AMC's unique initiative on World Environment Day: "Catch the Rain" campaign sets a grand target of 35 crore litres of rainwater harvesting every year in Ahmedabad

Today is the 5th of June i.e. World Environment Day. In a fast-growing city like Ahmedabad, the demand for water is constantly increasing and the groundwater level is depleting alarmingly. To tackle this water scarcity, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has intensified the "Catch the Rain" campaign to increase the ground water level and promote scientific management of rainwater. The system will be installed in 1750 public buildings. Under this campaign, an ambitious plan to install roof-top Rain Water Harvesting System in around 1750 public buildings in Ahmedabad has been implemented. At present, about 50 per cent of the work on this project has been completed and about 1000 systems will be operational before the monsoon. The remaining work will be continued during and after the monsoon. These projects include AMC Head Offices, Zonal & Ward Offices, Hospitals, Schools, Libraries, Urban Health Centres as well as Water Pumping Stations. Use of advanced 'Wedge Wire Screen Filter' technology Under the Roof-Top Rain Water Harvesting System, rainwater falling on dhabas and open areas is collected and purified by a special filtration process. Stainless steel based 'Wedge Wire Screen Filter System' and advanced 'Triple Filter Assembly' developed by Apollo Screens Pvt. Ltd. are being used to remove plastic particles, leaves and other debris from rainwater. With the presence of activated carbon and filter sands, rainwater becomes cleaner, odorless, and suitable for recharge. The use of this type of technology at the level of Gujarat and the country is a unique and innovative initiative. Benefits of Water Harvesting: Estimated to save 350 million litres of water annually Last year, an estimated 29 million litres of water was conserved through 300 rainwater harvesting systems alone during about 30 days of the onset of monsoon. Based on this success, an estimated 350 million litres of water per year is likely to be stored after all 1750 systems become operational and considering average rainfall of 30 inches. The initiative is aligned with the vision of "Smart City" and "Climate Resilient Ahmedabad". The entire project envisages 5 years of operation and maintenance component for regular maintenance during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon period. Now the scheme will be launched in private societies as well After the success of this experiment in the government buildings of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, in the coming days, the state government has planned to install rainwater harvesting system in private residential societies through public participation under the 'Mukhyamantri Swarnim Yojana'. This innovative approach will also increase rainwater harvesting in private settlements and water conservation campaigns will be strengthened.