Pune News : Rainwater harvesting expert Col Shashikant Dalvi honoured with Jal Prahari Samman 2023

Retired Colonel Shashikant Dalvi is a man of many achievements. He served with the Indian Army for 33 years. After retirement, he turned his attention to a new cause – water conservation.

In 2003, Dalvi designed and implemented Pune city’s first roof-top rain water harvesting project for his housing society, resulting in a ‘Tanker Water’ free society that saved costs and improved the water table in Viman Nagar. 

He then founded PARJANYA, an organization that has successfully implemented over 650 water conservation projects in different organizations like housing societies, schools, colleges, hospitals, and industries over the last 18 years. These projects have resulted in an annual CO2 emission reduction of 9360 tonnes/year and a total groundwater recharge of 84.5 Cr litres of rainwater.

His relentless efforts were appreciated at the Jal Prahari Samman Ceremony 2023, 3rd edition of Jal Prahari Samman Samaroh 2023, organised by sarkaritel.com which was supported by Ministry of Jal Shakti, Jal Jeevan Mission, National Water Mission with knowledge partners UNOPS and CEE W at Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi on March 30. 

The ceremony honored 51 water conservationists from across the country, including farmers, NGO’s, scientists, IAS and IRS officers, children and school principals, for their work in saving millions of liters of water in their respective areas through innovative technologies and traditional methods.

Water warriors from 22 states were felicitated at the ceremony, with one water guard each from Delhi, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Jharkhand, Punjab, Tripura, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and two each from Haryana, Karnataka, and Uttarakhand.

Eleven water conservationists from Uttar Pradesh, eight from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and ten from Maharashtra were also honored for their extraordinary efforts in water conservation activities. Special invitees to the ceremony included Minister of State for Finance Dr. Bhagwat Karad, ambassadors from several countries, and representatives from schools, colleges, universities, district officials, and NGOs.

Apart from his work with PARJANYA, Col Dalvi also volunteers with former US Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, where he serves as the National Convener for water harvesting. He has attended multiple domestic and international seminars and workshops and is regularly invited as chairperson for these events. He has also been a part of the Times Of India “News in Education” campaign since July 2015, which spreads awareness on water conservation in 120 schools in Pune.

Col Dalvi has worked with various organisations across the nation including the Army establishments and Cantonment of Bengaluru. 

On 26 January 2021, he was felicitated for his work in the field of Groundwater Recharge in an event organized by CNN18 called “Mission Paani” along with Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Gul Panag.

Currently, Col Dalvi and his team are working in four villages of District Pune to raise depleting groundwater tables using Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting Systems in village houses, sponsored by ICICI Bank. This project was completed in a record 100 days on 15 October 21. From 03 May 22, Col and his team started Jal Atmanirbhar Abhiyan in 100 water-starved villages of Beed District, Maharashtra, which helped channelize around 26 Crore (260 million) liters of rainwater annually into groundwater tables and make these 100 villages tanker water-free. This project is completed and handed over to the public. 

Col Dalvi’s tireless efforts and innovative solutions have made him a role model for many and a shining example of how one person can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

Nividita Kelapure (Inputs from Adeeba Nausheen)