Establish

a Baseline

Tour India to gain cultural perspective

Take inventory of water
infrastructure

Perform water audit

and fix leaks.

Poornima Group of Collges (PGC) is a top private engineering college in

Rajasthan. It is made up of three campuses located in the Sitapura
Industrial Area at Jaipurs southeastern edge.

Water

Translate 11 years of
water and energy bills

Currently, groundwater depletion is occurring at extremely rapid rates. Since 2008, water tables have declined about six
meters per year. At this rate, the state groundwater department estimates that the water table will be completely depleted by
2016.2 The aquifers that lie under the city are being depleted faster than they can be rechargedone estimate puts water
usage at 134 percent of water recharge in 2010.3 Also in 2010, the Rajasthan groundwater department estimated that
35 N
post-monsoon recharge was 93 million cubic metersbut extraction in Jaipur was 700
(%)
Punjab
million cubic meters.4
33 N
Haryana & Delhi
100
Rajasthan

90
80
70
60

21 N

50
40

18 N

30
20

15 N

10

12 N

93

Energy

As India continues to pursue economic growth, the amount of energy consumed within the country continues to increase.
Although India is the worlds fifth highest consumer of primary energy, it is only the seventh highest producer.5 Since Indias
energy consumption is much higher than its production, the difference must be purchased, creating dependence on energy
imports.
Currently, the three main energy sources in India are coal, oil and natural gas, with coal accounting for 55% [sic] of the
countrys total energy supplies.6 In addition to increasing Indias dependence on foreign trade, coal, oil, and natural gas are
fossil fuels that increase Indias greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and contribute to climate change. Of all GHG emissions from
India, 42 percent are from electricity generation, which makes diversifying energy production for electricity crucial to Indias
energy independence.7
Therefore, the national government has emphasized energy independence as the nations first and highest priority and some
action has been taken to achieve this by 2030, including energy diversification.8 There are many opportunities for renewable
energy, as India has shown by becoming the fifth largest producer of wind power in the world. Other opportunities for energy
diversification in India include solar, small hydro, and biomass.9

2011
Jetlagged tour
of campuses

Research & Planning in India

60

Project future
energy use

Take inventory of
energy infrastructure

2012

kWh per Month

y = 0.0141e0.0002x
R = 0.20195

30

Compile recommendations
for water and energy
conservation
Spend all of
Winter Break in
CUPPA lab

40
Consumption
per Student

20

At the same time, we also had a unique inside point of view. We lived in the hostel with the female students and faculty. We
worked with faculty and administrators on a daily basis, ate meals in the students mess halls and became friends with many
of our colleagues. We also experienced the water and energy situations first-hand, going without water every day from 9am to
3pm and experiencing periodic electricity blackouts.

10

Year

As cultural outsiders with an all-inclusive view of living at PGC, we were able to critically evaluate the colleges water and
energy systems. Some recommendations that may seem too extreme or too mild are included to fit the cultural climate of PGC
that we experienced first-hand. One particular example is the culture of conservation on the campuses. Many students and
faculty have habits conducive to conservation and the lifestyle in general supports this. Despite personally responsible resource
habits, however, conservation seems to be an ingrained habit rather than a conscious decision based on knowledge of global
and national trends. Lack of knowledge is not due to willful ignorance, but instead to a lack of access to knowledge outside the
prescribed study areas of engineering as well as a campus atmosphere that does not place priority on student curiosity or
exploration of other fields. Student-led initiatives of any sortincluding those about conservationare rare, since the bulk of
student time is spent studying. In addition, any initiative on the campuses is led from the top down without a participatory
process involved.

1Power, Matthew. Peak Water: Aquifers and Rivers Are Running Dry. How Three Regions Are Coping. Wired.com. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-05/ff_peakwater>.
2Jaipur to go Dry by 2016 Report. Times of India [Jaipur] 11 Apr. 2011.
3Groundwater Level Receding at an Alarming Rate. Times of India [Jaipur] 31 Mar. 2011. Print.
4Jaipur to go Dry by 2016 Report. Times of India [Jaipur] 11 Apr. 2011.
5International Energy Annual 2006, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Dec. 2008, 15 Dec. 2011 <http://www.eia.gov/emeu/iea/overview.html>.
6Indian Energy Sector: An Overview, India Energy Portal. Government of India, 15 Dec. 2011 <http://www.indiaenergyportal.org/overview_detail.php>.
7India, Ministry of Environment and Forests, India: Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2007, Print Process, 2010.
8Indian Energy Sector: An Overview,India Energy Portal. Government of India, 15 Dec. 2011 <http://www.indiaenergyportal.org/overview_detail.php>.
9Indian Energy Sector: An Overview,India Energy Portal. Government of India, 15 Dec. 2011 <http://www.indiaenergyportal.org/overview_detail.php>.

