Pioneering Urban Water Management: GCC and Rain Centre’s Recharge Well Initiative

In a strategic collaboration, the Greater Chennai Corporation and Rain Centre are set to launch a pilot project aimed at mitigating urban floods and managing shallow aquifers through the installation of recharge wells across five key locations in Chennai. These 20-feet deep, 5-feet wide wells will be placed in Madras University, Guindy; Gandhi Mandapam; Ripon Building; Chennai School, Saidapet; and the GCC zone 9 office near Valluvar Kottam.

Spearheaded by Rain Centre’s Director, Sekhar Raghavan, the initiative emphasizes the underutilized potential of shallow aquifers, highlighting their role in urban flood reduction and sustainable groundwater management. Equipped with water level sensors, the recharge wells are designed to capture and store rooftop and driveway runoff, thereby preventing water stagnation. This model, backed by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, promises to serve as a scalable solution for water resource challenges, fostering resilience against both drought and flooding.