State-run schools to soon get rainwater harvesting system

A co-ordination committee that would include officials from Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board would be formed to identify the government school buildings that do not have RWH system installed.

A senior official from the Directorate of School Education told DT Next that many government schools do not have adequate water facilities especially during the summer. “This year, the drinking water crisis is at the peak. We have received lots of requests from school managements seeking government intervention to ensure adequate water facilities for the students,” he said.

Though authorities are addressing the issue by providing water through various sources, these are temporary measures. “To ensure permanent solution, it has been decided to install RWH in all the government schools before the NE monsoon starts.”

The official said about 80 per cent of the schools do not have the system to harvest rainwater. And in the few schools that do have it, the structures were installed way back in 2001, the official said, adding that most of them were damaged and have not been repaired for a long time. “They will be set right through Public Works Department (PWD),” he said.

According to the official, the committee would first take a list of schools that do not have RWH system and then decide the type of structures to be installed. He added that the proposal includes recharge through pits and rooftop collection of rainwater.

For installing the RWH structures, the authorities are looking to reach out to private companies to provide funds under CSR scheme. “After the RWH structure is installed, managements will be instructed that these structures should be identifiable by display structures and they should be maintained to avoid accumulation of waste,” the official said.