Initial internship
recommendations
lead to healthier
food options

50

We encountered many obstacles. First and foremost, we had to overcome the perception of being outsiders. We do not speak
Hindi, are young females without a background in engineering and have little insight into the complex Indian social hierarchy
and organization of everyday life in Jaipur. Each of these worked against us when asking for and receiving information.

PGC unveils a new

website per our
recommendation

Visit Johdpur and

IIT Rajasthan

Talk to
students
& faculty

We began our journey into understanding PGCs use of water and energy during a three month stay with the colleges. The first
step was to collect data on the patterns of resource consumption by looking at water and energy bills from 2001 to 2011. We
also spoke to students, faculty and administrators, and conducted ongoing observations of the natural resource systems. The
college organized an online survey to assess student views on water and energy. This survey can be found in the Appendix.
In addition to our observations and those of students, we spent time with the chief engineer and architect to further understand
how the systems function on a regular basis.

Because of cultural norms that include responsible use of resources on a personal level, certain measures that can greatly
impact communities with an abundance of resources do not apply in this case. In addition, some recommendations are not
feasible because of cost implications or availability; however, these are still presented as alternatives for future consideration.
Since campus life is isolated due to both social cultural norms and location on the fringes of a suburb of Jaipur, educating the
faculty and students about global trends of irresponsible resource use will be important as the college strives to gain support
for the recommendations of this plan.

Brainstorm how to
implement plans in
authoritarian system

Learn to live
with limited
water & energy

96

81

69

72

75

90

84

78

87

9N

Due to its arid climate, Rajasthan is a water-conscious region, with historical harvesting and
conservation methods ensuring water availability. For example, communities used
communal harvesting and conservation systems like kundis, johads, baoris and bhidas all
types of water collection structures. As reliance on modern techniques such as borewells
became more common, traditional methods of harvesting fell by the wayside, especially in
urban areas. With this in mind, it is especially important to focus on methods of harvesting
and conservation that could provide water stability.

Create landscaping
purchasing policy.

Present
internship report

Process

Send final report

to PGC

A majority of PGCs energy comes from the government utility company, but
backup diesel generators are used during blackouts. The amount of energy PGC
consumes per student has increased over time, yet a majority of students have
ingrained conservation habits. The quality of the campus energy infrastructure
allows energy loss through outdated products, non-utilized day lighting
opportunities and poor sealing methods.

Install permeable pavement.

Level of filtration will depend on intended use. Because the level of contamination of the greywater is unknown, we are
recommending use only in landscaping and toilets. For either use, the filter need only include a simple net filter to catch large
contaminants like hair. The water, therefore, will need to be reused quickly.The majority of the greywater, then, should be
diverted back through the toilet system,
as we anticipate landscaping water
demands to decline with the use of native
species.

Separate the
drinking and
handwashing
facilities.

Black water

Upgrade toilets and

showers.

2013

Grey water

2014

Measure energy
performance.

2016
central
computer

Create awareness
campaign.
Implement energy
saving policies.
Install more
windows and
skylights.
Employ
weatherization
techniques.
Plant shade trees.

Recommendations

Greywater, instead of running through a

series of pipes to the city sewer system,
would instead be diverted to large
underground tanks, filtered minimally,
and then pumped up to a rooftop tank
and down through the toilet system.
Water would then be used twice, allowing
significant water savings and reduction of
borewell costs. Water also could be
pumped to surface hoses, allowing
irrigation of landscaped areas.

Borewell water

Anna & Rachel

move to Jaipur

sensors

The main objective was to allow PGC to conserve water and energy in
order to be prepared for Indias growing shortage of natural resources.
More importantly, we focused on PGCs ability to prepare its students for
a truly global world by providing the tools to instill in them a true
understanding of the importance of conservation.

A greywater recycling system should be implemented throughout the PGC campuses. Because output pipelines from the
bathrooms in hostel and academic buildings are separated between greywater and blackwater, it should be a relatively simple
matter to divert the greywater pipes from the city system to an on-campus filtration system. Greywater needs to be used rather
quickly, but will last longer when filtered.

Create awareness
campaign.

PGC currently maintains an unsustainable method of water use. Drinking water is purchased
from an outside company that trucks in supplies when required. Non-drinking water is pumped
from borewells and then sent off site to a city sewer system. The campus is entirely concrete,
removing any possibility of direct groundwater recharge, and landscaping is non-native
requiring extensive irrigation. Although water resource availability in India is projected to reach
catastrophically low levels by 2025,1 in Jaipur, located on the edge of the Thar Desert, there
is already a severe water shortage.

wireless control

Discover ingrained
conservation habits

In order to maximize water conservation, a rainwater harvesting system should be installed. A long-standing tradition in
Rajasthan, rainwater harvesting collects rain during monsoon and stores it so it can be used during rain-poor seasons.
Approximately 400 mm of rain per year is necessary for a rainwater harvesting system to be efficient,11 which makes PGC an
excellent candidate, as Jaipur receives over 550 mm of rain every year.12 In order to implement rainwater harvesting on the
PGC campuses, several changes would be need to be made to the infrastructure. A rainwater collection system consisting of
a raised, slanted false roof on the tops of all buildings should be constructed, with the angle of the roof directed toward a corner.
Water will drain through a downspout along the side of the building into large underground tanks. These tanks must be located
underground, as the hot climate of Jaipur could impact water quality if it is stored aboveground. In addition, these tanks should
contain water level monitors and cleaning mechanisms. Ideally, these tanks could be installed while the concrete open spaces
are being removed to create a permeable pavement.

