PCMC’s green rating system gets few takers

Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is receiving lukewarm response to its new initiatives of green rating system for new buildings coming up within its municipal limits.

The system implemented to protect environment and conserve energy saw only six projects been registered since it was launched last year.

According to the plan, the buildings will be given ratings on the scale of 1 to 5, depending on the number of eco-friendly measures they take. The developers will get concessions in premium charges paid to the civic body, while residents of green buildings will be given rebate in property tax.

Environment cell department executive engineer Sanjay Kulkarni told DNA, “Ratings have been given to the six projects that have completed the formalities.”
PCMC had adopted the guidelines laid down by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi, for rating green buildings.

According to the green rating system, the basic requirements for a green building were that the building should be made of natural and eco-friendly resources, there should be adequate use of natural light and ventilation to reduce consumption of electricity, fly ash bricks be used for construction and no waste be released into the environment.

The most prominent feature of the system is that it stresses on recycling of wastewater. An individual’s need is not more than 45 litres of fresh water daily for bathing, cooking and drinking purposes collectively. If recycled water is used for other purposes, usage of fresh water and expenditure on purification process can be slashed significantly, he said.