THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district administration’s diktat to house owners with over 200 square metre plots to dig percolation pits in houses by May 31 has compounded confusion.
Water harvesting systems experts said that such a pit, as prescribed by District Disaster Management Authority will not be of use in all wards or areas within city limits.
“The citizens can do simple tests to confirm whether their area is suited for a rain pit. They need to dig a 1x1x1metre hole. If there is clay content in the pit abandon the percolation pit plan. If the water that gets into the pit does not disappear in three days the area is not suitable for rain pits. We have plenty of wards that sit on old wetland,” said a veteran in the field.
In the city, coastal wards such as Poonthura, Valiyathura or Vizhinjam would not benefit from the pits.
Also, even the district administration exempted plots with over 20-degree slant from percolation pits.
“Rain pits in city areas will help to limit the use of purified Kerala Water Authority (KWA) water for gardening purpose assuming that such plots have gardens. It retains the moisture in the soil for more days in a year. It will not help massively in recharging groundwater unless all the pits are maintained manually,” he added.
The water harvesting experts said that new apartments should be made accountable for the massive water they draw.
“Most apartments have borewells. Full-fledged percolation tanks that recharge the borewells should be made compulsory as they consume a massive quantity of water compared to bungalows” he added.
