The NITK, Surathkal, on Thursday started using rainwater stored in the large rainwater-harvesting reservoir, ‘NITKere’, by pumping it to a water filtration plant to provide relief from impending water shortages on the campus.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
To provide relief from water shortages during summer on the campus, the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, on Thursday started using water stored in “NITKere”, a 30-million-litre rainwater harvesting reservoir.
On Thursday, water stored in the reservoir in the north-eastern part of the campus was pumped through an 850-metre pipeline, using a floating pumping station, to a 1 MLD (million litres a day)-capacity water filtration plant. From the plant, the filtered water is supplied to sump tanks connected to the campus water network, the institute said in a release.
The rainwater harvesting reservoir was created in 2025 by excavating a 110×50-metre low-lying area to a depth of about five metres. Alumni batches of 1974, 1983 and 1999, along with the Alumni Association, supported the work. The water purification plant was commissioned in February 2026 with support from PETRONET MHB Limited. The floating pumping station and the 850-metre underground pipeline connecting the reservoir to the water purification plant were supported by Finnovation Tech Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
The institute said the pumping station, mounted on fibre-reinforced plastic pontoons, had reduced unusable water at the bottom of the reservoir from about 1.5 metres to less than half a metre. Two 15 HP open-well submersible pumps have been installed, one for regular operation and the other as a standby. The underground pipeline runs inside stormwater drains wherever possible and has been sleeved at road crossings. Vents and drains have been provided at high and low points.
Summer water shortages recur every year and have led to campus closures in the past, NITK said. By storing rainwater and connecting it to the campus network through the purification plant, the institute hopes to avoid such closures during summer.
The facility was inaugurated by NITK Board of Governors Chairman M.M. Murugappan and NITK Director B. Ravi. Air Marshal B.U. Chengappa, NITK Alumni Association president Niranjan Mahabalappa, faculty members and students were present, the institute said.
Published – October 08, 2026 09:42 pm IST
