Chandigarh to have rainwater harvesting structures by November in govt buildings, schools, anganwadi centres

To promote rainwater harvesting and artificial recharge of groundwater, the UT administration has decided to install rainwater harvesting structures in all government buildings, schools, and anganwadi centres in the city by November 2025.

Under the government of India’s “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain 2025” campaign, a meeting was convened by Mandip Singh Brar, home secretary-cum-secretary water resources, UT to review progress and create an action plan regarding the same.

During the meeting, the current status of ground water in the city was presented and an action plan for artificial recharge of ground water at feasible sites in the city was discussed. It was decided that all government buildings, schools, and anganwadi centres in Chandigarh should be saturated with rainwater harvesting structures by November 2025. It was also decided that advisory be issued to autonomous bodies, such as PU and PGI, and governments of Haryana, Punjab, and Central to construct rainwater harvesting systems in their premises. All existing rainwater harvesting systems shall be geo-tagged.

Officials said that a cleaning drive for existing rainwater harvesting systems (government and private) will be held from April 1 to 7, 2025. For this, plans to encourage community involvement throughout the campaigns were also discussed. The scope to build rainwater harvesting systems in community centres and schools under CSR initiatives was also discussed. This meeting will serve as a critical reference for future water management policies and conservation strategies in Chandigarh.

Brar directed all concerned departments to complete their respective tasks in a time bound manner and upload the same at the desired online government portals.