Rainwater harvesting project takes off

The rainwater harvesting project got its first breakthrough on Friday as a local mosque acquired the system to save rain water for ablution and then channelling the used water for irrigation in parks.

The project will help utilise millions of gallons of water the heavens drop on the garrison city instead of letting it drain into Nullah Leh and other drains. Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) Chairman Tariq Mehmood Murtaza inaugurated the rainwater harvesting system at Masjid Sarajia Asghar Mall Scheme.

“RDA is the second city institution of Punjab to adopt rainwater harvesting system for ablution,” he said. RDA has started this work at Masjid Sarajia with the help of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Murtaza said that water is very much needed in mosques and it is being extended to meet it and it is a big model.

Rainwater collected will be used for ablution and washrooms and ablution water will be collected and used for plants and grass in the front park. Maulana Sirajuddin, Imam of Sarajia Mosque, thanked the Chairman RDA and said that water is a blessing of Allah and it is a great work of RDA. Research Officer UNDP Waqas Khan, Deputy Director Finance RDA Muhammad Junaid Taj Bhatti, Maulana Sirajuddin and others were present on the occasion.

UNDP Research Officer Waqas Khan said that the UN body will 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.