With all the talk around climate change and the need for sustainable development yet to translate into concrete action, Nagpur identifies that the access to clean water will become paramount in the near future. Addressing the need, it becomes the 1st Indian city to adopt an IoT based Rainwater Harvesting System, enabling real-time monitoring of groundwater levels, quality and performance of recharge structures.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Smart and Sustainable Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) inaugurated first of its kind ‘IoT’ based ground water recharge systems at 2 public schools through rainwater harvesting. The pilot projects are part of the larger European Commission funded ‘URBAN LEDS II’ project, implemented in collaboration with ICLEI-South Asia in Nagpur.
The NMC, NSSCDCL, and ICLEI-SA teams undertook scientific investigations to identify possible groundwater recharge zones in the city, in light of increased water demand and the critical need to improve the region’s groundwater table. Two NMC owned schools, Saint Kabir School and Bharat Nagar School, were selected to develop groundwater recharge through rainwater harvesting with a combined capacity of around 8 lakhs liters per year.
The feature of remote monitoring of groundwater level and water quality utilizing IoT is an innovative and unique part of the project. Critical parameters such as pH, TDS, electrical conductivity, and ground water level will be monitored in real-time to keep an eye on the entire system performance.
Based on the initial technical study and pilot projects, a city-wide detailed plan is being developed. NMC’s vision is to uptake ground water recharge projects across the city, through rainwater harvesting, scientifically using appropriate designs and methodologies.
Hon. Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari appreciated the efforts being undertaken by NMC and Nagpur smart city while inaugurating the systems. Shri. Krishnaji Khopde MLA of Nagpur East, along with corporators of the concerned Prabhags were present where the system demo was given. NSSCDCL officials- Mrs. Pranita Umredkar, Mr. Rajesh Dufare, Mr. Pande, Mr. Ghule, Dr. Parag Armal, Project Consultant- Mr. Rajdeep Pandey (Enviraj Consulting) was present for the inauguration and demo.