Delhi govt plans to revive rainwater harvesting systems in 75 CM Shri Schools before monsoon

Delhi plans to restore rainwater harvesting in 75 CM Shri Schools, aiming for 500 million litres capacity to boost water conservation before monsoon.

New Delhi: The Delhi government plans to revive and operationalise rainwater harvesting systems across the city’s 75 CM Shri Schools before the monsoon begins, officials said on Wednesday. The project aims to create an annual rainwater harvesting capacity of nearly 500 million litres, they added.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta reviewed a detailed assessment of the condition of existing rainwater harvesting structures across these schools, along with a roadmap for restoring non-functional systems, officials said. (Representative photo)

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday reviewed a detailed assessment of the condition of existing rainwater harvesting structures across these schools, along with a roadmap for restoring non-functional systems, officials said.

Gupta said at the meeting:“The objective is to strengthen rainwater conservation, improve groundwater recharge, and create awareness about water conservation among students and the community.”

Officials said a comprehensive audit of rainwater harvesting infrastructure has already been conducted in all 75 schools. During inspections, technical teams found that while most schools had installed rainwater harvesting systems, many had remained defunct for years due to a lack of maintenance.

Officials said a tender will soon be issued to appoint a contractor for the project.

They added that several harvesting pits were found blocked or filled with plastic waste, silt and debris. In some schools, authorities were reportedly unaware of the existence of such structures. The inspections also revealed that rainwater was flowing directly into drains at many locations, reducing the effectiveness of water conservation efforts. Design-related deficiencies were also identified in multiple systems.

Officials said the government has prepared a corrective action plan to address these issues, including desilting harvesting pits, replacing filter media, cleaning drainage pathways and reconnecting rainwater pipes to suitable channels. Larger manholes and safer access points for maintenance will also be provided.

According to officials, rooftop rainwater harvesting systems will be installed or restored in every participating school to improve water storage and groundwater recharge capacity. The government will adopt the Delhi Jal Board (DJB)-approved “Ehsaas” model of rainwater harvesting for the project.

“The model is low-cost, requires minimal space and involves near-zero maintenance,” Gupta said. She added that harvested rainwater from rooftops would be filtered, connected to storage systems and borewells to help recharge groundwater and revive dry borewells.

The chief minister said Delhi receives an average annual rainfall of around 775 mm and a rooftop area of about 2,500 sqft can conserve nearly 200,000 litres of rainwater annually.

Officials estimated that school rooftops alone could help conserve around 130 million litres of rainwater every year, while the overall catchment capacity across the 75 schools could reach nearly 500 million litres annually.