7Promoting conscious water use
UPES encourages careful water use on its campuses and in the community around them, through policy, visible changes on campus and campaigns in villages and schools.
Impact
UPES makes saving water visible on campus and takes the message into nearby villages and schools.
30 millionlitres a year saved by ending RO purification
3 litresof water no longer wasted for every litre purified
Clause 5.6policy commitment to awareness programmes
- The Vice Chancellor showcased the switch from RO to UV water at Sustainability Fair 3.0.
- Street plays, rallies and workshops in villages encourage households to harvest rainwater.
- The sustainability policy requires awareness programmes on responsible resource use.
- Drought-tolerant trees such as Shami, Neem and Spineless Yucca keep the campus green with less water.
On campus
- On campus. At Sustainability Fair 3.0 (9–10 April 2025), the Vice Chancellor and Padma Bhushan environmentalist Dr Anil Prakash Joshi explained the switch from RO to UV-treated water and how it cuts water waste.
Sustainability Fair 3.0: cutting water waste (see Events and activities). - Policy commitment. The UPES Energy, Environment and Sustainability Policy (2025) commits the university to conduct workshops, seminars and awareness programmes on sustainability, to encourage students and faculty to take part in environmental initiatives, and to promote responsible resource consumption across campus (clause 5.6). It also requires water-efficient fixtures and efficient water management in every campus facility (clause 5.2). Source: UPES Energy, Environment and Sustainability Policy (PDF).
- Less water wasted, every day. UPES removed reverse-osmosis purifiers, which waste about three litres of water for every litre they purify, and switched entirely to UV-treated drinking water, saving about 30 million litres a year. Students and staff see the change at every drinking-water point on campus (see Section 2). Source: 2. Water use and extraction on campus.
- Trees that need little water. UPES plants and cares for trees that need little water, so the campus stays green without drawing heavily on fresh water. The Roots of UPES, a tree-by-tree record of 73 trees of 55 species on the Bidholi and Kandoli campuses, shows species adapted to dry conditions, such as the Shami, which survives in poor, dry soils, the Neem, which tolerates drought well, and the Date Palm, an iconic tree of arid regions; the Triangle Palm and Spineless Yucca, which need little water once established; and long-lived native trees such as Sal, Peepal, Amla and Jamun. These trees grow alongside gardens watered with treated wastewater rather than fresh groundwater, and show students, staff and visitors every day how a campus can be green while using less water. Source: Native and drought-tolerant trees on campus, The Roots of UPES (PDF).
Triangle Palm, drought-tolerant once established, Bidholi campus. 
Shami, adapted to dry conditions, Bidholi campus.
In the wider community
- In the community. Street plays, rallies and workshops in villages and schools encourage households to harvest rainwater and save water.
GreenUp Club students teach children about saving water, Atmosphere 2024. - Campaigns in villages and schools. NSS UPES ran a rally on rainwater harvesting with working models and a street play during Jal Samadhan in Bidholi village, NSS volunteers held a Water and Forest Conservation competition during Swachhta Pakhwara, and 155 students at Government Inter College, Paundha, took on water conservation and smart water use as a community challenge (see Section 6). Source: 6. Water education for the community.
This section covers the indicator on promoting conscious water use on campus and in the wider community.
Links and sources
- UPES Energy, Environment and Sustainability Policy (PDF)documents/upes-energy-environment-sustainability-policy.pdf
Supporting documents
These documents support the evidence in this report.
- UPES water and waste management report (PDF). Evidence for water treatment plants and UV filtration, six bore wells, rainwater harvesting, reuse of treated water, five waste streams and authorised disposal.
- UPES campus water and green facilities report (PDF). Evidence for sewage treatment capacity, free drinking water, treated-water irrigation, native planting and the plastic-free campus.
- Become a Community Problem Solver, GIC Paundha (event report, 11 August 2026) (PDF). Evidence for the programme with 155 students in which water conservation was one of five community challenges.
- UPES Energy, Environment & Sustainability Policy, 2025 (PDF). Evidence for policy clauses 5.1.1, 5.2, 5.3.2 and 5.4 on water-efficient buildings, water reuse and preventing pollution.
- Sewage treatment plants at UPES. Evidence for the 650 KLD combined sewage treatment capacity, their treatment stages and the reuse of treated water.
- Borewells, rainwater harvesting and water reuse at UPES. Evidence for CGWA-compliant borewells, six metered rainwater harvesting pits, the 550 KLD wastewater plant and the Zero Water Discharge policy.
- Free drinking water and water-saving fittings at UPES. Evidence for free drinking water, six-monthly NABL testing and fittings that save more than 156 KL of water a year.
- Facilities and services for women students at UPES. Evidence for sanitary pad dispensers and health and hygiene support in women's hostels.
- The Roots of UPES: native and drought-tolerant trees on campus (PDF; full record, PDF). Evidence for 73 documented trees of 55 species, drought-tolerant species such as Shami, Neem, Date Palm, Triangle Palm and Spineless Yucca, and native trees.