At Infosys, per capita water use down by 41 per cent

By Guruprakash Sastry 
In a rainy season such as this in Bengaluru, we hardly remember the water shortage we passed through in the recent summer and, blame civic unpreparedness for the rains flooding our streets. We seldom realise rainwater is one of the clean sources of fresh water, and let it flow out of our premises, streets and city. Rainwater can meet a large part of our requirements if harvested effectively.

In a place like Bengaluru with annual rainfall of about 900 mm, it is possible to meet the entire water requirement for a four-member family in the monsoon months if the rooftop rainwater is collected in an area of just 1200 sq.ft. We have learnt this by experience. A 1000-seater office building at Infosys in Bengaluru, for example, has been able to meet about 40 per cent of its fresh water requirement during monsoon months by harvesting rooftop rainwater.