India: Global Rainwater Management Program (GRMP) Turning Rain into Returns & Resilience.

To address rising water costs and operational risks, GSECL engaged DEVRAM INTERNATIONAL as a strategic consultant. The mandate went beyond technical solutions, encompassing a comprehensive evaluation of hydrological, financial, and governance dimensions to identify the most effective pathway for building resilience.

The consultancy framed the project under the Global Rainwater Management Program (GRMP) and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles. This ensured the solution would not only reduce immediate water procurement dependency but also balance multiple stakeholder needs, integrate with local aquifers, and comply with policy, regulatory, and environmental frameworks.

Objectives Defined
Working closely with GSECL management, five objectives were established:

1. Enhance self-reliance through on-site rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.
2. Achieve cost savings and mitigate exposure to tariff escalation, royalties, and compliance costs.
3. Ensure regulatory compliance with CGWB norms, BIS standards (IS 15792:2008, IS 15797:2008), and the Water Act (1974).
4. Strengthen drought resilience and reduce dependence on over-exploited aquifers.
5. Demonstrate corporate responsibility aligned with SDG 6, Mission LiFE, and the upcoming Green Credit System (2025).

Decision-Making and Leadership
GSECL led operational and financial priorities, while DEVRAM INTERNATIONAL oversaw technical evaluation and design. Inputs were integrated from the Central Ground Water Board, India Meteorological Department, and local authorities to reflect hydrological, climatic, and legal perspectives.

Stakeholders consulted included:

• Government agencies for compliance and approvals.
• Private contractors and suppliers for design and execution.
• Community representatives, recognizing water as a shared socio-ecological asset.

This participatory approach, central to IWRM, ensured decisions respected water-people-ecosystem interconnections.

Alternatives Considered

• Status quo: continued external procurement despite rising costs.
• Standalone pond: storing ~700,000 m³ but vulnerable to evaporation and high maintenance.
• Artificial wetlands: enabling aquifer recharge while reducing contaminants.
• Rooftop harvesting: focusing on potable and domestic supply.

Each option was assessed for cost-effectiveness, resilience, feasibility, and compliance. The resulting hybrid combined wetlands and rooftop harvesting as primary measures, retaining pond storage as a long-term buffer.

Implementation Pathway

• Hydrological assessment: 44-hectare site, 1,787 mm rainfall → ~707,000 KL harvestable.
• Financial planning: ₹2.95 crore (~$360K) investment vs. ~₹2.85 crore/year (~$348K) savings; cumulative ~$3.47M over 10 years; payback <1 year.
• Technical design: multi-stage rooftop filters, three large and ten small wetlands.
• Regulatory compliance: recharge structured to require no NOC, factoring royalty (~₹0.0021/L).
• Integration: leveraging stormwater drains to minimize new construction.
• Monitoring & evaluation: embedded GRMP framework for adaptive management.

Instruments Used

• Hydrological modelling and rainfall-runoff analysis.
• Cost–benefit analysis sensitive to future tariff changes.
• Stakeholder consultations and workshops.
• Patent-backed filtration systems for water quality assurance.

By applying IWRM — integrating water sources, cross-sector participation, and sustainability alignment — the project went beyond engineering fixes. It created a holistic strategy addressing hydrology, governance, cost, and community responsibility.

This approach turned GSECL’s water challenge into an opportunity: securing operations, saving costs, strengthening resilience, and contributing to regional water balance.

The implementation of the Global Rainwater Management Program (GRMP) at Utran-GBPS has begun delivering measurable results after just one full rainfall season. With 80% of infrastructure works completed—including artificial wetlands, rooftop harvesting systems, and aquifer recharge structures—the 2025 monsoon (1,787 mm) provided the first live test of the system’s performance. Early monitoring shows clear improvements in both aquifer quality and quantity, validating design assumptions and confirming the concept in practice.

Quantitative Results

• Approximately 520,000 KL of rainwater (~520 million litres) was harvested and directed into recharge or storage, achieving ~74% of the designed potential of 707,000 KL.
• External water procurement dropped by around 50% in the first year, yielding direct financial savings of ₹1.9 crore (~$232,000).
• Borewell monitoring near recharge zones indicates a notable reduction in TDS and microbial contaminants, consistent with multi-layer filtration design expectations.
• Groundwater levels have stabilized, with some borewells showing a 0.3–0.5 m rise post-monsoon compared to previous years.

Qualitative Results

• Plant operators report greater security of supply, minimizing disruptions from irregular municipal or external sources.
• Improved water quality has reduced pre-treatment costs for industrial processes and provided safer potable water for staff.
• The project has enhanced GSECL’s social license to operate, with communities recognizing the plant’s contribution to aquifer recharge.

Challenges Remaining

• Full potential (~707,000 KL/year) will be realized only after completion and optimization of all recharge structures.
• Climate variability remains a risk; weak monsoons could still limit recharge.
• Maintenance is projected to remain low (~3% of total investment per year), ensuring long-term financial sustainability.

Implementation Issues

• Minor delays occurred while aligning civil works with existing stormwater infrastructure.
• Licensing and royalty discussions with CGWB required additional consultations but did not halt progress.
• Initial shortage of skilled labor for multi-layer filtration construction necessitated capacity-building efforts.

Winners and Losers

• Winners: GSECL (cost reduction, supply security), local communities (enhanced aquifers), regulatory bodies (compliance success), environment (sustainable recharge).
• Losers: External water suppliers face reduced demand, though the impact is minor relative to system-wide benefits.

Sustainability and Policy Impact

• Integration of recharge structures into the stormwater network minimizes recurring costs, ensuring financial sustainability.
• Early success positions Utran-GBPS as a demonstration site for industrial-scale IWRM, influencing policy under the Green Credit System and Mission LiFE.
• Regulatory bodies are considering it as a benchmark for compliance incentives, supporting replication in other industrial clusters.
• The project has built capacity, training engineers, contractors, and operators in advanced rainwater harvesting and filtration technologies.

Resources and Long-Term Outlook

• One-time CAPEX: ₹2.95 crore (~$360K), funded internally.
• Projected savings: ₹28.5 crore (~$3.47M) over 10 years; payback within the first year.
• Annual operating costs are minimal, with maintenance capped at ~3% of investment and royalties ~₹15 lakh/year.
• Sustainability prospects are strong if monitoring, adaptive maintenance, and community engagement continue.

Overall Impact
The project’s objectives—reducing costs, enhancing resilience, improving water quality, and ensuring regulatory compliance—are already being met. Early results demonstrate that industrial-scale rainwater harvesting is technically feasible, economically compelling, and socially responsible. By applying IWRM principles, the initiative integrates hydrological, financial, regulatory, and community dimensions, delivering broad-based, sustainable outcomes.