AMC aims to harvest 350 million litres of rainwater annually

Ahmedabad: In a push towards sustainable urban water management, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has launched rainwater harvesting initiative under its “Catch the Rain” campaign, aiming to conserve an estimated 350 million litres of rainwater annually and boost the city’s depleting groundwater reserves.

The civic body is installing rooftop rainwater harvesting systems across nearly 1,750 public buildings under its jurisdiction, including the AMC headquarters, zonal and ward offices, hospitals, schools, libraries, urban health centres and water pumping stations. Officials said around 50% of the work has already been completed and nearly 1,000 systems are expected to become operational before the onset of the monsoon.

The remaining installations will continue during and after monsoon as part of the AMC’s broader strategy to address rising water demand and declining groundwater levels in the city.

According to AMC officials, the harvested rainwater will primarily be used for groundwater recharge through recharge wells. The collected water will also be stored and utilised for non-potable purposes such as gardening, cleaning and flushing, reducing dependence on treated municipal water supplies.

The civic body cited encouraging results from the pilot phase of the project. During the first 30 days of rainfall last year, around 300 operational rainwater harvesting systems helped conserve an estimated 29 million litres of water. Based on those figures, officials estimate that once all 1,750 systems are functional and with average annual rainfall of around 30 inches, the city could harvest nearly 350 million litres of rainwater every year.

Officials said the initiative would not only help replenish groundwater reserves but also improve stormwater management. By diverting rainwater into recharge structures rather than allowing it to flow directly into drains and rivers, the project is expected to reduce waterlogging and lessen pressure on the city’s drainage infrastructure.

“The purified rainwater is used to recharge groundwater levels through recharge wells and tubewells. Additionally, this harvested water is stored and utilised for gardening, cleaning, flushing and other non-drinking purposes,” an AMC official said.

The project forms part of AMC’s broader vision of creating a climate-resilient city and strengthening water security in the face of growing urbanisation and changing rainfall patterns. Officials said the municipal corporation plans to allocate additional budgetary resources in the coming years to expand the programme and install more rainwater harvesting systems across the city.