NMC Contractor Builds Rainwater Harvesting Chambers On City Road A city-based contractor has taken an initiative beyond contractual obligations by constructing two rainwater harvesting chambers as part of a 140-metre cement concrete road project in Manish Layout, near the Airport compound wall and Priyadarshini College in Prabhag 36. The work, valued at Rs28.72 lakh, was executed by Prashant Thakre, proprietor of a private construction firm. The chambers, which were not included in the original estimate or bill of quantities, were built voluntarily to conserve groundwater for future generations. Thakre, a farmer himself, cited inspiration from Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare’s appeal to contractors working on civic projects to incorporate rainwater conservation measures. The initiative aligns with a broader effort by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), which integrated rainwater harvesting structures into roads under its Rs260-crore fourth phase of the cement road programme. The civic body described this as Maharashtra’s first such initiative by a municipal corporation, with most Phase IV roads nearing completion. The rainwater harvesting system is designed to capture stormwater runoff from the concretised road and channel it into recharge chambers through a network of pipes. The chambers feature graded aggregates, with a base layer of 40-mm metal topped by layers of 6-mm, 10-mm, and 20-mm aggregates. The unpaved chamber floor allows filtered water to percolate into the soil, aiding groundwater recharge. Experts have highlighted the importance of integrating groundwater recharge systems into urban infrastructure projects, as large-scale road concretisation reduces permeable surfaces across cities.#nagpur_municipal_corporation #shivani_dani_wakhare #prashant_thakre #manish_layout #priyadarshini_college
