Builders’ Workshop was organized to sensitize the builders about the importance of incorporating rain-water harvesting structures and sewage treatment plants in the societies, in order to make them self-sufficient and discharge-free.

Location: HSIIDC
Time: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
Guests: Divisional Commissioner Mr. Ashok Sangwan & Deputy Commissioner Mr. Amit Khatri
Experts: Vandana Menon (Senior Design Architect), Sushmita Sengupta (CSE), Rashmi Verma (CSE), & Rajnish Sareen (CSE)
OBJECTIVES Creating awareness about :
- Zero waste discharge
- Rain-water harvesting
- Retrofitting
- By-laws & regulations
- Case studies
HIGHLIGHTS :
Water Positive Society – Anupriya Aeron :
- Video depicting water utilized (in litre) per society per day
- Rainwater harvesting system for premises more than 100 sq.m.
- Illegal borewells and number of borewells allowed based on area
- Utilization of run-off from sidewalks, roof-top, drains
- Zero discharge policy
- Sewage treatment plants
- Uses of treated waste-water (flushing, horticulture, gardening, & irrigation)
- Dual piping system
Rainwater harvesting in buildings and at colony level – Sushmita Sengupta CSE :
- Reuse of water saved from rainwater harvesting; DWWT
- Fiscal incentives to promote structures
- Storing rainwater and recharging aquifers – quality of water being used to recharge is very important
- Examples quoted: Baolis, North-East, Ahmedabad (tanka system), Sikkim
- Model projects: East Nizamuddin Colony (hand-held), Cygnus Microsystems Hyderabad, Tex Corp, & Hero Honda
- Case study : Story of a school with a rainwater system that was able to provide water to the school as it was percolating to lower areas as a result of being built on a mountain
Rashmi Verma, CSE :
- Quality of waste-water in terms of organic, pathogenic & nutrient load
- How composition of water determines its treatment standards
- Difference between grey water and black water (more organic content due to faecal matter)
- Decentralized sewage treatment plants & effluent treatment plants – low maintenance
- Desludging frequency to prevent the settler from overflowing
- Grey water easier to treat as compared to black water
- Population growth aspect for the next 20 years should be considered
Ashok Sangwan, Divisional Commissioner :
- There is no substitute for water
- Act similar to Motor Vehicle Act
- Enforcement drives
- Loop-holes in the current system – need for stick mechanism
- Ways to improve the quality of water
- Anticipated outcomes of misuse of water
RS Bhatt, DTP Gurugram :
- Effective ecological planning
- Data & policies
Environment Meets Economics – Rajneesh Sareen CSE :
- World Research Institute
- Construction ban
- Litigation
- Save electricity save water
- Circular economy
- Vortex
- Which plants to plant
- Singapore guidelines
- Microclimate
- GRIHA
- BREEAM rating
- Leak detection system
- Science is becoming complicated
- Town planning-zero discharge township
- Liveability index report
- Cluster planning
- Drastic increment in fine and its relation to lack of implementation efficiency
- Group housing in Gurugram
- Rain water harvesting policies
Vandana Menon – Senior Design Architect :
- Brick, tile, cement, mosaic etc.
- Kinds of drains, perforated covers, cleaning needs to happen before monsoon
- Unpaved bottom
- Bio-filter
- Using water as a single resource
- Dual flush
- RO unit concealed, candle filters, not everyone needs RO – it depends on TDS, secondary container to save water draining from RO
- Retrofitting
- Drip-irrigation
- Benefits of adding storage to recharge
- Optimum use of rainwater harvesting structures – not overloaded
- Prepaid electricity
- Pressure reducing valve, volume dispensing tap
- Solar energy + rain water harvesting = Self-sufficient unit
- Staff comes 2 hrs late because they have to stand in line to get water
- Budget for air, water, & soil?
- Niti Ayog
- TDS & BOD
- Water is everyone’s right
- Floating & migratory population
- Correlation between efforts to get water, its accessibility, and its use
- Water utilized in production of aerated/carbonated drinks
- Utilization of water used to wash dal and chawal before cooking
ADP Surekha Yadav :
- Water management is like time management
- Importance of staying connected and informed