Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Potential Assessment at Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Mahavidyalaya, Shrigonda

Water scarcity has become a major environmental concern in semi-arid regions of India due to increasing population, urbanization, and excessive groundwater extraction. Rooftop rainwater harvesting (RTRWH) is considered an effective and sustainable technique for water conservation, especially in institutional campuses that possess large rooftop areas. The present study assesses the rooftop rainwater harvesting potential of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Mahavidyalaya located in Shrigonda, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. Rooftop areas of selected buildings were identified and digitized using Google Earth Pro and QGIS software. Annual rainfall data for the period 2005–2014 were collected from the Ahmednagar District Gazetteer. The potential volume of harvested rainwater was estimated using the standard formula Q=C×I×A, where Q represents harvestable rainwater, C denotes runoff coefficient, I represent rainfall, and A indicates rooftop catchment area. The results reveal that the selected buildings within the campus have the potential to harvest approximately 1.65 million litres of rainwater annually. Among the buildings studied, B Wing and the Girls' Hostel show the highest harvesting potential due to their larger rooftop areas. The study highlights that implementing rooftop rainwater harvesting in the college campus can significantly contribute to water conservation and sustainable water management in semi-arid regions.