Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Raipur School Girls Earn Global Praise at BRICS 2026 Competition
Two school girls from Raipur, India, made a really clever project about saving rainwater.
Their project is called 'Building Sponge City Together.'
They wanted to show how cities can soak up rainwater, just like a sponge soaks up water.
The girls asked 400 families questions about how they use water.
They also used a computer map tool called Google Earth to help them.
They showed their project at a big competition called BRICS 2026.
The competition was held at a famous engineering college called IIT Tirupati.
Judges from other countries really liked their project.
They said it could help India solve water problems.
The girls learned about maps and technology, and they want to keep working on their project.
Vartika Patil and Umeshwari Sahu, students of PG Umathe Excellent Government School in Raipur, were the only participants from Chhattisgarh at the BRICS 2026 competition.
They presented their project 'Building Sponge City Together' on rainwater harvesting, which used geospatial technology including Google Earth.
The students conducted a survey of 400 households and spread awareness about water conservation.
International judges praised the project and said it could help India deal with water scarcity, a global challenge.
Vartika's mother, Jyoti Patil, drives an auto-rickshaw to support her three children; Vartika aspires to become an IAS officer or a scientist.
- Who
- Vartika Patil (Class 8) and Umeshwari Sahu (Class 7), students of PG Umathe Excellent Government School in Raipur, Chhattisgarh
- What
- Presented the rainwater harvesting project 'Building Sponge City Together' and earned international praise at the BRICS 2026 competition
- When
- The competition was organized on July 22
- Where
- At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Tirupati
- Why
- To highlight rainwater harvesting and water conservation as a way to tackle water scarcity in India
- Students
- Vartika Patil (Class 8) and Umeshwari Sahu (Class 7)
- School
- PG Umathe Excellent Government School, Raipur
- Project
- Building Sponge City Together
- Competition
- BRICS 2026
- Venue
- IIT Tirupati
- Date
- July 22
- Households Surveyed
- 400
- Participating States
- Six states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Haryana