Building a new dream
Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the largest land developer of the country, plans to not only build green housing projects, but also provide incentives to promote the concept in the Capital. DDA, which has built more than 3.5 lakh residential units in the Capital to date, is largely known for the rather shabby flats it offers. The authority, however, now plans to offer flats that follow contemporary designs and are also sustainable along with being energy-efficient. At present, DDA is constructing more than 30,000 new dwelling units in the Capital.
Apart from creating green housing projects of its own, DDA has also come out with draft regulations for incentivising green buildings as part of the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. The DDA plans to offer extra Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of one to four per cent to rated buildings that follow green norms. The FAR can go up to five per cent for exceptional cases. The norms that are largely to be followed include recycling of treated waste water with separate lines for potable water and recycled water. Projects would also have to install dual piping system for potable and non-potable water. Ground water has to be recharged through rain water harvesting, conserving water bodies and regulating groundwater abstraction.
Treated sewage effluent should be recycled for non-potable uses like gardening, washing of vehicles, cooling towers, etc. Utilities such as underground water storage tank, roof-top water harvesting system, separate dry and wet dustbins, etc., are to be provided within the plot.For bigger projects - of sizes 3,000 square metres and above — provision of cavity walls, atriums, shading devices in buildings will be encouraged to make them energy-efficient. Solar heating system will be provided on all plots with a roof area of 3,000 square metres and above.
These incentives shall be based on the rating criteria prescribed by 'Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment' (GRIHA) for green buildings. Once a project gets the rating, a separate application has to be made to get extra FAR.