On a large private engineering campus on the outskirts of Chennai, water wastage was not hard to miss. Leaking taps, overflowing tanks, and inefficient usage patterns were part of daily life. What was missing was a structured way to track or address it.
For Kashika, a student from the 2025–27 batch, that visibility was reason enough to act. Along with a small group of like-minded students, she began looking at the problem more closely. The team started with a basic water audit. They checked taps, pipelines, storage tanks, and common usage areas across the campus to identify where water was being lost or used inefficiently. The findings were straightforward: multiple leak points, tank overflows, and fixtures that consumed more water than necessary.
Working with the campus administration and maintenance staff, the group began addressing these issues one by one. Leaks were repaired, and simple devices such as tap aerators were installed to reduce water flow without affecting usability. In parallel, they introduced basic monitoring practices to keep track of usage in key areas. The process was not without friction. Initial awareness among students was limited, and coordinating with maintenance teams required sustained follow-ups. Accessing consistent data on water consumption also proved difficult in the absence of formal systems.
However, within one to two months, visible improvements began to emerge. Instances of leakage reduced, overflows were brought under control, and water usage became more regulated.
What stands out is the scale of effort required. The initiative involved a small group, basic checks, and low-cost interventions. Yet, it demonstrated that even without large infrastructure changes, campuses can reduce wastage through simple, consistent action.
For other institutions, the approach remains accessible: start with a basic audit, identify where water is being lost, and fix what can be fixed first.