Maharashtra govt aims to conserve 28 MCM water by January 2026 by roping in college students

Mumbai, Apr 25 (PTI) The Maharashtra government is working towards conserving 28 million cubic meters of water, approximately seven days' supply for Mumbai, with a focus on 13 water-stressed districts by engaging students through its Youth Engagement for Water Stewardship (YEWS) programme at colleges, an official said on Friday.
    The country's financial capital consumes about 3,800-3,900 MLD (million litres) of water daily.
    The YEWS programme is led by the state Department of Higher and Technical Education with support from UNICEF Maharashtra, ACWADAM, Centre for Environment Education and Why Waste, in partnership with 1,500 colleges from seven universities.
    It has already saved 1,93,77,716 cubic metres of water as of April 2025 across the state, with a focus on 13 districts over the past 18 months by engaging more than 5.50 lakh students.
    Under the programme, young volunteers are motivated to respond to the changing climate through water-saving practices and the protection of natural resources.
    Talking to PTI, state Higher Education director Dr Shailedra Deolankar said YEWS helps integrate green skills and climate literacy into undergraduate curricula.
    Platforms like Green Clubs drive climate action and change, he said, adding that higher education must embed climate literacy, transforming campuses into sustainability hubs that innovate, engage communities, and influence policy on water security, energy transition, waste circularity, and biodiversity protection.
    "This programme empowers students to become climate champions, making impactful choices daily. Higher education must lead this shift, building the future and realising the experiential learning under the National Education Policy of 2020," he said.
    Deolankar said the government aims to save 28 MCM of water by January 2026 through this initiative.
    The state faces significant challenges in water stewardship and climate-sensitive conservation, particularly while balancing water allocation for drinking and agricultural needs.
    Through the YEWS programme, which began in February 2023, the state's Higher Education reached out to students through colleges and created awareness about the importance of conserving water.
    Since its implementation, the programme has gained momentum with 1,500 participating colleges from seven universities and engaging over 5.50 lakh students through awareness campaigns, training, and communication.
    The programme is expected to engage another 1.50 lakh students to conserve water, taking the total number of students to 7 lakh by January 2026.
    Maharashtra is third most climate-vulnerable state in India, with 16 per cent of the country's drought-prone districts located within the state.
    However, implementing the YEWS programme witnessed several hurdles, including the students not having mobile handsets in rural areas.
    "We faced challenges in the rural areas where many students didn't have individual mobile phones, which was less of an issue in the urban areas. We had to push hard to encourage students in the rural areas to participate in the programme as attendance was also low because they also do small jobs," said Uma Aslekar, Director of the Advanced Center for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM).
    She said the participation has gradually increased, and currently, the programme has an urban-rural ratio of 60:40.
    "Besides, students are given two credits if they participate in the programme for a year in selected autonomous universities. We are working towards including all autonomous universities across Maharashtra to provide credits to students who participate in the YEWS. This will encourage more students to participate in the programme to conserve water," Aslekar said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)