Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) would not approve new residential or commercial projects without a proper rainwater management plan.
According to RDA spokesman, the department on the directives of Director General RDA has complied with the rules for the use of precious rainwater.
“Rawalpindi is the second city in Punjab which has launched the project to collect rainwater,” he said adding, following the implementation of the RDA’s rainwater harvesting initiative, Rawalpindi would become the second city in Punjab to introduce environmentally friendly measures.
He said that with the depletion of freshwater resources, the collection and use of rainwater has become very important.
Speaking about mosques, he said that there is more need and consumption for water in mosques, and to fulfill their needs, it can be improved further, and there will be a larger model for rainwater harvesting.
The spokesman said the flowing water from the mosques was ideal for irrigation as it is free of chemicals. The rainwater collected would be used for ablution and used in the washing rooms as well. The remaining ablution water can be collected and used to irrigate plants and herbs in the gardens, he added.
He said that rainwater harvesting was new to the Rawalpindi citizens but very useful for providing water for gardening, irrigation, septic tanks, and car wash stations. In a nutshell, it can be used for anything other than human consumption, where a filtering process is required, he added.
RDA spokesperson said that RDA had started rainwater harvesting with Turkish cooperation. He said the agency had given a gift of Rs 50 million for this project.
He further said RDA was working to expand rainwater harvesting project launched to utilize millions of gallons of rainwater.
RDA had launched the project last year and a local mosque acquired the system to save rain water for ablution and then channeling the used water for irrigation in parks.
The project helped utilise millions of gallons of rain water instead of letting it drain into Nullah Leh and other drains. He informed the rainwater harvesting system was inaugurated at Masjid Sarajia, Asghar Mall Scheme.
RDA had started this work at Masjid Sarajia with the help of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
He said that water is very much needed in mosques and it is being extended to meet their needs. Rainwater collected was being used for ablution and washrooms and ablution water was being collected and used for plants and grass in the front park, he added.
He informed that Maulana Sirajuddin, Imam of Sarajia Mosque had thanked RDA and said that water is a blessing of Allah and it is a great work of RDA.
The spokesman said that the UNDP Research Officer Waqas Khan had also promised that the UN body would extend technical and financial assistance for using and recycling rainwater.
He said that during an earlier meeting, RDA along with the UNDP representative and imams of three major mosques mulled recycling rain and ablution water for reuse.
To a question he informed that RDA in collaboration with PHA would make efforts to expand the project and different places would be identified to install the rainwater harvesting projects.