Install greywater recycling system.

Install meters.

During the planning process, we gathered data in order to outline the

current conditions of water and energy consumption on PGCs campuses
and make recommendations for increased conservation based upon our
analyses. In addition, we provided an implementation plan in order to
guide PGCs conservation efforts over the next eight years.

24 N

Remove walls around open

space.

video

lighting

access

hvac

Install automated
electric system.

Buildings can be automated to power up or

power down depending on occupancy. This is
done through sensors that can be installed to
activate lights. Also available are centralized
environmental control systems which adjust
both lighting and temperature for periods of
high and low occupancy. Currently, PGC
students and faculty are vigilant about turning
off lights when leaving an area. Also, most
educational buildings do not have air cooling.
Therefore, a centralized control system would
be most beneficial in the hostels where the air
cooling can be regulated for evening and
night-time operation and hallway and common
area lights can be operated by sensors.

Rain water

2020

Install solar power generation system.

Electricity generation through solar power is
suggested for PGC because Jaipur has a large
amount of solar irridation throughout the year. The
annual average of solar irradiation on tilted flat plate
collectors is 5.37 kWh/m sq/day.17 This means
that there is a daily average of 5.37 kilowatt-hours
of solar energy that strikes a square meter of the
earths surface tilted towards the sun in Jaipur. This
is a particularly large amount of energy as shown in
the map to the right, Jaipur is located in an area of
intense solar irridation.

Selected Asian Countries - Flat Plate Tilted at Latitude

40E

50E

Syria

60E

70E

80E

90E

100E

110E

120E

130E

140E

150E

160E

Azerbaijan
40N

Russia

Kazakhstan

Iraq
Turkmenistan

30N

Uzbekistan
Mongolia
Saudi Arabia

Introduction

27 N

Be Innovative

Think Bigger

Install rainwater harvesting system.

Create office of
water and energy.

Poornima Group of Colleges, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

30 N

Take
Initiative

Kyrgyzstan

Iran
Tajikistan

North Korea

Afghanistan

30N

Japan
South Korea

UAE
Pakistan

20N

China

Oman

Nepal
20N

Bhutan
India

Bangladesh

10N

Vietnam

Myanmar

Laos

Also, the state of Rajasthan receives more than

3,000 to 3,200 hours of bright sunshine in a
year.18 These conditions are ideal for solar panel
installation and the generation of electricity. Solar
panels are already used on the roofs of PGC for the
heating of water during winter months. PCG would
benefit greatly from adding solar panels for electricity
generation to the current solar heating units.

10N

Philippines

Paracel Is.
Thailand

Palau

Cambodia
Spratly Is.

Sri Lanka

Maldives
0

Indonesia
70E

80E

90E

100E

Malaysia
110E

0
120E

130E

kWh/m /day
>9
8.5 - 9.0
8.0 - 8.5
7.5 - 8.0

7.0 - 7.5
6.5 - 7.0
6.0 - 6.5
5.5 - 6.0

5.0 - 5.5
4.5 - 5.0
4.0 - 4.5
3.5 - 4.0

3.0 - 3.5
2.5 - 3.0
2.0 - 2.5
<2

Model estimates of monthly average daily total radiation using inputs

derived from satellite and surface observations of cloud cover,
aerosol optical depth, precipitable water vapor, albedo, atmospheric
pressure and ozone sampled at a 40km resolution.
November 2005

Combine cooling, heat and power with tri-generation.

heat

absorption
chiller

heat
fuel

solar

ls

ne

pa

chilled water

air
cooling

cooling

combined
cooling,
heat &
power
other
uses
boilers
hot water

Anna Selgert
Rachel Ressler
Masters of Urban Planning and Public Policy (12)
College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs
University of Illinois at Chicago

electricity

Water & Energy

Conservation Plan

In addition to generating energy through solar panels,

increasing the efficiency of that energy should also be
considered. Combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP)
can increase energy efficiency by reducing energy loss.
Tri-generation simultaneously generates electricity,
useful heating and useful cooling from the same original
heat source (solar energy in this case). The three
components to this generation method are the Solar
Electric Power System (solar photovoltaic panels), Solar
Water Heating System (which generates hot water with
either solar thermal collectors or evacuated tube
collectors and takes a solar cogeneration energy system
one step further by adding and integrating either);
Absorption chillers or Adsorption chillers, which receives
some of the hot water from the solar water heating
system and provides the energy needed to make 38
degree chilled water for air conditioning.20