister Pratap Singh Singhvi told sources.

"Legislation would be brought in the next assembly session, "he said.

The draft bill gives house owners six months to install a new water harvesting system in their houses. It also contains a provision for disconnecting the municipal water connection to those who don't comply with the rules.

Houses under construction would get a water connection only after a certificate from the local civic authorities that a water harvesting system had been installed.



Giving details, Singhvi said the provisions would be applicable to residential houses measuring 300 sq metres or more and would be implemented in all the 183 urban areas of the state.



"The water table is decreasing fast. In such a situation, it would be of great help to people if we could make use of rainwater," Singhvi said, adding that this was one way of combating the water crisis in the state.



In some Rajasthan towns, the water table has gone down by almost 100-200 ft in the last couple of years.



According to the minister, underground tanks to hold rainwater would be constructed in all houses depending on size. The designs of the tanks had been sent to all the municipalities in the state.