Megh Pyne water‑conservation campaign in India

The Megh Pyne (also rendered Megh Pine) campaign, launched in 2005 to address chronic water scarcity in flood‑prone north Bihar, has broadened its activities to Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district. Led by water‑conservation advocate Eklavya Prasad, the initiative installs rooftop rain‑water‑harvesting systems, restores abandoned wells, and promotes community participation to boost groundwater recharge and provide safe drinking water.

A joint hydro‑geological study covering about 5,000 ha in the Balipura, Tundi and East Tundi blocks, conducted with the Ministry of Rural Development and UNDP, identified a model that blends local knowledge with watershed planning. The program also involves students from Karmel School in a mentorship project that produces participatory research on urban groundwater.

Monitoring of a rooftop system at the Uttarayan campus, operational since June 2018, shows that by 31 July 2026 roughly 5.99 million litres of rainwater have been diverted into the shallow aquifer, demonstrating a scalable solution for safe drinking water and groundwater management in the region.