The pond has also evolved into a small ecosystem, becoming home to fish and attracting migratory birds, he added. Along with this, the university has strengthened water recycling and rainwater harvesting systems to further reduce reliance on borewells and tankers.Spread across nearly 200 acres of rocky terrain in Khajaguda, MANUU houses academic blocks, six student hostels, four guest houses and several residential buildings for faculty and staff.IIITH, located on similar rocky terrain, has achieved comparable results. With a monthly water consumption of about 8,000 to 10,000 kilolitres, the 66-acre campus has not relied on tankers for nearly one-and-a-half decades. The institute monitors every aspect of water use — flow, distribution, quality, groundwater levels and rainwater harvesting — through an integrated system.It also deploys smart solutions such as in-house sensors and a digital twin, a virtual model of its physical pipeline network that allows real-time monitoring and control. The campus caters to over 1,800 students and nearly 100 faculty members.Faculty members say understanding consumption patterns is the first step to tackling water stress. “You have to measure usage, plug leakages and eliminate illegal connections,” a researcher said.“We aim to become a net-zero campus one day. In fact, when it comes to water, we are almost there,” said Ramesh Loganathan of IIITH. “Our total consumption is lower than the amount of groundwater we recharge. We do use municipal water and may call for a tanker or two only during municipal supply breakdowns.”
