The Centre will issue a double piping criterion for building approvals to new housing societies to ensure that water is recycled and reused on the premises, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said on Friday.

“We are now issuing a new criterion for building approvals where there has to be double piping, one of which to reuse water recycled at housing society level. That will be stored in a separate storage tank and used for the flush only,” Javadekar said at TERI World Sustainable Development Summit.

New housing societies will need to install a common effluent treatment plant on the premises to treat water for reuse, he added.

Watershed management in forest areas will also begin soon so that animals have water and fodder in the jungle and do not venture out, Javadekar said.

“This year, we have selected one forest campus in each State and they are being surveyed through new technology. After this, our DPRs will be ready. Next season, after the rains, the work on watershed development at all correct places will start in all the States,” he said.

“We are providing funds through the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act for this survey also. We have already given ₹40,000 crore to this programme of compensatory afforestation,” he added.

“For fifteen years this money was getting used. After the Supreme Court judgement, we have distributed it to all the States,” Javadekar said. “I’m warning the States that this help has to be earmarked and used for that purpose only.”