Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Water Hero Urges Bengaluru Homes To Harvest Rainwater
Bengaluru gets a lot of rain, but much of it quickly flows into drains and leaves the city.
Concrete roads and courtyards also stop water from soaking into the ground.
This makes wells and borewells dry during summer.
Water conservationist Subhajit Mukherjee says homes should collect rain from their rooftops.
Families can store this water or send it into pits that refill underground water.
Small soak pits can also help stop rain from becoming floodwater.
Gardens, trees and surfaces that let water pass through can absorb more rain.
Schools and apartment communities can build shared rainwater systems too.
The goal is to save more of the rain that Bengaluru already receives.
Subhajit Mukherjee says Bengaluru’s water crisis is caused largely by poor rainwater capture, groundwater depletion and widespread concretisation.
Homes can direct rooftop rainwater into storage tanks, recharge pits or recharge wells for household uses and groundwater replenishment.
The Jal Tara Project promotes soak pits measuring about 3 feet by 3 feet and 4 feet deep to filter rainwater underground.
Mukherjee recommends permeable surfaces, rain gardens, native trees and rain barrels to reduce runoff and improve groundwater recharge.
His team is installing free soak pits in schools and colleges, with a goal of reaching 100 schools across Bengaluru.
- Who
- Water conservationist Subhajit Mukherjee, households, volunteers, schools and resident communities in Bengaluru.
- What
- They are being encouraged to harvest rainwater, recharge groundwater and reduce runoff through storage tanks, soak pits and permeable spaces.
- When
- During the monsoon, with systems to be cleaned and prepared before each monsoon.
- Where
- Bengaluru, India, including homes, schools, colleges, gardens, courtyards and driveways.
- Why
- Rainwater often flows into drains because of concretisation, while groundwater levels fall and borewells dry during summer.
- Rainwater initiative
- Mukherjee promotes the “Mera Chhat, Mera Pani” approach, meaning “My Roof, My Water.”
- Households guided
- The RWH India Helpline has guided more than 200 households free of cost.
- Soak pit size
- The Jal Tara Project promotes pits roughly 3 feet by 3 feet and 4 feet deep.
- School goal
- Mukherjee’s team hopes to install rainwater systems in 100 schools.
- Stored-water uses
- Collected rainwater can be used for gardening, cleaning, vehicle washing and toilet flushing.
- Recommended surfaces
- Gravel, grass pavers and permeable paving blocks can help rainwater seep into the soil.
- Additional solutions
- Rain gardens, native trees and rain barrels can reduce runoff and support groundwater recharge.