Policy, conservation contest to improve groundwater level in city

Indore: Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has announced plans to draft a comprehensive water policy and launch a water conservation ward ranking competition under Jal Ganga Samvardhan Abhiyan to improve depleting groundwater level.

The move is being taken following an acute water shortage that forced closure of at least 50% of the city’s borewells due to exhausting groundwater level. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava announced about the plans during a public water dialogue (Jal Samvad), which brought together residents, corporators and water conservation experts.

“Ahead of the upcoming monsoon, the policy draft will be presented to the mayor-in-council (MIC) for approval, focusing heavily on decentralised groundwater recharging techniques,” Bhargava said.

To enforce compliance, IMC has already issued notices to approximately 23,000 buildings currently lacking rainwater harvesting installations. Property owners have been given a strict deadline of June 30 to set up these systems or face penal action.

As part of the initiative, the mayor committed to visiting a different colony every day over the next 30 days to build public awareness and directly oversee the construction of 30 recharge shafts.

IMC is also undertaking restoration of traditional stepwells, existing wells and converting defunct borewells into active recharge units. Furthermore, preliminary work has commenced on the fourth phase of the Narmada pipeline project to secure long-term external water supplies for the city.

“To incentivise community participation, we have launched a Water Conservation Ward Ranking Competition,” the corporation commissioner Kshitij Singhal said, adding that wards would be evaluated on criteria such as new rainwater harvesting setups, recharge shaft installations on dried borewells, maintenance of older units, plantation drives and public awareness activities.