Caretakers of the Amba Vilas Palace (Mysuru palace), have not been a bit perturbed by the blazing summer. Having to water its 28-acre lawn is not such a big deal as the palace has become a model in conserving precious water resources.
With technical support from the National Institute of Engineering-Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (NIE-CREST), the Mysuru Palace Board developed systems to harvest rainwater, which meets most of its water needs.
It has been harvesting over 23 lakh litres of rainwater every monsoon. Two tanks with storage capacity of 14,58,899 litres and 8,50,147 litres has been constructed on its premises. It has been estimated that if the tanks are filled to the brim, water requirements of the palace can be met even for an entire year. The rainwater harvesting had also improved water yield in the palace borewells.
Before going in for rainwater harvesting, water requirements of the palace had been met by the MCC and eight borewells. The horticulture wing of the palace alone requires about 20 lakh litres of water a year to maintain the expansive palace garden.
