AHMEDABAD: The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has reinforced its commitment to groundwater recharge by adding new conditions for granting building use (BU) permission. During a recent meeting, its board decided that developers must maintain percolation wells on their sites to obtain BU permission.
Developers are now required to install a percolation well and provide a notarized affidavit stating, “The percolation well and the rainwater harvesting system are operational, and we will ensure their ongoing functionality.” Only after this will Auda grant BU permission.
The original requirement for percolation wells in constructions exceeding 500 sq m was established in the 2002 Development Plan. This regulation was later clarified in the 2014 General Development Control Regulations (GDCR) and continued in the 2017 Comprehensive General Development Control Regulations (CGDCR).
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) also mandates builders to deposit a security amount to ensure the maintenance of percolation wells in new buildings, which are inspected every five years. In 2023, AMC increased construction fees and tree planting deposits nearly threefold. A circular issued on August 8 raised the tree planting deposit required at construction plan approval.
The construction fee and building material removal charges were raised by three to four times as well. Additionally, a Rs 75,000 deposit is now required from developers specifically for maintaining the percolation well on their site.
This new requirement is in addition to the existing rule mandating the construction of a percolation well. The deposit will be refunded upon successful inspection of the percolation well and receipt of a certificate confirming its operational status.
A percolation well requirement was first introduced by AMC in 2002 for all constructions over 500 sq m. In 2018, AMC issued notices to over 1,200 buildings for failing to maintain these wells.
Currently, many percolation wells in residential societies, commercial complexes, and mixed-use buildings are not functioning effectively, worsening waterlogging issues during the monsoon.
