Bengaluru railway station to save 7.5 million litres water yearly with Rotary partnership

South Western Railway (SWR) has partnered with Rotary International District 3191 to install a rainwater harvesting system at Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (KSR) Bengaluru Railway Station. The initiative is expected to conserve 7.5 million litres of rainwater each year and reduce the station's water expenditure by nearly ₹1 crore annually.

According to an official statement, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Bengaluru Divisional Railway Manager Ashutosh Kumar Singh at the station premises. Additional Divisional Railway Manager Praveen Katarki and Rotary International District 3191 District Governor Anil Gupta formalised the agreement.

Mr Singh described the collaboration as a first-of-its-kind between Indian Railways and an external organisation for sustainability projects. 'Rotary will mobilise corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding for the project, while SWR will provide the required space without incurring any financial expenditure. KSR Bengaluru station has sufficient area to effectively harvest rainwater,' he said.

Rainwater harvesting involves collecting and storing rainwater from rooftops or other surfaces for later use. This reduces dependence on municipal water supply and groundwater, especially important in a water-stressed city like Bengaluru.

The partnership extends beyond rainwater harvesting. The release said the two organisations will jointly conduct health camps, blood donation drives, eye screening programmes, tree plantation drives, station beautification, improve drinking water facilities, sanitation campaigns, educational initiatives, women and child welfare programmes, disaster relief efforts, and passenger amenity projects.

KSR Bengaluru station, one of the busiest in the country, serves hundreds of trains daily. The rainwater harvesting system aligns with Indian Railways' broader goal of water conservation and sustainable infrastructure development.